Westminster John Knox Press announced that Brent A. Strawn has been appointed to the editorial board of the Old Testament Library commentary series.

Strawn is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and an associate professor of Hebrew Bible at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Strawn earned his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He specializes in ancient Near Eastern iconography, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Israelite religion, comparative Semitic philology, legal traditions of the Old Testament, and Old Testament theology.

“We’re delighted to have a scholar of Brent’s standing join the OTL board,” said David M. Dobson, executive director of publishing and editorial director for Westminster John Knox Press. “His record of scholarship makes him an ideal candidate to join a board that has included scholars such as James L. Mays, John Bright, Peter R. Ackroyd, and Bernard Anderson, and currently consists of Carol A. Newsom, David L. Petersen, and William P. Brown. We know that Brent will stand strong in that distinguished line.”

Strawn is the author of What Is Stronger Than a Lion?, Leonine Image, and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East (Fribourg Academic Press and Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2005). He is co-editor of the Common English Bible (2010), several books on biblical theology, and the Dead Sea Scrolls series. He serves on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has published articles in journals such as The Asbury Theological Journal, The Journal of Biblical Literature, Perspectives in Religious Studies, Teaching Theology and Religion, Homiletic Journal for Preachers, Journal of Theological Interpretation, Biblica, and Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha.

The OTL series celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. Originally conceived to introduce the English-speaking world to the series Das Alte Testament Deutsch (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht), the OTL included translations of renowned biblical scholars such as Walter Eichrodt, Martin Noth, Artur Wieser, and Gerhard von Rad. The vision for the series gradually expanded to include contributions by British and North American scholars, including A. Graeme Auld, Leslie C. Allen, Susan Niditch, Marvin A. Sweeney, Adele Berlin, J. Cheryl Exum, Joseph Blenkinsopp, John J. Collins, Leo G. Perdue, Horst Dietrich Preuss, J. J. M. Roberts, D. S. Russell, Norman Porteous, James L. Mays, and Brevard S. Childs.

“I am absolutely delighted to join the editorial board of the Old Testament Library, which has long distinguished itself as one of the leading commentary series in the world,” Strawn said. “I have admired the OTL and its prestigious editors for many years, and I consider this appointment a high point in my career. I am particularly thrilled to work closely with the other board members, as well as with Westminster John Knox Press, in the days to come.”

To date, 56 volumes have been published, many of which are still in print. In 1990, WJK invited James L. Mays, Carol A. Newsom, and David L. Petersen to form a new editorial board. Under their direction, the series was revitalized through the commissioning of 26 new volumes. An additional 12 volumes are in preparation.
--Westminster John Knox Press