Ephraim Isaac
| Prof. Ephraim Isaac | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 29, 1936 Ethiopia |
| Nationality | Ethiopian American |
| Alma mater |
Concordia College Harvard University |
| Occupation | Professor |
Ephraim Isaac (born May 29, 1936) is a scholar of ancient Semitic Languages & Civilization, and African/Ethiopian Languages and Religion. He is the Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies (Princeton, New Jersey) and the Chair of the Board of the Ethiopian Peace and Development Center.
Born in Ethiopia where he received his early education, Dr. Isaac holds B Div. (Harvard Divinity School, '63); a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages (Harvard University, '69); a D.H.L. (Honorary, John Jay/CUNY, '93); a Litt. D. (Honorary, Addis Ababa University, 2004). He is a founder, and the first Professor of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University. In recognition of his merits, the "Ephraim Isaac Prize for Excellence in African Languages" is given to a Harvard graduate who writes the best essay in African Studies.
As a scholar, Ephraim Isaac has been a professor at various universities and has published scholarly articles and books. He was the first faculty appointment in Harvard University's Department of African and Afro-American Studies in 1969, and he played an important role in the early history of the Department. Committed to this emerging field of scholarship, Isaac continued as a faculty member until 1977 and taught almost half of the students enrolled in the program during that time period.
Dr. Isaac has also lectured at following institutions of higher learning (a selection):
His subjects range from those mentioned above to Biblical Hebrew, Rabbinic Literature, Ethiopian History, Concept and History of Slavery and Ancient African Civilizations. He was a Fellow at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Advanced Studies. He has been a Fellow, Harvard University, Dubois Institute (1985–86); Fellow Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton (1989–92).
Dr. Isaac had a long-running dispute with Harvard regarding denial of his request for tenure. In the end, he lost his appeals in court.
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