Kent P. Jackson
Kent P. Jackson is emeritus professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in ancient studies at BYU and then received both his master’s and PhD degrees in ancient Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan. His advisor was the famous Bible scholar David Noel Freedman.
Jackson joined the BYU faculty in 1980. He is a former chair of Near Eastern Studies at the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at BYU and former associate dean of Religious Education. He has been a faculty member at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies five times. He has also served as regional president of the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion.
He has researched in the areas of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the ancient Near East, and ancient and modern scriptures. He is the author of numerous articles. He wrote From Apostasy to Restoration; The Restored Gospel and the Book of Genesis; The Book of Moses and the Joseph Smith Translation Manuscripts; Joseph Smith’s Commentary on the Bible; Islam: A First Encounter; and To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration (with Richard Holzapfel). He edited A Witness for the Restoration; The King James Bible and the Restoration; and Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer (with Richard Holzapfel). He was an editor for the Studies in Scripture series (with Robert L. Millet).
Jackson was born on August 9, 1949, in Salt Lake City. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of five children.
