In Memory of Hershel Shanks
The Biblical Archaeology Society remembers the life and achievements of Biblical Archaeology Review’s founder and Editor Emeritus, Hershel Shanks, who passed away February 5, 2021 at the age of 90.
In 1974, Hershel envisioned BAR, creating a modest publication that reflected his deep personal interest in the biblical past. Over the following four decades, until his retirement in 2017, he transformed BAR into the world’s best-selling and most widely read biblical archaeology magazine, enjoyed by millions. He was firmly committed to making the latest archaeological discoveries—and scholarly controversies—accessible to the broader public, through well-written, beautifully presented, and engaging content that brought the biblical world to life. BAS is honored to carry on the tremendous legacy left to us by our friend, colleague, and mentor, Hershel Shanks.
Hershel Shanks: March 8, 1930—Feb 5, 2021
We have collected tributes from Hershel’s family and close friends, current and former BAS staff members, and scholars and colleagues from across the world. Please enjoy these memories and celebrate Hershel’s contributions to the fields of biblical archaeology and biblical studies. We also invite you to leave your own remembrances of Hershel’s life and legacy in the comments section below.
Additionally, you can read his obituaries (which may be behind paywalls) in The Washington Post and The New York Times.
“My Companion”
Judith Shanks
Hershel’s wife
“A Father and a Colleague”
Elizabeth Alexander
Hershel’s daughter
“A Healthy Dose of Mischief”
Julia Shanks
Hershel’s daughter
BAS Staff, Contributors, and Associates
“In the Giant’s Shadow”
Susan Laden
BAS, Publisher & President
“A Hero to His Readers”
John Merrill
BAS, Chairman Emeritus & Contributing Editor
“Even Before There Was BAR”
Suzanne Singer
BAR, Contributing Editor & Former Managing Editor
“Breathing Biblical Archaeology”
Janet Bowman
BAS, Administrative Assistant
“A Showstopping Act”
Robert R. Cargill
BAR, former Editor
“An Unexpected Mentor”
Glenn J. Corbett
BAR, Editor
“Lessons of the Red Pen”
Marek Dospěl
BAR, Associate Editor
“Sweet Memories”
Jennifer Drummond
BAS, Circulation Manager
“Challenging Norms”
Steve Feldman
BAR, former Managing Editor
“Expanding Knowledge of the Bible”
Janice Krause
BAS, former Travel/Study Manager
“Making the Arcane Accessible”
Molly Dewsnap Meinhardt
Bible Review, former Managing Editor
“An Armchair Adventure”
Heather Witte Metzger
BAS, Production Manager
“Enthusiastic Doer”
Bonnie Mullin
BAR, former Administrative Editor
“The Lone Red Pen”
Robin Ngo
BAS, former Web Editor
“Learning from a Legend”
Megan Sauter
BAR, Managing Editor
“My Longest Client”
Robert Sugar
AURAS Design, Inc.
“A World Without Hershel”
Ellen White
BAR, former Senior Editor
“Interesting and Interested”
Sarah K. Yeomans
BAS, Contributing Editor & former Educational Programs Director
Scholars and Colleagues
Note: These tributes originally appeared in Festschrift: A Celebration of Hershel Shanks, the special double issue of Biblical Archaeology Review that was published in 2018 on occasion of Hershel’s retirement as Editor of BAR.
“A Man for the People”
Christopher Rollston
The George Washington University
“Born in Our Living Room”
Eric and Carol Meyers
Duke University
“Larger than Life”
Eric H. Cline
The George Washington University
“The Archaeological Evangelist”
Amy-Jill Levine
Vanderbilt University
“The Face of BAR”
André Lemaire
École Pratique des Hautes Études at the Sorbonne University
“Scaling Ivory Towers”
Alan Millard
University of Liverpool
“Unwavering and Obstreperous”
William G. Dever
University of Arizona
Hershel Shanks founded the Biblical Archaeology Society in 1974 and published the first issue of Biblical Archaeology Review in 1975. He served as the editor of BAR until his retirement in 2017. In the very first issue, Hershel wrote, “The aim of The Biblical Archaeology Review is to make available in understandable language the current insights of professional archaeology as they relate to the Bible.” In his 43 years as editor, he did not deviate from this mission.
Hershel’s family requests that donations in memory of Hershel be made to the Biblical Archaeology Society.
Please share your memories of Hershel in the comments section below.
I have been a subscriber to BAR for years, and have enjoyed the magazine as well as the editorials penned by Hershel. He will be missed.
Thank you. Hershel, for your life long commitment and passion with BAR. My condolences to your family and friends. May the Lord bless you and keep you until we meet again.
I have taught Bible study for 38 years and been to Israel 3 times, twice with a Jewish group and once with Christian group. Each time I have learned to admire Hershel Shanks for his understanding of all archaeology, humna faiths, hopes and struggles. I regret his passing, he was far too young (I myself am 93).
From a very early age my ambition was to be an archaeologist in the Holy Land. My life didn’t turn in that direction but through the pages of Mr. Shanks’ publication. I felt that I got very close. With my sincere gratitude. R I P
I am an “ordinary reader” who has enjoyed reading BAR for the last 20 years or so, and I have come to admire the enduring enthusiasm for combining the knowledge of archaeology and Biblical knowledge which has been so prominent in Hershel Shanks’ publications; also, the refreshing openness in theological matters, showing equal respect to all religions and their different views of the world we live in. He has created an important legacy for professionals as well as laymen and -women. Thank you Mr Shanks!
Hershel never did make it through all the questions that were presented at the panel discussions at the BibleFest banquet each year. Now he has the time and wherewithal to get all those questions answered. God bless you, Hershel. We will miss you.
Eric Clines Keynote speech at ASOR 2019 was the importance of professional archeologists writing for the general public. He cited Herschel and BAR as an excellent vehicle that disseminates factual information that illuminates
the Biblical era. He also noted that when his mother was visiting, the only thing she was excited about was that she was going to meet Herschel! Reading BAR has had a major impact on my retired life: It led me to BAR sponsored
Study-Travel trips, where I got to interact on a daily basis with knowledgeable scholars, attending Biblical Archeology Fest, and ultimately joining ASOR as a nonprofessional member and attending its annual meeting. At the first one, 8 talks were on sites in Anatolia. Because of BAS trips, I had previously been to all of them.
So Herschel, mahalo nui loa.
I have been a subscriber for twenty years, and I have kept every issue, except one, which I gave to my rabbi. His comment to me was that I became elevated in his eyes for reading such a special interest magazine. As an ex=’aliyahnik”, I loved every story. I followed every contraversy about publishing the Dead Sea Scrolls, or how to interpret B.C. and B.C.E., and how to discover forgeries, and personal ‘hits’ on Hershel’s scholarship, etc.
May his good old memory be eternal &let him rest in the peace of the Lord
Of particular importance in Mr. Shanks’ and BAR’s success would be their courageous involvement in the controversy over the Dead Sea Scrolls … which had, up to then, been monopolized by a lone scholar of dubious affinity for Israel and its people.