Father James W. Flanagan
December 27, 1935 — September 1, 2015
James W. Flanagan (1935-2015)
Retired Catholic priest and distinguished biblical scholar, James W. Flanagan, died peacefully in his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on September 1, 2015.
Flanagan grew up on a family farm near Monti, Iowa. He was awarded a Bachelors degree from Loras College in 1958, a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (1960) and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1962) from Gregorian University in Rome, and his Ph.D. from Notre Dame College in 1971. Flanagan was ordained a priest in Rome in 1961. After completing his Ph.D. at Notre Dame University in 1971, he did post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan and Cambridge University in the fields of Near Eastern Studies and Social Anthropology and Archeology. He taught at Loras College (1964-1973), the University of Michigan (1973-1976), and the University of Montana (1976-1986) where he chaired the Religious Studies Department and served as Associate Director of Scholars Press. In 1986 Flanagan was appointed the Paul J. Halligan Visiting Professor of Catholic Studies while on leave from the University of Montana. In April, 1990 he became Professor of Religion, with tenure, at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland Ohio. In March, 1991 he became the Paul J. Halligan Professor of Catholic Studies at CWRU. He was made Paul J. Halligan Professor of Catholic Studies, Emeritus in 2002.
Flanagan’s scholarly work involved archaeological excavations in Tell Gezer (Israel), Babe dh-Dhra (Jordan), Tell Qarqur (Syria), and related field work in Saudi Arabia and North Yemen. Flanagan co-launched the Tell Nimrin Project, an archaeological expedition to the Jordan Valley, in 1985. The excavation continued for several years and yielded a number of important discoveries. Beginning in 1996, Flanagan focused on the publication and presentation of data in a groundbreaking fashion via the then nascent world wide web. Virtual Nimrin presented findings of the Tell Nimrin Project though a collaboration with Case Western Reserve University and the Virginia Institute of Technology. It included electronic versions of field books, selected photos, and publishable drawings, as well as a comprehensive collection of reports and a selection of rare texts in archeology called the Etana Core Texts. Flanagan retired from active field work after the 1995 season at Tel Nimrin, and from Case Western Reserve University in 2002.
Flanagan is preceded in death by his parents James P. and Agnes Flanagan and his sister Roseann Flanagan of Monti, Iowa. He is survived by his sister Mary Pat (Flanagan) Holub, her husband Dorance of Monti, his nieces and nephews Jim, Maureen, Roseann, Dan and Tim Holub, as well as his great nieces and nephews TD, Michael and Ashley Holub.
Retired Catholic priest and distinguished biblical scholar, James W. Flanagan, died peacefully in his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on September 1, 2015.
Flanagan grew up on a family farm near Monti, Iowa. He was awarded a Bachelors degree from Loras College in 1958, a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (1960) and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1962) from Gregorian University in Rome, and his Ph.D. from Notre Dame College in 1971. Flanagan was ordained a priest in Rome in 1961. After completing his Ph.D. at Notre Dame University in 1971, he did post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan and Cambridge University in the fields of Near Eastern Studies and Social Anthropology and Archeology. He taught at Loras College (1964-1973), the University of Michigan (1973-1976), and the University of Montana (1976-1986) where he chaired the Religious Studies Department and served as Associate Director of Scholars Press. In 1986 Flanagan was appointed the Paul J. Halligan Visiting Professor of Catholic Studies while on leave from the University of Montana. In April, 1990 he became Professor of Religion, with tenure, at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland Ohio. In March, 1991 he became the Paul J. Halligan Professor of Catholic Studies at CWRU. He was made Paul J. Halligan Professor of Catholic Studies, Emeritus in 2002.
Flanagan’s scholarly work involved archaeological excavations in Tell Gezer (Israel), Babe dh-Dhra (Jordan), Tell Qarqur (Syria), and related field work in Saudi Arabia and North Yemen. Flanagan co-launched the Tell Nimrin Project, an archaeological expedition to the Jordan Valley, in 1985. The excavation continued for several years and yielded a number of important discoveries. Beginning in 1996, Flanagan focused on the publication and presentation of data in a groundbreaking fashion via the then nascent world wide web. Virtual Nimrin presented findings of the Tell Nimrin Project though a collaboration with Case Western Reserve University and the Virginia Institute of Technology. It included electronic versions of field books, selected photos, and publishable drawings, as well as a comprehensive collection of reports and a selection of rare texts in archeology called the Etana Core Texts. Flanagan retired from active field work after the 1995 season at Tel Nimrin, and from Case Western Reserve University in 2002.
Flanagan is preceded in death by his parents James P. and Agnes Flanagan and his sister Roseann Flanagan of Monti, Iowa. He is survived by his sister Mary Pat (Flanagan) Holub, her husband Dorance of Monti, his nieces and nephews Jim, Maureen, Roseann, Dan and Tim Holub, as well as his great nieces and nephews TD, Michael and Ashley Holub.
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