William LaSor; Scholar Wrote About the Bible

William S. LaSor, an internationally recognized Semiticist and author with a working knowledge of 20 languages, has died at his home in Altadena.

LaSor, a professor emeritus of the Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, died of complications of heart surgery Friday.

He was 79.

A World War II Navy chaplain, LaSor devoted his life to the Bible, seeing it as “our source of morality and hope,” as he wrote in the anthology, “Contemporary Authors.” He wrote 17 books, including several on the Dead Sea Scrolls and biblical Greek and Hebrew.

Born in Philadelphia and ordained in the United Presbyterian Church, he served as a pastor at churches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before the war and joined Fuller as an associate professor in 1949, retiring with emeritus status in 1980.

He held six degrees, ranging from chemistry to Oriental languages and literature and including a doctorate in theology from USC.

He made several trips to Israel and the Holy Land, leading a tour last June.

LaSor’s books include “Great Personalities of the Old Testament,” published in 1959, and a New Testament counterpart published two years later. His final book, “The Truth About Armageddon,” was published in 1982.

He also wrote several film scripts on biblical studies and characters.

Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, two sons, two daughters, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. at Fuller.