May 26, 2009 By: yunews
May 26, 2009 -- For Aaron Koller 鈥99Y, 鈥00BR, a PhD graduate from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, there is no substitution for reading a work in its original language鈥攅ven if it is an ancient Semitic language such as Akkadian or Egyptian hieroglyphs.
鈥淭he truth is that there are other languages I鈥檇 like to know, but 鈥榯he day is short and the labor vast,鈥欌 Koller said, quoting the famous line in Pirkei Avot [Ethics of the Fathers].
Koller, an assistant professor of Jewish studies at Yeshiva College, wrote his dissertation on the cutting tools and verbs of cutting used in the Bible and the Ancient Near East.
鈥淢y research ranged from Natufian agriculture [spanning the period 12,500 to 9,500 BC] and Neolithic tool use, through ancient Near Eastern textual and archaeological data, to rabbinic and medieval Biblical interpretation,鈥 said Koller, who comes from a family rich with YU connections. 鈥淢y focus on specific words sheds light on larger issues, such as cultural connections between Israel and its neighbors鈥擡gypt, the Philistines and Mesopotamia--and changes in Israelite technology and society between biblical and rabbinic times.鈥
Koller鈥檚 research won high praise from Dr. Lawrence Stager, Dorot Professor of the Archeology of Israel at Harvard University, who served on Koller鈥檚 dissertation committee and recommended it be awarded a distinction.
Koller traces his interests in ancient languages, history and culture to his Revel mentors, Dr. Richard Steiner, professor of Semitic languages and literatures, and Dr. Barry Eichler, professor of Near Eastern and biblical studies.
鈥淎aron is on his way to becoming a world-class scholar,鈥 Steiner said. 鈥淗e is an outstanding product of our institution of whom we can be very proud.鈥
