Edwin R. Thiele (1895 – 1986) graduated from Emmanuel Missionary College with a B.A. in ancient languages.  After serving as a missionary in China for 12 years, Thiele returned to the United States where he then obtained an M.A. in archaeology from the University of Chicago in 1937 and, thereafter, a Ph.D in biblical archaeology in 1943.  Thiele published his doctoral dissertation under the title The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings which is widely regarded as an important work on the chronology of Hebrew kings.