Gager and Lansky receive Behrman Award

John Gager, the William H. Danforth Professor of Religion, and Paul Lansky, the William Shubael Conant Professor of Music, have received Princeton's Behrman Award for distinguished achievement in the humanities. They were honored at a May 7 dinner.

Gager, a faculty member since 1968, teaches and conducts research on religions of the Roman Empire, especially early Christianity and its relations to ancient Judaism. He also has written on the theme of religion and magic. His books include "Moses in Greco-Roman Paganism"; "Kingdom and Community: The Social World of Early Christianity"; "The Origins of Anti-Semitism: Attitudes Toward Judaism in Pagan and Christian Antiquity"; "Curse Tablets and Binding Spells From the Ancient World"; and "Reinventing Paul."

Gager served as master of Forbes College from 1992 to 2000. In 1998, he received the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching. A graduate of Yale University, he earned his Ph.D. from Harvard.

Lansky earned a Ph.D. in composition from Princeton and has been a faculty member at the University since 1969. He has composed some 75 pieces primarily for the medium of computer-generated sound. He also has done work in software development and music theory and analysis.

He has published nine solo compact discs, and his works also have appeared in numerous collections and been performed widely. His most recent CD is "Alphabet Book" (2002). In 2000 he was the subject of a documentary film made for European television, "My Cinema for the Ears," now available on DVD. Several of his works have been choreographed and performed by noted dancers, including the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and the Eliot Feld Ballet. A graduate of Queens College, Lansky has received numerous commissions for his works. In 2000, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States.

Bestowed annually, the Behrman Award was established in 1975 by a gift from the late Howard Behrman, a physician and book collector.