Edwin M. Yamauchi

Summary: An Asian American Ancient Historian and Biblical Scholar is the memoir of Edwin M. Yamauchi, professor of history at Miami University, chronicling his family, faith, scholarly work, travels, and church leadership.

In the spring of 1974, I was a college sophomore on break, visiting a friend at Miami University. On Sunday, we went to his church, Oxford Bible Fellowship, attending the college Sunday School class. The teacher was a university professor, a somewhat owlish history show more professor known to students as “Dr. Y.” I forget the lesson but remember the questions people asked and the command of ancient Near East scholarship this man had. And I remember his kindness. Though obviously brilliant in his field, there wasn’t the least hint of condescension. He genuinely cared to encourage students in their Christian belief and their confidence in the Bible. Little did I know, this was an introduction to an acquaintance of fifty years.

So it was with great delight that I received a copy of his memoir which only deepened my respect for him as it filled in many gaps in his life story. I learned that he was the child of immigrants from Okinawa living in Honolulu. I did not know that his father took his own life when Edwin was just three years old nor of all the moves he made as a child as his mother moved from job to job to support the family. nor had I heard the story of his conversion through his friendship with Dick Lum and the ministry of Robert W. Hambrook.

From fifteen he aspired to mission work, receiving early training at the Christian Youth Center before studies at Columbia Bible College, followed by completing his undergraduate work at Shelton College. From there he went on to study with Cyrus H. Gordon, a distinguished ancient Near East Scholar at Brandeis University. After further post-doctoral work and a period at Rutgers, which denied him tenure, he came to the history department at Miami in 1969.

From here, the memoir progresses decade by decade, and later, year by year. Generally, for each period he summarizes his scholarly work and publications, his Christian service, and developments with his family. With regard to his scholarship, what stands out are the numerous conference presentations and research trips, and extensive lists of articles, chapters, and books. But perhaps even more important, Yamauchi was a dedicated witness. He lectured on scholarly and apologetic topics at many universities, served on the editorial board of Christianity Today, actively advised InterVarsity chapters at Rutgers and Miami. And he was one of the founding leaders of Oxford Bible Fellowship, to which one of the appendices is devoted.

In true scholarly tradition, we also read of the many former students and other scholars with which Dr. Yamauchi associated. He takes as great a pride in their accomplishments as his own. One appendix is a who’s who of present and former Oxford Bible Fellowship members and what they’ve accomplished. But pride of place belongs to his family. Nearly every chapter describes the accomplishments of Kimi, and his two children. We also see a man who delights not only in ancient artifacts but in sporting events, concerts, and the arts.

This memoir chronicles why, for so many of us, “Dr. Y” is the model of the scholar-Christian. Over his career he combined a forthright but gracious witness to Christ with scholarly excellence and devotion to his students. His scholarship consisted both of technical works advancing knowledge in his field and works of more popular scholarship advancing knowledge of the Bible and its backgrounds. In this memoir, Dr. Yamauchi renders that account in his own words.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review. show less

This is my favorite church history book simply because the author places church history alongside world history. I hate the way most historians describe the development of the church with almost no reference to parallel developments in the rest of the world. This one is a keeper!

Historical insights for the present impasse.

Complete in One Volume, A-Z