Everett Fox

Introduction

Everett Fox
Born	1947 (age 77–78)
Academic background
Alma mater	Brandeis University
Academic work
Discipline	Biblical studies
Institutions	Clark University
Main interests	Hebrew Bible
Notable works	The Five Books of Moses

Everett Fox is a scholar and translator of the Hebrew Bible. A graduate of Brandeis University, he is currently the Allen M. Glick Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies and Director of the Program in Jewish Studies at Clark University. He holds a variety of degrees in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, with his work focusing on aspects of Judaic studies such as translation.

Education and Professional Experience

In the 1960s and 1970s, Fox received a B.A, M.A and Ph.D in Near and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. ^[1]After his studies, Fox became lecturer for the Department of Religion at Boston University. He shortly became the Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies for the same university and department. Fox first joined Clark University in 1986 as a Visiting Lecturer. He was an Assistant Professor from 1987-1990 and was an Associate Professor in Jewish Studies from 1990-1997. In 1997, he became the Allen M. Glick Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies. He has held his directorial position at Clark since 1987.

Academic work and its Themes

Text Translation and Interpretation

Fox is perhaps best known for his translation into English of the Torah. His translation is heavily influenced by the principles of Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig. Buber, in 1962, completed his translation of the Hebrew Bible into German. Fox, with Lawrence Rosenwald of Wellesley College, co-translated Buber and Rosenzweig's Scripture and Translation into English (Weissbort and Eysteinsson 562). The main guiding principle of Fox's work is that the aural aspects of the Hebrew text should be translated as closely as possible. Instances of Hebrew word play, puns, word repetition, alliteration, and other literary devices of sound are echoed in English and, as with Buber-Rosenzweig, the text is printed in linear, not paragraph, fashion. He has argued for the superiority of Biblical translations that preserve or reflect such Hebrew forms and pushes English further than does Robert Alter, whose translations are motivated by a similar appreciation of the character of the Hebrew original.

Fox's translation of the Torah was published in 1995 by Schocken Books (a division of Random House) as The Five Books of Moses. Fox continues to translate, and in 1999 published Give Us a King!, a translation of the books of Samuel. His translation of the complete Early Prophets (the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel (revised) and Kings) was published in November 2014 as The Schocken Bible: Volume II.

Fox has also published works focusing on other aspects of biblical scripture that are connected with translation. One of those connected areas of emphasis is performance. ^[2] In a chapter of the book, Ve-‘Ed Ya’aleh, Fox argues that all translation in scripture possesses performative characteristics, as the translator attempts to present the work creatively. He notes that Psalms is the most performance-bound book within the Bible.

Sibling Related Motif

Another area of Fox's work focuses on a common theme that is renowned in the Hebrew Bible- that is, the story of a character triumphing over their older sibling in some manner. Fox argues that this theme has inspired various interpretations throughout the works created through classical Jewish and Christian studies.^[3] He uses such examples as the heavy featuring of the neglect of first-born children in Genesis, a section of the Hebrew Bible.

Selected publications

• The Early Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, New York: Schocken Books, 2014, ISBN 978-0-8052-4181-5
• Give Us a King!: A New English Translation of the Book of Samuel. New York: Schocken Books. 1999. ISBN 0-8052-4160-4.
• The Five Books of Moses: (The Schocken Bible, Volume 1) A New English Translation with Commentary and Notes. New York: Schocken Books. 1995. ISBN 0-8052-1119-5.
• Scripture and Translation (translation of Buber and Rosenzweig, Die Schrift und ihre Verdeutschung) -- introduction, co-editor and co-translator with Lawrence Rosenwald. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1994.
• "Stalking the Younger Brother: Some Models for Understanding a Biblical Motif". Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. 18: 45–68. 1993.
• Holtz, Barry, ed. (1992). "The Bible and Its World". The Schocken Guide to Jewish Books. New York: Schocken Books. OCLC 23690471.