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Revision as of 19:51, 12 June 2011
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (June 2011) |
Dr. Roy Kinneer Patteson, Jr. (born October 27, 1928) is an American ancient language scholar, noted authority on the origin of the alphabet, The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Masada scripts, the Apocrypha, correctional translator of the Wisdom of Ben Sira, and former college president at Southern Seminary Junior College (now known as Southern Virginia University) and King College.
Roy Kinneer Patteson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 27,1928 Richmond, Virginia USA |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Current / Modern |
| Notable works | PhD dissertation on The Wisdom of Ben Sira in 1967, Definitive work on the origin of the alphabet |
Early life
Roy Kinneer Patteson was born to Roy Kinneer Patteson, Sr. and Mary Anderson Patteson of English, Irish and French ancestry. He graduated from Midlothian High School in 1947.
Early career, higher education and noted scholarly contributions
Patteson attended the University of Virginia for one year in 1948 to study architecture. Lacking funds to continue his education, he returned to the city of Richmond and obtained a position as a drafter in an architectural firm. He soon enlisted in the army, and was stationed in the San Francisco, CA area. During this period he befriended another serviceman, the brother of whom would later become Patteson's wife, Pauline Cox Patteson in 1950. In 1953, Patteson enrolled at the University of Richmond, obtaining his BA in 1957. In 1958, he enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, receiving his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1960. Patteson then moved to North Carolina and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister by the Presbyterian Church USA. Intrigued with the more scholarly aspects of original Aramaic, Hebrew and Syriac biblical texts, Patteson returned to Duke University, joined a world-renowned group of ancient language scholars, and embarked upon a life-altering study of original scrolls, manuscripts and inscriptions in Israel.
The Duke University ancient language department was headed by Dr. William Stinespring, who had strong collaborations with Yigael Yadin at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. In 1964, coinciding with Patteson having received his Masters in Theology at Duke, Patteson joined the Stinespring team for a prolonged visit to Israel and a deeper examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Masada Scripts and certain inscriptions found in the Siloam Tunnel also known as Hezekiah's Tunnel. Patteson had previously initiated an appeal to Yigael Yadin's team for any corroboration of original Hebrew manuscripts involving the Wisdom of Ben Sira, also known as The Wisdom of Ben Sirach - as the existing texts had problems involving translation, meaning, age and authenticity. As a result of his being based in Israel, Patteson was provided uncommon access to some of the original materials for his alphabetic dating, translation and verification of authenticity versus the formerly Greek translated book of poems created by the seventy Greek scholars collectively known as the Septuagint.
A well-acknowledged issue surrounded these texts. There had, to this point, only been Greek versions of the original Hebrew manuscripts - and any Hebrew versions were questionable translations by the Septuagint. The Masada fragments provided to Patteson allowed him to rectify numerous translational issues, verify the age of Masada scripts by co-located Roman coins found in the caves next to the scrolls, and cross-validate the age utilizing alphabetic and script usage patterns. These Hebrew versions therefore pre-dated the Septuagint, and were authentic for the purposes of deriving more accurate and subtle original meanings and context. Patteson's conclusions formed the basis for his PhD dissertation on The Wisdom of Ben Sira in 1967. Based upon this body of work, he received his PhD from Duke University in 1967.[1]
His additional studies in Israel allowed him to cultivate opinions on the relative importance of the Siloam tunnel inscriptions, and led to his definitive work on the origin of the alphabet, published by the Case Western Press in 1970.[2]
College administration
Having received a PhD, he served as a college professor, chairman of History and Philosophy Departments and eventually a dean. In 1970, he was inaugurated as president of Southern Seminary Junior College (now Southern Virginia University) in Buena Vista, VA. Subsequent to this appointment, Patteson became the president of King College, Bristol, TN in 1977.[3] The body of accomplishments at both colleges was dominantly financial development for the purposes of growing their respective endowments, opening expanded facilities, and raising the academic profiles of the institutions.
Post-retirement
After retirement in the 1990's, Patteson became an oil painter of distinction, having been selected in 1998 and 1999 by the Oil Painters of America for national shows in Washington, DC and Scottsdale, AZ.[4]
References
- ^ http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion/students/documents/phdbystate.2009_000.pdf p.36
- ^ Patteson, R.K. (1970). "The Siloam Inscription and Alphabetic Origins". Visible Language. 4.3. Originally published as The Journal of Typographical Research
- ^ "History of King College". King College.
- ^ http://rockbridgeartsguild.com/Roy_Patteson.html