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Theodor Gaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Theodor Herzl Gaster (1906 - 1992) was a Romanian-born American Biblical scholar known for work on comparative religion, mythology and the history of religions. He is noted for his book, "The Dead Sea Scriptures", about the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as his one-volume abridgement of Sir James Frazer's massive 13-volume work "The Golden Bough," to which Gaster contributed updates, corrections and extensive annotations.
His father was the scholar and rabbi Moses Gaster.
Prof. Elaine Pagels, who taught for a time at Barnard College, notes in her book Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003), that Gaster, her Barnard colleague, was "the 13th son of the Chief Rabbi of London." Gaster taught for many years at Columbia University in the City of New York; and, at Barnard College of Columbia University, he was also Head of the Department of Religion from 1968-1972. He knew all the languages of the Bible, and, at one time in 1976, students in one of his classes heard that he knew 32 languages in all. His teaching was full of warm humanity, humor, challenge, encouragement, and wit.
- Thespis: Ritual, Myth, and Drama in the Ancient Near East. Henry Schuman Publishing, New York, 1950.
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Rev. Mark Alterman, well known Hebrew Christian Evangelist(koshergospel.com) was a student of Dr Gaster at the Dropsie University of Hebrew and Cognate Learning in Philadelphia, PA.