Appendix E: Brief Biographies of Key Scholars
Biblical Origins and Formation
Marc Zvi Brettler
Professor of Judaic Studies at Duke University and author of How to Read the Bible. Brettler specializes in historical and literary approaches to the Hebrew Bible. He argues that understanding the Bible in its ancient context enriches rather than threatens religious engagement. He is also co-editor of The Jewish Study Bible and The Bible With and Without Jesus.
[https://scholars.duke.edu/person/marc.brettler]
Adele Berlin
Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland and expert in biblical poetry and literary interpretation. Her influential commentaries on Zephaniah and Lamentations highlight the Bible's narrative and poetic structure. Berlin helped shape the Jewish Study Bible, which integrates critical and traditional perspectives.
[https://jewishstudies.umd.edu/directory/adele-berlin]
James Kugel
Professor Emeritus at Harvard and Bar-Ilan University, Kugel is known for How to Read the Bible and The Bible As It Was. He bridges traditional Jewish readings with academic biblical criticism, arguing that post-biblical interpretations shaped how the Bible was—and still is—understood by religious communities.
[https://bible.biu.ac.il/en/faculty/kugel-james]
Michael Fishbane
Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, Fishbane is a scholar of biblical hermeneutics and Jewish mysticism. His work Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel was a foundational study of early midrashic tendencies in biblical texts.
[https://divinity.uchicago.edu/directory/michael-fishbane]
Ron Hendel
Professor of Hebrew Bible at UC Berkeley. He specializes in the Pentateuch, textual criticism, and biblical theology. His work often explores the intersections of history, myth, and collective memory. Notable books include The Book of Genesis: A Biography and Remembering Abraham.
[https://nes.berkeley.edu/people/ron-hendel]
Christine Hayes
Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University and author of Introduction to the Bible and What's Divine about Divine Law? Hayes examines how Jewish legal and theological concepts evolved in tension with surrounding cultures.
[https://religiousstudies.yale.edu/people/christine-hayes]
Benjamin Sommer
Professor of Bible at Jewish Theological Seminary. Sommer's work explores revelation, biblical authorship, and theological pluralism. In Revelation and Authority, he argues for a participatory model of divine revelation rooted in biblical multiplicity.
[https://www.jtsa.edu/person/benjamin-sommer/]
Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism
Lawrence Schiffman
Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at NYU. A leading authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism, Schiffman's work explores how sectarian communities contributed to the diversity of Jewish thought and law.
[https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/lawrence-schiffman.html]
Emanuel Tov
Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and former editor-in-chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project. Tov is one of the foremost scholars in Hebrew textual criticism, having published extensively on the Septuagint and Masoretic Text.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Tov]
Eva Mroczek
Associate Professor at UC Davis and author of The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity. Mroczek explores how ancient Jewish writers thought about scripture before the concept of a fixed Bible existed, emphasizing textual creativity over canonization.
[https://religiousstudies.ucdavis.edu/people/eva-mroczek]
Geza Vermes (1924–2013)
Renowned scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls and historical Jesus, Vermes was among the first to publish translations of Qumran texts. His work emphasized Jesus' Jewish identity within the broader framework of Second Temple Judaism.
John Collins
Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School and leading expert on apocalyptic literature. Collins has written extensively on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Daniel, and Jewish apocalypticism. His work The Apocalyptic Imagination is considered foundational to understanding Jewish eschatological thought.
[https://divinity.yale.edu/faculty-and-research/yds-faculty/john-j-collins]
James VanderKam
John A. O'Brien Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Scriptures at University of Notre Dame, specializing in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple literature. Co-author of The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls and expert on the Book of Jubilees and Enochic traditions.
[https://theology.nd.edu/people/james-vanderkam/]
Timothy Lim
Professor Emeritus of Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism at University of Edinburgh and expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and canon formation. Author of The Formation of the Jewish Canon, examining how Jewish communities determined which texts were authoritative.
[https://edwebprofiles.ed.ac.uk/profile/professor-timothy-lim]
Hindy Najman
Professor at Yale University studying ancient Jewish literature and the concept of Mosaic discourse. Her work Seconding Sinai explores how Second Temple authors claimed Mosaic authority for new compositions.
Canon Formation and Textual Criticism
Lee Martin McDonald
Professor Emeritus at Acadia Divinity College, expert on biblical canon formation. Author of The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon, examining how both Jewish and Christian communities determined their scriptural boundaries.
Sid Z. Leiman
Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn College and expert on Jewish canon formation. His work The Canonization of Hebrew Scripture remains the definitive study of rabbinic evidence for canonical decisions.
Michael Satlow
Professor at Brown University studying ancient Judaism and the history of religion. Author of How the Bible Became Holy, examining how texts acquire sacred status through social processes rather than inherent qualities.
David Stern
Professor at University of Pennsylvania and expert on Jewish literature and interpretation. Author of Midrash and Theory, exploring how ancient Jewish interpretation relates to contemporary literary studies.
Rabbinic Literature and Development
Jacob Neusner (1932–2016)
Prolific scholar of rabbinic Judaism at Brown University and Bard College. Author of hundreds of books including Judaism: The Evidence of the Mishnah, revolutionizing the study of early rabbinic literature through systematic analysis.
Shaye J.D. Cohen
Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard. His work focuses on the Second Temple period, rabbinic Judaism, and Jewish identity. Author of From the Maccabees to the Mishnah and Why Aren't Jewish Women Circumcised?
[https://scholar.harvard.edu/shayejdcohen]
David Weiss Halivni (1927–2022)
Talmudic scholar and Holocaust survivor. Halivni's work in source-critical Talmud study challenged traditional narratives of rabbinic authorship and argued for a layered redactional process. Formerly professor at Columbia and JTS.
Moshe Halbertal
Professor of Jewish Thought and Law at Hebrew University and NYU Law. He explores canon formation, Maimonides, and ethics. In People of the Book, Halbertal traces how ancient Jewish communities chose which books to preserve—and why.
[https://en.law.huji.ac.il/people/moshe-halbertal]
Jeffrey Rubenstein
Skirball Professor of Talmud and Rabbinic Literature at New York University and expert on Talmudic literature. Author of Talmudic Stories, examining the narrative art and cultural meaning of rabbinic tales. His work treats Talmudic stories as sophisticated literary compositions.
[https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/jeffrey-rubenstein.html]
Richard Kalmin
Professor at Jewish Theological Seminary, studying regional differences between Palestinian and Babylonian rabbinic culture. Author of Jewish Babylonia between Persia and Roman Palestine, exploring how different contexts shaped rabbinic development.
Judith Hauptman
Professor at Jewish Theological Seminary and pioneering feminist scholar of rabbinic literature. Author of Rereading the Rabbis, examining how attention to gender reveals broader patterns of authority and interpretation in Talmudic sources.
Daniel Boyarin
Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley, studying the intersection of Judaism and Christianity in antiquity. Author of Border Lines and Socrates and the Fat Rabbis, exploring how rabbinic culture relates to broader ancient intellectual traditions.
Martin Jaffee
Professor Emeritus at University of Washington, expert on oral tradition and rabbinic literature. Author of Torah in the Mouth, examining how rabbinic communities balanced written and oral forms of textual authority.
Charlotte Fonrobert
Professor at Stanford University, studying gender and sexuality in rabbinic literature. Author of Menstrual Purity, examining how rabbinic discussions of ritual purity reveal broader assumptions about gender and religious authority.
Masoretic Studies and Textual Preservation
Geoffrey Khan
Professor at University of Cambridge and expert on Hebrew manuscripts and Masoretic traditions. Author of A Short Introduction to the Tiberian Masoretic Bible, documenting the diversity of early vocalization systems.
Israel Yeivin (1925–2008)
Israeli scholar who provided comprehensive analysis of Masoretic annotation systems. His Introduction to the Tiberian Masorah remains foundational for understanding how medieval scholars preserved biblical pronunciation and interpretation.
Jordan Penkower
Professor at Bar-Ilan University, expert on Masoretic manuscripts and their relationships. His detailed studies of the Aleppo and Leningrad Codices reveal ongoing scholarly debate about textual accuracy even within single traditions.
Moshe Goshen-Gottstein (1925–1991)
Hebrew University professor who pioneered modern approaches to Hebrew textual criticism. His analysis of Masoretic editorial methods showed how scribes balanced preservation with standardization.
Modern Jewish Movements
David Ellenson
Professor and former President of Hebrew Union College. Expert on modern Jewish religious movements and author of After Emancipation, examining how different Jewish communities responded to modernity while maintaining connection to tradition.
Marc Shapiro
Professor at University of Scranton, studying Orthodox responses to modernity. Author of The Limits of Orthodox Theology and Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy, documenting adaptation within traditional communities.
Judith Plaskow
Professor Emerita at Manhattan College and pioneering Jewish feminist theologian. Author of Standing Again at Sinai, critiquing patriarchal assumptions in Jewish tradition while developing feminist approaches to Jewish theology and practice.
Shaul Magid
Professor at Dartmouth College, studying contemporary Jewish identity and post-denominational trends. Author of American Post-Judaism, exploring how younger Jews develop more fluid relationships to traditional authority structures.
Zachary Braiterman
Professor at Syracuse University, studying Jewish philosophy and post-Holocaust thought. Author of (God) After Auschwitz, examining how catastrophic experience has reshaped Jewish theology across denominational lines.
Contemporary Jewish Scholarship and Practice
Elliot Dorff
Professor at American Jewish University and Conservative movement authority on Jewish ethics. Author of Matters of Life and Death, demonstrating how traditional halakhic reasoning can address contemporary bioethical questions.
Rachel Adler
Professor at Hebrew Union College and pioneering feminist halakhic scholar. Author of Engendering Judaism, developing feminist methodology that generates new insights from traditional sources while maintaining commitment to Jewish law.
Jay Michaelson
Scholar, author, and activist exploring LGBTQ+ perspectives in Jewish tradition. Author of God vs. Gay?, demonstrating how traditional texts can support rather than condemn sexual and gender diversity when approached through alternative interpretive lenses.
Mira Wasserman
Professor at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, studying how digital technology reshapes Jewish learning practices. Author of Jews, Gentiles, and Other Animals, examining both opportunities and risks of technological innovation for traditional education.
Aryeh Cohen
Professor at American Jewish University, developing approaches to Jewish social justice grounded in traditional textual sources. Author of Justice in the City, showing how political engagement can emerge from rather than compete with traditional study.
Tikva Frymer-Kensky (1943–2006)
Professor at University of Chicago who revolutionized understanding of women in biblical texts. Author of Reading the Women of the Bible, revealing alternative perspectives that traditional interpretation often overlooked.
Amy-Jill Levine
Professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School, expert on Jewish-Christian relations and feminist biblical interpretation. Author of The Misunderstood Jew, examining how Jesus' Jewish identity illuminates both traditions.
Neil Gillman (1933–2017)
Professor at Jewish Theological Seminary who developed Conservative approaches to Jewish theology integrating modern scholarship with traditional spiritual insights. Author of Sacred Fragments and Conservative Judaism.
Arthur Green
Professor at Hebrew College and expert on Jewish mysticism and contemporary spirituality. Author of Radical Judaism, advocating for approaches that embrace mystical traditions while engaging contemporary ecological and social concerns.
Steven M. Cohen
Research Professor at HUC-JIR, studying contemporary American Jewish identity and community patterns. His research on younger Jews reveals both alienation from conventional approaches and creative engagement through alternative channels.
Jonathan Rosen
Author and journalist exploring connections between traditional Jewish learning and digital culture. His book The Talmud and the Internet examines how technological innovation both enhances and potentially threatens traditional forms of study.
Historical Figures
Jeffrey Tigay
Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania. Tigay's scholarship focuses on Deuteronomy, early biblical interpretation, and the integration of ancient Near Eastern literature into biblical studies. He edited the JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy.
[https://www.sas.upenn.edu/religious_studies/faculty/tigay]
Rachel Elior
Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism at Hebrew University. Elior's research on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Hekhalot literature reconsiders how mystical and priestly traditions shaped early Jewish theology.
[https://en.huc.edu/directory/rachel-elior/]
Baruch Levine (1930–2021)
Former Professor at NYU, Levine was a leading scholar of Leviticus and ancient Israelite religion. His Anchor Bible commentary on Leviticus remains a standard reference, integrating linguistic, ritual, and theological analysis.
Philip Alexander
Professor Emeritus at the University of Manchester. An expert in Jewish mysticism and early apocalyptic texts, Alexander has written extensively on 3 Enoch and Jewish traditions about heavenly ascent.
[https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/philip.alexander.html]
Nechama Leibowitz (1905–1997)
Influential 20th-century Israeli Bible teacher. Though not a university professor, her weekly Torah study sheets shaped generations of Jewish textual engagement by blending traditional and critical approaches.