Avraham Gileadi

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Avraham Gileadi
Born
unknown

(1940-10-24)October 24, 1940
EducationB.A. University Studies (1975)
M.A. Ancient Scripture (1977)
PhD Ancient Studies (1981)
Alma materBrigham Young University
OccupationAuthor
Known forPublications on the Book of Isaiah

Avraham Gileadi (born October 24, 1940) is a Dutch-born American scholar and professor specializing in the Hebrew language and analysis of Book of Isaiah. A longtime professor at Brigham Young University, he was one of the "September Six" of prominent scholars excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1993, but several years later Gileadi was formally readmitted into the church and insists that his excommunication was recognized by church leadership as "a mistake".[1]

Biography

Early life and education

Gileadi was born in 1940 in the Netherlands during World War II. In the course of the war, his father served in the Dutch resistance whose local chapter helped a New Zealand pilot escape to England. After the war, many emigrated from war-torn Europe to new lands of opportunity. Although his father prospered, idealism led him to emigrate to New Zealand.

In New Zealand, Avraham Gileadi went through a period of introspection, reevaluating his priorities and internalizing spiritual principles. After becoming religiously active and involved, he yet "sensed a lack of spiritual fulfillment." Israel's history in the Old Testament became the focus of his attention. He recognized what he believed to be "a partial fulfillment of prophecy in the modern State of Israel," which led to his desire to participate in it.[2]

In 1968, Gileadi left New Zealand to settle in Israel, where he lived five years. Life in Israel soon involved him deeply in the Old Testament and its religious ties to Judaism. He states that "Judaism attracted me because of the unique manner in which the Jews view the Law and the Prophets. Among the Jews, I felt a depth of understanding that, as a Gentile, I had not hitherto known." In Israel, he settled in

Siloam, where the Bible records Jesus healing a blind man by having him wash his eyes in the pool (John 9:5–7). In 1973 Gileadi moved to the United States, where he married and raised a family of nine children.[3]

Gileadi received academic degrees from Brigham Young University: a B.A. in University Studies (1975), a M.A. in Ancient Scripture (1977), and a PhD in Ancient Studies (1981) with Hugh Nibley as chair.[4] During his academic years, Gileadi taught Hebrew, Religion courses, and an Honors Philosophy class in the literary analysis of the Book of Isaiah. He also sought out and studied with Professor R. K. Harrison, a renowned Old Testament scholar of Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, Canada, who was noted for his conservative theological position.

Being fluent in

Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah, and the Septuagint Version to provide a translation of the Book of Isaiah intelligible in English that remains true to the Hebrew. He used lexical tools constantly to accurately convey every nuance of meaning in the original language, finishing his translation of Isaiah during his PhD program.[5]

Academic career and church discipline

Gileadi was hired by BYU to produce footnotes clarifying translation problems in the Hebrew prophets for the LDS edition of the Bible, and he revised the Hebrew translation of the Book of Mormon for the Church's Translation Division. In 1981 he completed PhD in Ancient Studies from Brigham Young University, under the supervision of Hugh Nibley, with a dissertation entitled "A Bifid Division of the Book of Isaiah."

In 1988 Gileadi published The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon, followed in 1991 by The Last Days: Types and Shadows from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Prominent LDS scholars including

Ellis Rasmussen praised his work. However, Gileadi's argument (present in both books and developed at length in the second) that the Isaiah prophecies pointed to a human "Davidic king" who would emerge in the last days, apart from Jesus Christ, was deemed controversial and clashed with previous LDS interpretations of Isaiah. A reviewer in the Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, while praising Gileadi's erudition and the beauty of his translation, noted that Gileadi's "[...] interpretation of Isaiah [...] diverges widely from previous Latter-day Saint commentary on Isaiah, including that of Bruce R. McConkie." Further, the reviewer contrasted McConkie's commentary in The Millennial Messiah with Gileadi's interpretation of Isaiah.[6] The Last Days was pulled from the shelves of Deseret Book, an LDS owned company; the book was published by Covenant Communications, Inc.[7][8]

In 1996, Gileadi was re-baptized into the LDS Church after the church reversed its disciplinary action against him due in part to the oversight of Neal A. Maxwell. Gileadi later told the Salt Lake Tribune: "In my case — not a single charge was true or supported by evidence — and all mention of it was expunged from the church's records."[9][1]

Works

Gileadi is the author of ten books, a majority of them on the Book of Isaiah. He continues to research the writings of Isaiah and related scriptural texts.

References

  1. ^ a b Stack, Peggy Fletcher (June 12, 2014), "Where Mormonism's 'September Six' are now", Salt Lake Tribune, retrieved June 18, 2014
  2. ^ Gileadi, Avraham. The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon, Preface, 1988, Deseret Book Company
  3. ^ Gileadi, Avraham. Book of Mormon Keys to Isaiah, a video
  4. ^ "BYU Alumni Directory: Avraham Gileadi". Brigham Young University. Archived from the original on April 26, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  5. ^ "Avraham Gileadi Biography". Isaiah Prophecy. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  6. ^ Porter, Bruce (1992). "Review of "The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon"". Review of Books on the Book of Mormon. Maxwell Institute. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  7. ^ see a copy of the book itself
  8. ^ Porter, Bruce (1992). "Review of "The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon"". Review of Books on the Book of Mormon. Maxwell Institute. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  9. ^ "Avraham Gileadi Testimony", Judeo-Mormon Perspectives, Blogger, June 14, 2012, retrieved June 12, 2012
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