Contributing Scholars

Below are some of the scholars whose work has had a direct impact on this commentary.  Their credentials are impeccable.  These individuals represent a level of scholarship that cannot be surpassed.  We are grateful to them for their dedication and years of hard work and sacrifice.


Roy B.  Blizzard, Ph.D.

Dr. Blizzard is president of Yavo, Inc. And Bible Scholars, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to Biblical research and education.  Dr. Blizzard attended Oklahoma Military Academy and has a B.A. degree from Philips University in Enid, Oklahoma.  He has a M.A. degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico, and a M.A. degree from the University of Texas in Austin, and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Studies from the University of Texas in Austin.  Dr. Blizzard has served as an instructor in Hebrew, biblical history, and Biblical archaeology at the University of Texas.  He also served as a supervising archaeologist excavating the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel.  He has also served as an adjunct professor of Union Graduate School of the Union Experimental Colleges and Universities in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Dr. Blizzard continues to serve on various graduate student committees at the University of Texas at Austin for students working on their doctoral degrees.  I am proud to add that Dr. Blizzard is working as editor for this commentary.

Ron Moseley, Ph.D., D.Phil., D. Litt.

Dr. Ron Moseley has studied for the last twenty years at several major universities, including Princeton, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the Jerusalem University in Jerusalem, researching under some of the most prominent scholars in Hebrew culture.  He has a Bachelor of Religious Education and Master of Biblical Foundations in Middle Eastern Studies degrees from Luther Rice College, a Master Degree in Jewish studies, a Ph.D. degree from Louisiana Baptist University, and a D.Phil. Degree from Oxford Graduate School, the American Center for Religion and Society Studies, where he graduated with honors for his statistical analysis of society and religion.  Dr. Moseley is the founder and president of the American Institute of Higher Biblical Studies in North Little Rock, AR.

Marvin Wilson, Ph.D.
   Dr. Marvin Wilson is the Harold J. Ockenga Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.  Dr. Wilson is one of the translators of the New International Version of the Bible.  He is a leader in the dialogue between Jews and Christians, and has co-edited many books and written numerous articles on Christian-Jewish relations.  Dr. Wilson is the author of the popular book “Our Father Abraham,” which has become a textbook on the subject of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and was made into a television documentary on the first century culture.



Brad H. Young, Ph.D.

Dr. Young received his doctorate at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1987.  His dissertation, written under Dr. David Flusser’s supervision, was titled “The Parables as a Literary Genre in Rabbinic Literature and in the Gospels” While at the Hebrew University, Dr. Young served as a graduate assistant to Professor Flusser, Chairman of the Department of Comparative Religion.  Dr. Young teaches at Oral Roberts University where he is the Professor of Biblical Literature.  He continues to be involved in the research of the Jerusalem School and in the writing of the Jerusalem Synoptic Commentary.

Dwight A. Pryor, Ph.D..

Dr. Pryor is a graduate, with special distinction, of the University of Oklahoma, with a B.A. degree in philosophy.  His several years of graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, in philosophy and the Hebrew Studies Program, equips him with a unique perspective on the Holy Scriptures.  Mr. Pryor is president and founder of the Center For Judaic-Christian Studies, established in Austin, Texas in 1984.  He also is a founding member of the Board of Governors of the Jerusalem School of synoptic Research in Israel - a respected international research team of scholars studying the life of Jesus in the context of Jewish culture, history, geography, and archaeology of the Bible.

Jim Fleming, Ed.D.

Dr. Fleming is the Executive Director of the Biblical Resources Study Center in Jerusalem, Israel, which provides audiovisual aides for teaching Bible history.  He has lived and worked in Israel since 1974 and has served as Director and Academic Dean of the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies from 1980 to April of 1987.  He holds an Ed.D. degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary and has taught in both the Hebrew University and the American Institute in Jerusalem.  The Director of the Overseas Students at the Hebrew University stated that Dr.Fleming’s media lecture room was the most sophisticated teaching center in the Middle East.  Dr. Fleming has served as a cartography consultant with the Curriculum Department of the Israeli photographs.  He also works with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.  Dr. Fleming is a member of the Advisory Board and periodically contributes articles to the Archaeological Review magazine.

Paul L. Maier, Ph.D.

Dr. Maier is the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University and a much published author of both scholarly and popular books.  His novels include two historical documents, “Pontius Pilate and the Flames of Rome,” as well as a theological thriller that became #1 national best seller in religious fiction: “A Skeleton In God’s closet.”  A sequel, “More Than a Skeleton” appeared last fall.  His non-fiction works include “In The Fullness of Time,” a book that correlates evidence from the ancient world impinging on Jesus and early Christianity, and “Josephus – The Essential Works,” a new translation/commentary on writings of the first century Jewish historian, and “Eusebius – The Church History,” a similar book on the first Christian historian.  Several million Maier books are now in a dozen languages, as well as 250 scholarly articles in professional journals.

Dr. Maier lectures widely, appears frequently on national radio, television, and in newspaper interviews, and has received numerous awards.  He has also penned four children’s books and produced three four-hour video series dealing with Jesus, St. Paul, and the early church.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

David Flusser, Ph.D.

Dr. David Flusser was the professor of Early Christianity and Judaism of the Second Temple Period at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.  Dr. Flusser was a member of the Israel Academy of Science and Humanities.  He was the recipient of the Israel Prize (1980), awarded by the State of Israel.  In 1980 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology by the Catholic Faculty of Theology of Lucerne, Switzerland.  His books include “Jesus and Judaism” and “The Origins Christianity.”  He published over 1000 articles in Hebrew, German, English, and other languages.  He died on his 83rd birthday on September 15, 2000.  Dr. David Flusser was recognized as one of the top Biblical scholars in the world and he is sorely missed by all who knew him and/or studied his works.