Jewish Studies Professor Honored for Research on Ancient Israel

Matthew J. Suriano's book explores the representations of death in the Hebrew Bible.

Matthew J. Suriano, associate professor of Jewish Studies, won the Frank Moore Cross Award from The American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) for his book "A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible." This book reinterprets the complex cultural ideas around death in the Hebrew Bible by comparing Hebrew funerary inscriptions from the Iron Age with motifs found in biblical literature. The annual Frank More Cross Award honors excellence in original research about the history and religion of ancient Israel.

Suriano is an expert in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and ancient Near Eastern religions. His first book "The Politics of Dead Kings: Dynastic Ancestors in the Book of Kings and Ancient Israel," examined the motifs used to describe a king's death. His other areas of research include royal inscriptions and the study of kingship. Suriano is an active member of The Society of Biblical Literature and ASOR, and has been a fellow at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. He has participated in several archaeological excavations in Israel, and is a current member of the Tel Burna excavation project.