Leon James Wood was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 theologian.

He is the author of one of the few books on the Ruach HaKodesh

Ruach HaKodesh

The Hebrew language phrase ruach ha-kodesh is a term used in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish writings to refer to the Spirit of YHVH. The Hebrew term ruakh kodeshka , without the definite article, also occurs...

 (Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...

) as portrayed in the Tanakh

Tanakh

The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...

 (Old Testament

Old Testament

The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...

) as opposed to the B'rit Chadashah (New Testament

New Testament

The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

), in which work he writes, "The evidence that spiritual renewal, or regeneration, was true of such Old Testament people lies mainly in two directions. One is that these people lived in a way possible only for those who had experienced regeneration, and the other is the avenue of logical deduction that argues back from New Testament truth."

Education

Wood was educated at Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Seminary is a seminary affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and closely tied to Calvin College, though each institution has its own board. Rev...

 with graduate studies in Israel through New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 and at the Oriental Institute, Chicago

Oriental Institute, Chicago

The Oriental Institute , established in 1919, is the University of Chicago's archeology museum and research center for ancient Near Eastern studies.- History and purpose:James Henry Breasted built up the collection of the Haskell Oriental Museum...

. He received his Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

.

Legacy

The Seminary building of Cornerstone University

Cornerstone University

Cornerstone University is an independent, non-denominational Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The university emphasises the trinitarian belief in the triune God and the literal interpretation of the Bible...

's Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, where Wood taught Old Testament Studies for many years (1946–1975) and served as Academic Dean (1952–1973), is named the Leon J. Wood Seminary Building in his honor in 1977.

From 1973 to 1978, Wood served as a translator/editor on the project which resulted in the creation of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.

Wood is best known for his advocacy and promotion of the controversial "gap theory" of Creation Science

Creation science

Creation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism that attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology...

and his spirited defence of the plenary inspiration of Scripture. Several of Dr. Wood's books were published in the two or three years following his 1977 death.

Published works

Several of these works have been translated into other languages, primarily Spanish

• The Bible and Future Events (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973) ISBN 0-310-34701-7
• Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975) ISBN 0-310-34711-4
• The Distressing Days of the Judges (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981) ISBN 0-310-34730-0
• Elijah: Prophet of God
• Genesis: A Study Guide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976) ISBN 0-310-34743-2
• The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976) Alibris ID: 8615080922
• Israel's United Monarchy (Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse, 1979) ISBN 0-8010-9622-7
• The Prophets of Israel (Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse, 1979) ISBN 0-8010-2198-7
• A Shorter Commentary on Genesis (Wipf & Stock, 1998) ISBN 1-57910-140-2 reprint of original 1975 edition
• A Survey of Israel's History (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970) ISBN 0-310-34760-2 (includes intertestamental history in later editions)