Lawrence Mykytiuk

Lawrence J. Mykytiuk is an American scholar of the Hebrew Bible and academic librarian, known for his research on inscriptions of the ancient Near East that mention people also referred to in the Bible. He has published on inscriptions that reference figures in the Old Testament and on historical writings in Koiné Greek that refer to figures in the New Testament. From 1993 to 2020, he served as a faculty member at Purdue University, where he retired as emeritus Professor of Library Science. His work applies explicit criteria to determine whether non-biblical inscriptions reliably identify biblical figures, contributing to discussions on the historicity of the Bible.

Early life and education Mykytiuk was born in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, to Nicholas and Ruth Mykytiuk. He was educated in the Chicago public schools and raised in what later became the Lutheran Church in America. During active duty in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War era, he embraced the Christian faith.

He earned a diploma in Bible Theology at Moody Bible Institute in 1970 and a B.A. in English summa cum laude from Trinity College in 1972. He later completed an M.T.S. summa cum laude in Theological Studies from Asian Theological Seminary in Quezon City, Philippines, in 1983. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Hebrew and Semitic studies (1988, 1998), and an M.A. in Library and Information Studies (1992). His doctoral dissertation developed a methodology for identifying biblical figures in inscriptions.

Academic and library career In 1993, Mykytiuk was appointed to the Libraries Faculty of Purdue University, where he served as History Librarian until 2019. He was promoted to associate professor of Library Science, with tenure, in 1999, and continued until his retirement in 2020. In February 2019, he was designated Research and Teaching Support Specialist, a position he held until retirement. He was appointed Emeritus Professor in March 2020. From 2014 to 2021, he also held a courtesy appointment as associate professor of history.

During his tenure at Purdue, Mykytiuk took academic leave for research in 2009 and 2017–2018. His teaching included bibliographic instruction for historians and other students, and he gave numerous presentations on Bible-related inscriptions to faculty seminars and professional conferences.

At Purdue, he received the Libraries Award for Excellence in Teaching (2012) and the Libraries Research Award (2017, shared with coauthors). In March 2019, he was Scholar in Residence at Temple Sholom in Chicago.

Research Mykytiuk's scholarship focuses on the historicity of the Hebrew Bible, particularly figures in the Old Testament. His dissertation, later published as Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200–539 B.C.E. (2004), set forth explicit criteria for identifying biblical persons in inscriptions. Initially motivated by debates around Biblical minimalism, his work continues to analyze and compile epigraphic evidence supporting the historicity of biblical narratives.

He contributed a multi-part bibliographic essay, "Strengthening Biblical Historicity vis-à-vis Minimalism," in the Journal of Religious and Theological Information (2010–2015). His article “Eleven Non-Royal Jeremianic Figures Strongly Identified in Authentic, Contemporaneous Inscriptions” (2016) offered one of the largest single sets of identifications of biblical figures in inscriptions in the Book of Jeremiah. He has also published reference essays and reviews in outlets such as American National Biography, Maarav, and Andrews University Seminary Studies.

Books Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200–539 B.C.E. (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature; Boston: Brill, 2004). A revised version of his 1998 doctoral dissertation. Ancient Sources: The Search for Biblical Confirmation Among Ancient Inscriptions (Lafayette, IN: Ratio Christi Press, 2023). A short, popular-level booklet summarizing his identifications. Co-editor, with Tyler C. Williams, of Joy Anne Mykytiuk, Puzzled to Find My Home: A Spiritual Memoir (San Francisco: Page Link Solutions, 2024).

Selected articles and chapters “Corrections and Updates to ‘Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200–539 B.C.E.’,” Maarav 16/1 (2009): 49–132. “Strengthening Biblical Historicity vis-à-vis Minimalism” series of four articles, Journal of Religious and Theological Information 9–14 (2010–2015). “Sixteen Strong Identifications of Biblical Persons (Plus Nine Other Identifications) in Authentic Northwest Semitic Inscriptions from before 539 B.C.E.,” in New Inscriptions and Seals Relating to the Biblical World, ed. Meir Lubetski and Edith Lubetski (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2012), 25–58. “Eleven Non-Royal Jeremianic Figures Strongly Identified in Authentic, Contemporaneous Inscriptions,” Eretz-Israel 32 (2016): 57*–64*. “Don’t Pave the Way for Circular Reasoning! A Better Way to Identify the Two Deceased Hebrew Kings in the Tel Dan Stele,” in Epigraphy, Iconography, and the Bible, ed. Meir Lubetski and Edith Lubetski (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2021), 112–134. “Inscriptions That Confirm 16 Hebrew Kings: A Thumbnail History and Current Percentages,” in Gabriel: Tell this Man the Meaning of His Vision (Tel Aviv: Archaeological Center Publications, 2024), 191–215.

He has also written for popular audiences, notably five articles in Biblical Archaeology Review between 2014 and 2021, presenting confirmations of 53 Old Testament and 30 New Testament figures in ancient writings.

Reception Mykytiuk's 2004 monograph received twelve reviews in journals including the Journal of Biblical Literature, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vetus Testamentum, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Bibliotheca Orientalis, and Journal of Semitic Studies. Reviewers such as Kenneth A. Kitchen, Christopher Rollston, and Bob Becking noted the methodological rigor and its implications for debates on biblical historicity. The book is cited in reference works such as Bill T. Arnold and H. G. M. Williamson, eds., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (2005), p. 750, and J. Maxwell Miller and John H. Hayes, eds., A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, 2nd ed. (2006), p. 248.

His research has been profiled in media outlets including The Times of Israel (2017), WGN-TV Chicago (2017), the History Channel (2019), and Purdue University News. He has been interviewed by Biblical Archaeology Review, K-LOVE News, Relevant Radio, Bible Gateway Blog, and Biblical Archaeology Forum / Biblical Archaeology Society of Northern Virginia.