Jacob L. Wright is a renowned scholar of the Hebrew Bible, adept at weaving together historical, religious, and geographical perspectives. His work is profoundly interdisciplinary, demonstrating how biblical ideas resonate with and inform central problems facing modern societies. With firsthand familiarity with archaeological finds and ancient primary sources from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece, he brings a distinctive depth to his scholarship. His research explores a wide array of topics, from social life in ancient Israel to the formation of biblical writings, showcasing an approach recognized with significant scholarly distinction.
Demonstrating how the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible represents the first, and one of the most elaborate, projects of 'peoplehood,' Wright tells the dramatic story of the Bible's origins in relation to 1) a longstanding political division between North and South (Israel and Judah) and 2) the traumatic experience of defeat.