He is Professor Emeritus of Middle East Religions and Archaeology and Islamic Law and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Judeo-Christian Origins at California State University Long Beach.
He has a Ph.D. in Middle East Languages and Cultures with a Speciality in Islamic Law from Columbia University
He has a B.A. from Cornell University in Philosophy and Engineering Physics
Visiting Senior Member of Linacre College, Oxford.
He holds a Master of Arts Degree from New York University in Hebrew and Near East Studies.
