Hamblin received his bachelor's degree in history from BYU.[3] He did his graduate studies at the University of Michigan (U of M), receiving a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern History in 1985.[3] The title of his dissertation was "The Fatimid Army During the Early Crusades."[1] While a student at the U of M, Hamblin spent a year studying at the Center for Arabic Study in Egypt.[4] Prior to joining the faculty of BYU in 1989, Hamblin worked for the United States Department of Defense and as a history professor at the University of Southern Mississippi.[5][2] Hamblin also contributed many articles to The International Military Encyclopedia.[6]
Hamblin taught as a professor in the BYU History Department, and he taught at the BYU Jerusalem Center in 2010.[7][8] After retiring, Hamblin spent time traveling the world.[3][7]
In 1994 Hamblin responded to an article by Brent Metcalfe in "New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology." In his response, he controversially included an encrypted message spelling out "Metcalfe is Butthead." The message was discovered after his review had gone to press and had to be edited out.[12]
Hamblin also served as an editor for and contributed articles to Interpreter, a publication described as inclusive and respectful toward apologetics.[7][13] Peterson, also an editor for Interpreter, called Hamblin "one of the most forceful voices" for "apologetics and explicitly faithful scholarship."[2]
Writings
Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC published by Routledge in 2005.[14]
Solomon's Temple: Myth and History (Thames and Hudson, 2007) (with David Seely)
Personal life
Hamblin lived in Provo, Utah. He has three children with his ex-wife. The two divorced in 2013.[15] Hamblin remarried to Laura Behling Schroeder in February 2019.[3]
Hamblin died on December 10, 2019.[3] At the time of his death, he was living in Cedar City, Utah, with Laura.
