Scope and Contents
This extensive collection provides a good sense Pope's academic work and his interactions with colleagues and students. The final series, Offprints and Papers by Others, is not listed in its entirety in this finding aid. The materials in this series have been entered into an Access database that is available at the Yale Divinity Library.
Dates
- 1916-1998
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ingrid Brostrom Bloomquist Pope.
Arrangement
- I. Correspondence, 1948-1997, n.d.
- II. Notes
- III. Published Articles and Reviews, 1947-1992, n.d.
- IV.. Drafts and Unpublished Writings
- V. Course-related Material, 1966-1989, n.d.
- VI. Collected Material, 1953-1995, n.d.
- VII. Personal/Memorabilia, 1916-1998
- VIII. Audiovisual Materials, 1976-1993, n.d.
- IX. Offprints and Papers of Others
Extent
75 Linear Feet (157 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The Marvin H. Pope Papers document the life and work of a prominent professor at Yale. Correspondence, notes, writings, course-related materials, collected materials, and audiovisual materials shed light on his academic work and his interactions with colleagues and students. Marvin H. Pope taught at Yale in the Department of Religious Studies and Divinity School from 1949 to 1986 and was one of the world's leading authorities on Ugarit. Pope made many contributions to biblical studies, which included helping to prepare the Revised Standard Version of the Bible and advising the National Council of Churches on the New Revised Standard Version. His scholarly output was prodigious, and he helped to bring the public's attention to the importance of Ugaritic texts in the study of the Bible. During his lifetime he published numerous scholarly articles and three major books, "El in the Ugaritic Texts" and two commentaries for the Anchor Bible Series: "Job" (1965) and "Songs of Songs" (1977). Pope is remembered for his wit, which made him a popular professor during his years at Yale. .
Biographical / Historical
- 1916
- Marvin Hoyle Pope born in Durham, North Carolina, son of Charles and Bessie Cleveland Sorrell Pope. Born in the "Bible Belt," Pope was named after a Methodist bishop. He worked part-time in a drugstore in his early teens, an experience that sparked his interest in religion. When he wasn't busy with customers, Pope read Tom Paine, Voltaire, the Bible, and pharmacopoeia.
- 1938
- Graduated with A.B. from Duke University
- 1939
- Received M.A. from Duke University in Semitic languages and literature
- 1941-1945 Servedin the U.S. Air Force 1946
- Resumed his academic work, studying archaeology with Nelson Glueck, as a fellow of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem
- 1949
- Received Ph.D. from Yale; dissertation on Ugaritic particles; joined faculty at Yale as Assistant Professor of Hebrew
- 1955
- "El in the Ugaritic Texts" published; appointed associate professor at Yale
- 1959-60
- Served as Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem
- 1964
- Appointed Professor of Semitic Languages and Literatures at Yale
- 1965
- Commentary on Job for Anchor Bible Series published
- 1966-67
- directed Hebrew Union College Biblical and Archaeological School in Jerusalem
- 1977
- Commentary on Songs of Songs for Anchor Bible Series published; winner of National Religious Book Award.
- 1979
- Death of first wife, Helen Thompson Pope; Pope named Louis M. Rabinowitz Professor of Semitic Languages and Literatures
- 1980
- Fulbright Lecturer in Ancient Semitic Languages at the University of Aleppo, Syria
- 1985
- Married second wife, Ingrid Brostrom Bloomquist
- 1986
- Fulbright Research Fellow at the Institute for Ugaritic Research at the University of Muenster; retired from Yale
- 1988
- Yale Divinity School established the Marvin H. Pope Scholarship in Biblical Hebrew to honor him.
- 1997
- Died in his church in Greenwich,CT, just after reading passages from the Bible to the congregation
Creator
- Title
- Guide to the Marvin H. Pope Papers
- Author
- Compiled by Dionis Macy Gauvin and Martha Lund Smalley
- Date
- 2002
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared According To Local Divinity Library Descriptive Practices
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Yale Divinity Library Repository