Philip J. King (March 26, 1925[1] – December 7, 2019[2][3]) was an American Roman Catholic priest, historian, and archaeologist.
King was born in Newton, Massachusetts. He graduated in 1945 from Saint John's SeminaryinBoston. King was ordained to the priesthood on May 4, 1949 by Archbishop Richard Cushing of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. He earned higher degrees: a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (STL) in 1954 from Catholic University of AmericainWashington, D.C., a Licentiate of Sacred Scripture (SSL) in 1957 from Pontifical Biblical Institute, and a Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD) 1959 from Pontifical Lateran UniversityinRome. King also served in several parishes in the Boston Archdiocese. King died at the Regina Cleri Residence in Boston, Massachusetts.[4][5]
He held a professorshipinbiblical studies in the Department of Theology at Boston College from 1974 until his retirement in 2001.[4]
In 2006, the foundation created from the estate of Leon Levy established the Philip J. King Professorship at Harvard University, to support a scholar who will use an interdisciplinary approach to advance the understanding of ancient civilizations in the Near East and the Mediterranean.[a][6]