UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Press has announced the hiring of three new editors for its Eisenbrauns imprint, which specializes in books on ancient Near Eastern and biblical studies. Maria Metzler, who holds a degree in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University, joins the imprint as full-time acquisitions editor, and Jennie Ebeling and Nigel Fletcher-Jones will serve as editors-at-large.

Metzler completed her doctoral degree at Harvard University in 2016, where her dissertation, “The Ark of the Covenant and Divine Rage in the Hebrew Bible,” was awarded a distinctive honor. She has since served as the managing editor of Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World and the monograph series Supplements to Muqarnas, both published by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Art and Architecture at Harvard University in conjunction with Brill. She brings to the imprint a strong background in scholarly publishing and a reputation as a trusted editor among scholars in the field of biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. Metzler will join the Press in her new role as Eisenbrauns acquisitions editor on July 1.

Ebeling and Fletcher-Jones will broaden the acquisitions reach of the Eisenbrauns imprint, each acquiring two to six new titles per year. Ebeling is associate professor of archaeology at the University of Evansville in Indiana and an archaeologist specializing in Bronze and Iron Age southwest Asia. She is the coeditor of four volumes and the author of "Women's Lives in Biblical Times" (2010). Fletcher-Jones is the former director of the American University in Cairo Press. Previously, he held executive positions at Blackwell Publishing Inc., Nature Publishing Group, Elsevier, and Cell Press. His recent books include "Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples" (2019) and "Ancient Egyptian Jewelry: 50 Masterpieces of Art and Design" (2020). Both Ebeling and Fletcher-Jones joined the Press in their new roles in May.

“Hiring Dr. Maria Metzler as acquisitions editor and retaining the services of Drs. Nigel Fletcher-Jones and Jennie Ebeling as at-large editors underscore Penn State University Press’s commitment to nurturing and growing its Eisenbrauns imprint,” said Press Director Patrick Alexander. “The breadth of experience of these individuals signals that Eisenbrauns’ vision for the future includes growth, not just in size but in scope. The imprint’s legacy, entrusted to PSU Press, will continue to move forward in new and exciting directions.”

Established in 1975 by Jim and Merna Eisenbraun primarily as a means for students to purchase affordable books in ancient Near Eastern studies, Eisenbrauns grew over the years to include a publishing program, a prepress house, and a book distribution and sales service. In 2017, Eisenbrauns secured the future of its highly regarded publications in ancient Near Eastern studies, biblical studies, biblical archaeology, Assyriology, linguistics, and related fields by becoming an imprint of Penn State University Press, where the books and journals have complemented PSU Press’s lists in religious studies and Jewish studies. To learn more about the Eisenbrauns imprint, visit www.eisenbrauns.org.