Michael Patrick O'Connor
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April 7, 1950
Master of Arts in creative writing (1972)
Doctorate in Near Eastern studies (1978)
Michael P. O'Connor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Patrick O'Connor April 7, 1950 |
| Died | June 16, 2007 (aged 56–57) |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts in English (1970) Master of Arts in creative writing (1972) Doctorate in Near Eastern studies (1978) |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupations | Linguist, Poet, lecturer, and professor |
| Known for | Ancient Near East studies, Biblical Hebrew |
Michael Patrick O'Connor (1950, Lackawanna, New York – June 16, 2007, Silver Spring, Maryland) was an American scholar of the Ancient Near East and a poet. With the field of ANE studies he was a linguist of Semitic languages, with a focus on biblical Hebrew and biblical poetry.[1][2]
O'Connor received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Notre Dame in 1970, and a Masters in creative writing from the University of British Columbia in 1972, followed by a Masters in ancient Near Eastern studies (1974) and doctorate in 1978 at the University of Michigan.[2]
After working as a freelance scholar for a number of years, he taught at Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas then at Union Theological Seminary.[1] In 1997 he joined the faculty of Catholic University of America and was appointed an Ordinary Professor in 2002.[3]
He is best known from his book on the structure of Hebrew verse and his co-authorship of a textbook on biblical Hebrew syntax.[2][4] He proposed that the metre of Hebrew verse was based on constraints in syntax, rather than feet.[5]
He published poems throughout his career, including a book of poetry called Pandary in 1989.[2]
O'Connor was a Catholic, he died of complications of liver cancer on June 16, 2007, at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD.[1]
