Ronald D. Anderson has a PhD in Middle Eastern studies/Biblical Hebrew from the University of Utah. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University as well. His master's degree is in ancient Near Eastern studies. He has taught in the Church Educational System for thirty-one years, including two years at BYU and Utah Valley University. He is has been a member of the Religion faculty for the past sixteen years, and was teaching at BYU–Idaho when this was written. Ron also spent the summer term of 1998 as an instructor at the BYU Jerusalem Center in Israel.