Robert K. Ritner

Dr. Robert K. Ritner
Born	(1953-04-05)April 5, 1953 Houston, Texas, United States
Died	July 25, 2021(2021-07-25) (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Alma mater	Rice University University of Chicago
Occupation	Professor of Egyptology
Employer(s)	University of Chicago, Oriental Institute
Known for	Egyptology, Critiquing the Book of Abraham

Robert Kriech Ritner (April 5, 1953 – July 25, 2021) was an American Egyptologist most recently at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Life

Education

Ritner received his BA in psychology from Rice University in 1975, and his Ph.D. (with honors) in Egyptology from the University of Chicago in 1987. His dissertation was The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice.

Teaching

Between 1991 and 1996, Ritner held the position of Marilyn M. Simpson Assistant Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University. In 1996, he was recruited to the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

Field of work

Ritner was widely known for his work on Egyptian religious practices, language, medicine, literature, magic, and political history. Within the Mormon studies community, Ritner was known for confirming the conclusions of other Egyptologists who have investigated the Joseph Smith papyri. Ritner concluded that the Book of Abraham is "a perhaps well-meaning, but erroneous invention by Joseph Smith."

He was a descendant of Joseph Ritner, who served as the Anti-Masonic Governor of Pennsylvania from 1835 to 1839, which Professor Ritner noted with some amusement as he personally credited Freemasonry with helping to popularize ancient Egyptian culture and architecture.

Death

Ritner died on 25 July 2021 at the age of 68.

Works

Books

• Ritner, Robert K. (1993), The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice, Chicago: Oriental Institute of University of Chicago, ISBN 0918986753, OCLC 28176694
• Simpson, William Kelly; Ritner, Robert K. (2003) [1973], The literature of ancient Egypt: an anthology of stories, instructions, stelae, autobiographies, and poetry (3rd ed.), New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, ISBN 9780300128567, OCLC 234083884
• Nissinen, Martti; Ritner, Robert Kriech; Seow, C L; Machinist, Peter (2003), Prophets and prophecy in the ancient Near East, Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, ISBN 158983027X, OCLC 51969302
• Yener, K Aslihan; Batiuk, Stephen; Ritner, Robert Kriech (2005), The Amuq Valley regional projects, Chicago: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, ISBN 1885923325, OCLC 66385293
• Ritner, Robert K. (2009), The Libyan Anarchy: Inscriptions from Egypt's Third Intermediate Period, Writings from the ancient world, no. 21, Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, ISBN 9781589831742, OCLC 60671773
• ——; Coenen, Marc; Marquardt, H. Michael; Woods, Christopher (2013), The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, ISBN 978-1560852209, OCLC 869043745
• Ritner, Robert K., ed. (2018). Essays for the Library of Seshat: Studies Presented to Janet H. Johnson on the Occasion of Her 70th Birthday. Chicago: Oriental Institute Press. ISBN 978-1614910329.

Chapters

• Ritner, Robert K. (1989), "Horus on the crocodiles: a juncture of religion and magic in late dynastic Egypt", in Simpson, William Kelly (ed.), Religion and philosophy in ancient Egypt, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Egyptological Seminar, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Yale University, ISBN 0912532181, OCLC 20996843

Articles

• Ritner, Robert K. (1979), "Egyptians in Ireland: a question of Coptic peregrinations" (PDF), Rice University Studies, 62 (2), William Marsh Rice University: 65–87, OCLC 5160106
• —— (July 1984), "A Uterine Amulet in the Oriental Institute Collection", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 43 (3): 209–221, doi:10.1086/373080, JSTOR 544461, PMID 16468192, S2CID 42701708
• —— (1985), "Anubis and the Lunar Disc", The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 71: 149–155, doi:10.1177/030751338507100115, JSTOR 3821720, S2CID 192228494
• Foster, Karen Polinger; Ritner, Robert K. (January 1996), "Texts, storms, and the Thera eruption", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 55 (1): 1–14, doi:10.1086/373781, JSTOR 545376, S2CID 162024484
• Ritner, Robert K. (April 2000), "Innovations and Adaptations in Ancient Egyptian Medicine", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 59 (2): 107–117, doi:10.1086/468799, JSTOR 545610, PMID 16468204, S2CID 39263523
• —— (2000), "The 'Breathing Permit of Hôr' Thirty-four Years Later", Dialogue, 33 (4): 97–119
• —— (2003), "'The Breathing Permit of Hôr' among the Joseph Smith Papyri", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 62 (3): 161–77, doi:10.1086/380315, JSTOR 10.1086/380315, S2CID 162323232
• ——; Moeller, Nadine (April 2014), "The Ahmose 'Tempest Stela', Thera and Comparative Chronology PDF", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 73 (1): 1–19, doi:10.1086/675069, JSTOR 10.1086/675069, S2CID 161410518

• Robert Ritner & Foy D. Schalf, ANUBIS, ARCHER FIGURES, AND DEMOTIC MAGIC PDF GM 259 (2019), pp.185-195

References

Sources

• "OSIRIS AND ISIS Opens at UChicago's Oriental Institute, 10/17", BroadwayWorld.com, Dance News Desk, BWW [BroadwayWorld], September 17, 2014
• Ame, Pakinam (April 28, 2014), "Bronze age weather report solves some ancient mysteries", House of Wisdom, Nature Middle East, Nature.com, Nature Publishing Group, Macmillan Publishers
• Rothman, Lily (February 21, 2014), "There's a Very Good Reason Why Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" Video Is Set in Ancient Egypt", Time
• "Spring 2013 Lecture Series: Magic, Ritual and Healing in Ancient Egypt", CMAA Lecture Series, cmaa-museum.org, California Museum of Ancient Art
• "Houston Harper Lecture with Professor Robert K. Ritner", chicagobooth.edu, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, April 29, 2012
• "Scholar Says Mormon Scripture Not an Egyptian Translation", SignatureBooks.com, Signature Books, February 2012, archived from the original on 2014-10-10
• Ayad, Mariam (April 5, 2010), "April 16 Lecture Will Explore Curses and Love Charms of Ancient Egypt", News & Events: Press Releases, memphis.edu, University of Memphis, archived from the original on October 14, 2014
• Dehlin, John (31 July 2020). "1339-1341: Dr. Robert Ritner – An Expert Egyptologist Translates the Book of Abraham". Mormon Stories (Podcast). Mormon Stories. Retrieved 26 August 2020.

Academic reviews of his works

• Bianchi, Robert Steven (July–September 1994), "Book Review: The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice by Robert Kriech Ritner" (PDF), Journal of the American Oriental Society, 114 (3), doi:10.2307/605124, JSTOR 605124
• Kákosy, László (1994), "Book Review: The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice by Robert Kriech Ritner" (PDF), Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 31: 223–225, doi:10.2307/40000679, JSTOR 40000679
• Morris, Larry E. (2004), "The Book of Abraham: Ask the Right Questions and Keep On Looking", FARMS Review, 16 (2) — a review of: "The 'Breathing Permit of Hôr' Thirty-four Years Later" and "'The Breathing Permit of Hôr' among the Joseph Smith Papyri"

External links

• Robert Ritner, Professor of Egyptology, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Division of Humanities, University of Chicago