BYU guest lecturer considers Ancient Near Eastern law, forensics June 1 - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU guest lecturer considers Ancient Near Eastern law, forensics June 1

Bruce Wells, associate professor of Hebrew Bible studies at Saint Joseph’s University, will speak at a Brigham Young University lecture Wednesday, June 1, at noon in 238 Herald R. Clark Building.

The lecture, “The Whole Truth: Forensic Rituals and Forensic Evidence in Ancient Near Eastern Courtrooms,” is hosted by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.

Much of Wells’ work has focused on the legal texts of the Hebrew Bible and on the legal history of the broader ancient Near East. He is principal investigator, along with two other colleagues, in a project to study several hundred cuneiform tablets that contain records from legal trials that took place in southern Mesopotamia between 600 and 450 B.C., funded in large part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Wells is the author of “Law of Testimony in the Pentateuchal Codes” and co-author with Raymond Westbrook of “Everyday Law in Biblical Israel,” plus more than a dozen articles on related biblical and ancient Near Eastern topics. 

He received a doctorate in Near Eastern studies from Johns Hopkins University in 2003.

This lecture will be archived at kennedy.byu.edu/archive. For more information, contact Lee Simons at (801) 422-2652 or lee_simons@byu.edu. 

Writer: Mel Gardner

wellsb.jpg
Photo by Kenny Crookston/BYU Photo

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Geology meets history: BYU professor studies WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches

June 05, 2025
Eighty years after D-Day, BYU geologists uncover lingering WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches to study how history still shapes the coastline today.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: Lessons from Noise: Crackle to Calm

June 03, 2025
This year’s Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Kent Gee, delivered his forum address on the science of sound and how he and BYU students have contributed to significant research in the acoustics industry.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU study finds the real reasons why some people choose not to use artificial intelligence

June 03, 2025
In a recent study, BYU professors Jacob Steffen and Taylor Wells explored why some people are still reluctant to use GenAI tools. While some people might worry about an AI apocalypse, Steffen and Wells found that most non-users are more concerned with issues like trusting the results, missing the human touch or feeling unsure if GenAI is ethical to use.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=