Biblical scholar Moshe Greenberg dies at 81

JERUSALEM - Moshe Greenberg, an influential scholar whose work won the first-ever Israel Prize for biblical studies, has died, one of his sons said . He was 81.

Greenberg's award-winning Bible scholarship bridged the gap between the commentary of ancient Jewish sages and modern-day religious studies, said Israel Knohl, a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a colleague of Greenberg's.

His two-volume commentary on the Book of Ezekiel described, among other things, how the prohibition of murder became taboo with the Abrahamic religions because of the rise of a belief in man's connection to God, Knohl said.

Born in Philadelphia, Greenberg became a prominent voice whose work touched on political topics. He countered those who used the Book of Joshua as a justification for violence in defense of Israel, Knohl said. - AP