Campus Address and Phone: Wright Hall
113, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, 413-585-3608.
Degrees:
Doctorate June 1993 University of
Chicago Divinity School, Dissertation
Topic:
"Punishment Displacement in the Hebrew Bible"
Master's June
1984 University of Chicago Divinity School,
Divinity.
Bachelor's June 1982 Miami
University, OH. Majors: Religion,
Pol. Sci.
Awards and Honors:
Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations passed with
Distinction, March 1987.
Employment History:
Smith
College, Northampton, MA. Professor in the Department of Religion teaching
Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Judaic Studies and Religion courses. 1997-present. Chair of the Religion Dept. 2010-11. Member Program in
Jewish Studies 1997-present, served as the Director, Program in Jewish Studies 2004-06, Jan. 2007-2009. Member
Program in Archaeology 2004-Present, served as Director, Program in Archaeology
2008-09. Member of the Program in Ancient Studies
2006-Present.
Yale
University, Visiting Professor, teaching a graduate seminar on the Hebrew
Exegesis of Judges. Fall 2009. Visiting Associate Professor, teaching a
graduate seminar on Israel's election theology. Fall 2007.
St.
Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
Assistant Professor in the
Religion Department teaching Bible, Judaic Studies and Introduction to Western
Religions. 1994-97.
Muhlenberg
College, Allentown, PA. Assistant
Professor in the Religion Dept. teaching Judaic Studies, Bible, and Intro. to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. 1993-94.
Loyola
University, Chicago, IL. Instructor and Assistant Professor in the Dept. of
Theology teaching Bible, Early Judaism and Early Christianity. 1990-93.
Whitman
College, Walla Walla, WA. Visiting Instructor in the Religion Dept. teaching
Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Judaic Studies, and World Religions. 1988-89.
Grants Received:
Summer 2011. $3500 CFCD grant for travel to Israel
and Turkey to visit ancient sites and relevant museums.
Fall 2010. $1000 Kahn Institute grant for being the
lead organizer of the Kahn seminar surrounding Professor Wayne Meek's presence
on campus as the Neilson Visiting lecturer.
Summer 2010. Mellon Collaborative grant for $1000 to
meet together with Professor Joel Lohr of University
of Toronto to bring our new co-authored The Torah: A Beginners Guide
(Oxford: OneWorld Press, 2011) into final form before
submitting it on September 1, 2010.
Spring 2010. Visiting Fellowship in Jewish Studies
from the Dept. of Theology and Religion, Durham University, England. Received a
grant to support a 5-month visiting fellowship that included an 8000 Pound stipend, housing, and travel. Valued at
approximately $24,000.
Fall 2007, Member Kahn Institute project "Narrative
Identity." Awarded $1500 research grant.
Spring 2006. Visiting Fellowship in Jewish Studies
from the Dept. of Theology and Religion, Durham University, England. Received a
5 month visiting fellowship that included a 6000 Pound
stipend, housing, and travel. Valued at approximately $20,000.
2004-05, Two Grants: 1) Received a Mellon 8 internal
grant of $1000 for a scholarly exchange with Prof. Nathaniel Deutsch of
Swarthmore College. 2) Received a Mellon 8 internal grant for a course release.
Spring 2002. Member Kahn Institute project "Religious
Tolerance and Intolerance in the Ancient and Modern Worlds." Awarded $1500 plus
$500 Summer stipend.
Fall 2001. Member of the Center of
Theological Inquiry. Grant of $8800 plus an apartment valued at $700 a
month for four months. Total grant valued at $11,600.
Participated in the "Consultation on Teaching
the Bible in the Twenty-First Century." At Wabash College on July 18-22, 1998,
July 10-14, 1999 and July 8-12, 2000.
Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. Grant amount $2400 plus all travel
expenses.
Summer 1996 in Jerusalem. NEH Summer Seminar for
college professors entitled "Adam and Eve in Early Judaism and
Christianity." Grant amount $4000.
BOOKS––Monographs
The Torah: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: One World, 2011. Written with Joel N. Lohr.
Yet
I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election. Nashville: Abingdon, 2007.
Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible.
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series, 196;
Sheffield: Sheffield Academic
Press, 1995.
BOOKS––Edited volumes
The
"Other" in Second Temple Judaism.
Eerdmans, 2011. I, along with 3 other editors, (Dan Harlow, Matthew Goff, and
Karina Hogan) helped solicit and edit 27 essays on this topic.
HarperCollins
Bible Dictionary, fully revised and
updated, 2011. Served as an Associate Editor helping revise and edit over 80
entries related to the Hebrew Bible.
Jews,
Christians, and the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures co-edited by Alice Bellis and Joel S. Kaminsky. SBL
Symposium Series, 8; Atlanta: SBL,
2000. A volume of essays by Jewish and Christian Biblical
scholars on the theological interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. I solicited all
the Jewish contributions to this volume, helped edit many of the essays as well
as shaped the larger volume, did much of the work assembling the bibliographies
and indices, co-wrote the introductory essay and contributed an article listed
below.
"Israel's Election and the Other in Biblical, Second Temple,
and Rabbinic Thought." Pages 17-30 in Harlow, Goff, Hogan, and Kaminsky eds. The "Other" in Second Temple Judaism. Eerdmans, 2011.
"Election Theology and the Problem of Universalism." Horizons
in Biblical Theology, 33 (2011) 34-44.
CHOSEN PEOPLE and COVENANT entries for the revised
edition of the Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion (ed. Adele
Berlin; Oxford Univ. Press, 2011).
"A Light to the Nations: Was there Mission
and or Conversion in the Hebrew Bible?," Jewish
Studies Quarterly 16.1 (2009): 6-22. (refereed journal).
"Loving One's Israelite Neighbor: Election and
Commandment in Leviticus 19," Interpretation 62.2 (April 2008): 123-32 (refereed
journal).
"Exclusion"
in the New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, vol 2 D-G (Nashville:
Abingdon: 2007), 362-64 (co-authored with Joel Lohr).
"Some Biblical Reflections on Religious Tolerance and
Intolerance." Pages 65-76 in Religious Tolerance and
Intolerance in Ancient and Modern Worlds. Edited by Mary Ellen Birkett and D.
Dennis Hudson; Kahn Institute Occasional Papers 1; Northampton, 2007. This
article is a less technical version of "Did Election Imply the Mistreatment of
Non-Israelites?" (listed further below)
"The
Concept of Election and Second Isaiah: Recent Literature." Biblical Theology
Bulletin 31.4 (Winter 2001): 135-144 (refereed journal).
"Paradise
Regained: Rabbinic Reflections on
Israel at Sinai." Pages 15-43 in Jews, Christians, and the Theology of the
Hebrew Scriptures. Edited by Bellis and Kaminsky. SBL Symposium Series, 8;
Atlanta: SBL, 2000.
"Humor
and the Theology of Hope in Genesis:
Isaac as a Humorous Figure."
Interpretation 54.4 (October 2000): 363-375 (refereed journal)
"Wrestling
with Israel's Election: A Jewish
Reaction to Rolf Knierim's Biblical Theology." Pages 252-262 in Reading the Hebrew
Bible for a New Millennium, vol.1. Edited by Ellens, Floyd, Kim and
Sweeney. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 2000.
Articles
on "Achan," "Ban," "Vengeance" and
"Individualism/Corporate Responsibility." Pages 13, 146,
285-87,1354 in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by David
N. Freedman. Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 2000.
"The
Sins of the Fathers: A Theological Investigation of the Biblical Tension
Between Corporate and Individualized Retribution." Judaism 46 (Summer
1997): 319-332 (refereed journal).
"Using
the Bible." The Cresset 59.4 (April 1996): 5-9.
"Joshua
7: A Reassessment of Israelite
Conceptions of Corporate Punishment." Pages 315-46 in The Pitcher is
Broken: Memorial Essays in Honor of
Gsta W. Ahlstrm. Edited by Steven W. Holloway and Lowell K. Handy.
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series, 190; Sheffield:
Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.
INTRODUCTIONS
Co-Authored
introductory essay to a co-edited issue of Jewish Studies Quarterly composed
of essays that examine the relationship between particularism and universalism
in Judaism and Christianity. Jewish Studies Quarterly
16.1 (2009): 1-5.
Co-Authored
an introductory essay. Pages 1-12 in Jews, Christians, and the Theology of
the Hebrew Scriptures edited by Alice Ogden Bellis and Joel S. Kaminsky. SBL Symposium Series, 8. Atlanta: SBL, 2000.
BOOK
REVIEWS
Review
of Reading the Hebrew Bible after the Shoah:
Engaging Holocaust Theology by Marvin Sweeney. Journal of Religion
90.3 (July 2010): 408-410.
Review
of Not God's People: Insiders and Outsiders in the Biblical World by
Lawrence Wills. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 71 (2009): 913-14.
Review
essay reflecting on Julia O'Brien's Challenging Prophetic Metaphor: Theology
and Ideology in the Prophets. Hebrew Studies 50 (2009): 101-106.
Review of
Biblical Literature electronically
published 5 reviews of my new book and a 4300 word response I wrote reflecting
upon these five book reviews. The website is:
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleID=6201
Review
of Opening the Sealed Book: Interpretations of the Book of Isaiah in Late
Antiquity by Joseph Blenkinsopp. Biblical Theology Bulletin 37.4
(Winter 2007): 187-88.
Review
of The Making of a Sage: A Study in Rabbinic Ethics by Jonathan Wyn Schofer. Hebrew Studies
48 (2007): 395-397.
Review of The Idea of Biblical
Interpretation: Essays in Honor of James Kugel, edited by Hindy Najman and
Judith Newman. Hebrew
Studies 46 (2005): 390-92.
Review of Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the
Sacrifice of Isaac by Edward Kessler. Association for Jewish Studies
Review 29.2 (November 2005): 370-372.
Review
of A New Heart and A New Soul: Ezekiel, the Exile and the Torah by Risa
Levitt Kohn, Biblical Interpretation 13.1 (Jan 2005): 85-88.
Review of Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, volume 14: (#$r-Nk#
edited by Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and
Heinz-Joseph Fabry, Review of Biblical Literature 7 (2005).
Review
of A History of Biblical Interpretation: vol. 1: The Ancient Period by
Alan Hauser Hebrew Studies 45 (2004): 311-313.
Review
of The Ways of Our God: An Approach to Biblical Theology by Charles
Scobie, Journal
of Religion 84 (2004): 482-84.
Review
of Heaven and Earth, Law and Love: Studies in Biblical Thought by Etan
Levine, Review
of Biblical Literature 5 (2003): 187-89.
Review
of Early Jewish Exegesis and Theological Controversy: Studies in Scriptures
in the Shadow of Internal and external Controversies by Isaac Kalimi. Review
of Biblical Literature 5 (2003): 520-22.
Review
of Reading the Lines: A Fresh Look at the Hebrew Bible by Pamela
Tamarkin Reis, Hebrew Studies 44 (2003): 245-247.
Review essay of Erhard Gerstenberger's, Theologies in the Old
Testament, Horizon's in Biblical Theology 25.1 (June 2003): 95-99.
Review of Roots of Rabbinic Judaism: an
Intellectual History, from Ezekiel to Daniel by Gabriele Boccaccini, Hebrew
Studies 43 (2002): 289-292.
Review
of Academic Approaches to Teaching Jewish Studies edited by Zev Garber, Review
of Biblical Literature 4 (2002).
Living Traditions of the Bible: Scripture in Jewish, Christian and
Muslim Practice edited
by James E. Bowley, Hebrew Studies 42 (2001): 394-395.
Zion,
City of Our God edited by Richard
Hess and Gordon Wenham, Journal of the American Oriental Society 121.3
(August 2001): 532.
A
1700 word review of Strange Fire: Reading the Bible After the Holocaust
edited by Tod Linafelt, Review of Biblical Literature 3 (2001): 116-120.
The
Covenant Formula: An Exegetical and Theological Investigation by Rolf Rendtorff, Journal of Religion 80:3
(July 2000): 485-86.
A
2500 word review of Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy by
Walter Brueggemann, Review of Biblical Literature 1 (1999): 1-6.
Joshua: a commentary by Richard D. Nelson, Gettysburg Lutheran
Seminary Bulletin 78.3 (Summer 1998): 55-56.
Janus
Parallelism in the Book of Job by
Scott B. Noegel, AJS Review 23:1 (1998): 110-112.
Anti-Judaism
and Early Christian Identity: A
Critique of the Scholarly Consensus
by Miriam S. Taylor, Church History 66 (June 1997): 303.
The
Disappearance of God: A Reverent
Investigation of Three Divine Mysteries by Richard Elliott Friedman, Journal of Religion 77.2 (April
1997): 311-313.
The
Image of Bar Kokhba in Traditional Jewish Literature: False Messiah and National Hero by Richard G. Marks, Jewish Political Studies
Review 9 (Spring 1997): 123-124.
Religion
and Politics in the Ancient Near East
edited by Adele Berlin, IOUDAIOS Review (Posted: Winter 1997).
The
Election of Israel: The Idea of the
Chosen People by David Novak, The
Cresset 59.3 (Winter 1996): 33-34.
The
Jews Among Pagans and Christians: In the Roman Empire edited by Judith Lieu, John North and Tessa Rajak, Church
History (December 1995): 642-643.
Seeking Ezekiel:
Text and Psychology by David
Halperin, Journal of Religion 75.3 (July 1995): 405-406.
Prologue to History: The Yahwist as Historian in Genesis by John Van Seters, Journal of Biblical
Literature 114 (Spring 1995):
127-128.
A 1600 word review of Autonomy and Judaism: The Individual and the Community in
Jewish Political Thought edited by Daniel H. Frank, Jewish Political
Studies Review 6 (Fall 1994):
218-222.
War in the Hebrew Bible: A Study of the Ethics of Violence by Susan Niditch, Journal of Religion 74 (July 1994): 381-382.
Disinheriting The Jews: Abraham in Early Christian Controversy by Jeffrey S. Siker, Church
History 63.1 (March 1994): 82-83.
Four Approaches to the Psalms by Uriel Simon, Critical Review of Books in
Religion (1994): 437-439.
Job The Silent by Bruce Zuckerman, AJS Review 18 (Fall 1993): 293-296.
The Pentateuch:
An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible by Joseph Blenkinsopp, Cross Currents 43 (Fall 1993): 410-411.
The Midrash on Proverbs.
Translated from the Hebrew with an introduction and annotations by Burton L.
Visotzky, Critical Review of Books in Religion (1993): 440-441.
Amos of Israel:
A New Interpretation by
Stanley N. Rosenbaum, Journal of Religion 72 (April 1992): 277-278.
Heilsgeschichte as a Model for Biblical Theology by Robert Gnuse, Journal of Religion 71
(April 1991): 255-256.
The Living Psalms by Claus Westermann, Journal of Religion 71 (April 1991):
256-257.
Essays on Biblical Method and Translation by Edward Greenstein, Critical Review of Books in
Religion (1991): 87-89.
The First Historians: The Hebrew Bible and History by Baruch Halpern, Incognita 1 (Fall 1990): 219-222.
Poetry With A Purpose by Harold Fisch, Philosophy and Literature 14
(April 1990): 213-214.
The Scapegoat by Rene Girard, Incognita 1 (Spring 1990): 106-108.
BOOK
NOTES-200 word reviews of the following works:
Witnesses
for the Future: Philosophy and
Messianism by Pierre Bouretz. Choice,
March 2011.
Judaism: A Way of Being
by David Gelernter. Choice (March 2010).
Contemporary American
Judaism: Transformation and Renewal by Dana Evan Kaplan, Choice
(November 2009).
Created
Equal by Joshua Berman.
Choice (May 2009).
Love
thy Neighbor as thyself by Lenn E. Goodman. Choice (September
2008).
Scribal
Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible by Karel van der Toorn. Choice (September
2007).
Why
aren't Jewish Women Circumcised: Gender and Covenant in Judaism by Shaye Cohen. Choice
(April 2006).
Traditions
of the Rabbis from the era of the New Testament: v. 1: Prayer and Agriculture by David Instone-Brewer, Choice (June 2005).
How
the Bible became a book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel by William Schniedewind, Choice (Dec 2004).
Gentile
Impurities and Jewish Identities: Intermarriage and Conversion from the Bible
to the Talmud by Christine Hayes, Choice
41 (October 2003).
Redeeming time: the wisdom of ancient
Jewish and Christian festal calendars by Bruce Chilton, Choice 40.9 (May 2003).
The Prophetic Literature: An Introduction by David Petersen, Choice 40.4 (December
2002).
When a Jew Dies: The Ethnography of a bereaved Son by Samuel Heilman, Choice 39.4 (December
2001).
Hellenism in the Land of Israel ed. by John J. Collins, Choice 39.4 (December
2001).
The Blackwell Companion to Judaism ed. by J. Neusner, Choice 38.10 (June 2001).
Sacred Text, Secular Times ed. by L. Greenspoon, Choice 38.3 (February 2001).
Anti-Judaism and the Gospels edited by William Farmer, Choice 37:6
(February 2000).
The Beginnings of Jewishness by Shaye J.D. Cohen, Choice 37:2 (October
1999).
Judaism, Human Rights, and Human Values by Lenn E. Goodman, Choice 37:1 (September
1999).
Respecting the Wicked Child by Mitchell Silver, Choice 36:9 (May 1999).
Reasoning after Revelation by Steven Kepnes, Choice 36:6 (February
1999).
Education in Ancient Israel by James Crenshaw, Choice 36:5 (January
1999).
Heritage and Hellenism by Erich Gruen, Choice 36:4 (December 1998).
The Masorah of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia by Page Kelley, Choice 36:3 (November 1998).
The Bible and the Comic Vision by William Whedbeee, Choice 36:3 (November
1998).
"Who is a Jew?": conversations not conclusions by Meryl Hyman, Choice 36:1 (September 1998).
Review of Documents of Jewish Belief Website, Choice
35, Supplement (Summer 1998).
The Nations Know Thee Not by Robert Goldenberg, Choice 35:11/12
(July/August 1998).
Reading Prophetic Narratives by Uriel Simon, Choice 35:8 (April 1998).
The Bible as it Was by James L. Kugel, Choice 35:7 (March 1998).
History of Jewish Philosophy edited by Daniel Frank and Oliver Leaman, Choice
34:9 (May 1997).
Josephus:
The Essential Works. Translated and edited by Paul L. Maier, Church
History 66 (March 1997): 185.
Jewish Theology and Process Thought edited by David Ray Griffin, Choice 34:1
(September 1996).
The Evolution of a Revolution by Jeffrey L. Seif, Church History 65 (June
1996): 333-334.
Jewish Identity in Modern Times: Leo Baeck and German
Protestantism by Walter Homolka, Choice
33 (April 1996).
Evil and Suffering in Jewish
Philosophy by Oliver Leaman, Choice
33:5 (January 1996).
Anti-Judaism in Feminist Religious Writings by Katharina von Kellenbach, Choice 32:11/12
(July/August 1995).
Sacred Places and Profane Spaces: Essays in the Geographics of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam edited by
Jamie Scott and Paul Simpson-Housley, Church History 64.2 (June 1995):
351.
Jewish-Christian Encounters over the Centuries edited by Marvin Perry and Frederick M. Schweitzer, Choice
32:8 (April 1995).
The Refutation of The Christian Principles by Hasdai
Crescas.
Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Daniel J. Lasker, Church
History (Sept. 1994): 500.
WORKS IN PRESS
"The Hebrew Bible's Theology of Election and the
Problem of Universalism." Forthcoming in a book titled Beyond Biblical
Theology edited by Stehpen Beyerle (Mohr Siebeck, 2011).
"Reflections
on Associative Word Links in Judges," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament." Forthcoming 2012.
"New
Testament and Rabbinic Views of Election." Forthcoming in Jewish Bible
Theology: Perspectives and Case Studies (ed. Isaac Kalimi;
Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2011).
"The
Theology of Genesis." Forthcoming in The Book of Genesis: Composition,
Reception, and Interpretation, (edited by Craig
A. Evans, Joel N. Lohr, and David L. Petersen;
Leiden, Brill, forthcoming 2011).
Review
of Torsten Uhlig, The
Theme of Hardening in the Book of Isaiah: An Analysis of Communicative Action.
Forthcoming in Vetus Testamentum.
Review
of Rob Barrett, Disloyalty and Destruction: Religion and Politics in
Deuteronomy and the Modern World. Forthcoming in Vetus Testamentum.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
A new theological commentary on Judges
for Cambridge University Press's Old Testament Theology Series, 2013. This is under contract.
Introduction
to the Bible. Abingdon Press. Co-Authored
book. 2013.
Co-Editor
of The Call of Abraham: Essays on the Election of Israel in Honor of Jon D. Levenson. Under contract with
University of Notre Dame Press.
"Can
Election be Forfeited?" Forthcoming in The Call of
Abraham: Essays on the Election of Israel in Honor of Jon D. Levenson (ed. Gary A. Anderson and Joel S. Kaminsky; Notre Dame, 2012).
Scholarly Lectures and Other Profession
Presentations:
March 14, 2011, Large
public lecture at Kansas University entitled:
"Does God Play Favorites?: The Idea of the Chosen in the Hebrew Bible."
August 13,
2010. Gave a 3 hour paper
and question and answer session to the elite Colloquium on Biblical Research,
Princeton, NJ on the topic: "Can Election be Forfeited?"
June
10, 2010. Co-Presented a 22,000 word extract from my
forthcoming new co-authored The Torah: A Beginners Guide to faculty and
graduate students in the Jewish Studies Seminar at Durham University.
April
27, 2010. Lecture entitled: "Reflections on some associative textual links in
the Book of Judges," presented to the Old Testament Seminar at Durham
University.
March
19, 2010. Lecture entitled, "The Hebrew Bible's Theology of Election and the Problem
of Universalism" delivered to faculty and graduate students in the Jewish
Studies Seminar at Durham University.
March
15, 2010. Presented a paper entitled "The Theology of Genesis" to the Old
Testament Seminar at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
January
21, 2010. Public Lecture at UCLA entitled: "Does God Play Favorites?: The Idea of the Chosen in the Hebrew Bible."
November
21, 2009. Society of Biblical Literature Conference, New
Orleans, LA. Presented a paper entitled: "The Hebrew Bible's Theology of
Election and the Problem of Universalism" in the Christian Theology and The
Bible section.
October
29, 2009. Delivered a lecture at Dorshei Tzedek Synagogue in Newton, MA entitled: "Does God Play
Favorites: A Dialogue on Chosenness."
October
21, 2009. Invited to Skidmore College to lecture on: "Envisioning the Other:
Does the Bible Promote Intolerance?"
October
12, 2009. Invited speaker at the University of Minnesota's Center for Jewish
Studies Sixth Annual Community Lecture Series. Delivered a talk to a large
public audience entitled: Sibling Rivals: Israel's Chosenness
and Jewish/Christian Understanding.
August
12-14, 2009. Invited speaker and participant in a conference at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg
in Greifswald, Germany focused on the theme: "Beyond Biblical Theologies." I
delivered a talk entitled: "The Hebrew Bible's Theology of Election and the
Problem of Universalism."
March
27, 2009. Delivered the Plenary address entitled, "Israel
and the Other in Late Biblical and Early Rabbinic Thought" at the Upper Midwest Regional AAR/SBL in St. Paul,
MN.
January
9-10, 2009. Invited scholar at Congregation Bnai
Israel, Northampton, MA. Delivered two talks on the biblical, rabbinic, and
early Christian conceptions of chosenness.
December
13-14, 2008. Scholar-in-residence for Congregation Rish Pinah, Westchester, NY.
Delivered three talks on aspects of Jewish chosenness
and its relevance for Jewish/Christian dialogue today.
November 24, 2008. Participated in a panel review of Julia O'Brien's Challenging Prophetic Metaphor. Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting, Boston, MA.
April 5th, 2008. "Israel and the Other in Late Biblical and Early Rabbinic
Thought" presented at a conference titled "The Other in Second Temple
Judaism" Amherst College.
March 15, 2008. Guest Speaker at
Temple Aliyah in Boston, MA. Spoke on the problem of biblical violence.
November 19th, 2007. Responded to 5 scholarly critiques of my new book at the
annual Society of Biblical Literature conference, San Diego, CA.
November 19th, 2006. Co-presented "God of all the World:
Universalism and Developing Monotheism in Isaiah 40-66." Israelite
Prophetic Literature Section of the SBL in Washington DC.
October 20-22, 2006. Scholar-in-residence at Temple
Albert, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Presented 3 talks on Jewish Chosenness as well as a formal lecture on "the
Roots of Gemilut Chasidim (acts of lovingkindness).
October 19, 2006. Invited to present "Sibling Rivals: Jewish and
Christian Understandings of the Chosen People," at the University of New
Mexico. This included a lecture followed by a faculty and clergy seminar which I led. The event was funded
by Nexus: Religion and the Public University.
May 9, 2006. Presented a paper entitled "Prophecy and Election" Durham
University, England.
May 2, 2006. Presented a paper entitled "New Testament and Rabbinic
Views of Election" Oxford University, England.
April 25, 2006. Presented a paper entitled "Promise and Covenant"
Durham University, England.
March 17, 2006. Presented a paper entitled "New Testament and Rabbinic
Views of Election" Durham University, England.
March 9, 2006. March 17, 2006. Presented a paper entitled "New
Testament and Rabbinic Views of Election" Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
November 20, 2005. Organized and chaired a special panel on election
theology in ancient Judaism in which I also delivered a response to papers by
Walter Moberly and Rolf Rendtorff on ancient Israel's election theology. SBL,
Philadelphia, PA.
May 17-20, 2005. Delivered an invited conference lecture entitled "A
Light to the Nations?: Was there Mission and or
Conversion in the Hebrew Bible," for a conference called A Covenant to the People, a Light to the Nations:
Universalism, Exceptionalism, and the Problem of Chosenness in Jewish Thought held
at McMaster University.
May
17-20, 2005. Led a pre-conference
Graduate Colloquium on the ancient Judaic material surrounding questions of
mission and conversion at McMaster University.
November
2004, delivered a paper entitled:
"Election and Otherness: Reflections on Identity in Biblical and Rabbinic
Thought" for the Judaisms and Hinduisms Section at the Annual American Academy
of Religion Conference, San Antonio, TX.
November
22-26, 2002. Presented a paper responding to Erhard
Gerstenberger's, Theologies in the Old Testament for the Theology
of the Hebrew Scriptures Section of the annual AAR/SBL meeting in Toronto, ON.
February
28, 2002. "The Chosen: Election in the Bible." Guest Lecturer
for the Religion Dept., Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT.
February
15-17, 2002. Taught three intensive sessions entitled: "Priests, Prophets and
Politicos: Leadership in Ancient Judaism." Scholar in
Residence for Winter Retreat for Congregation Albert in Sante Fe, NM.
January
14, 2002. "Everyone Who Hears will Laugh
with Me: Isaac as a Humorous Figure." Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Invited
as Dept. of Comparative Religion special lecturer in honor of the retirement of
my undergraduate advisor, Harold O. Forshey.
November
29, 2001. Guest Lectured on Election in The Hebrew Bible.
Prof. Bruce McCormack's course on election, Princeton
Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.
November
19, 2001. Chaired the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures Section. Annual AAR/SBL
meeting in Denver, CO. Solicited papers, organized, and chaired panel.
November
17, 2001. "The Concept of Election and Second Isaiah: Recent Literature."
Solicited presentation for the Israelite Prophetic Literature Section special
session entitled "The Nebiim meet the Old Testament Prophets." Annual AAR/SBL meeting in Denver, CO.
November
8, 2001. "Can the Bible be Funny?: A New Look at
Isaac." Guest Lecturer for the Religion Dept., Swarthmore
College, Swarthmore, PA.
October
17, 2001. "Sibling Rivalry in Genesis." Center of Theological
Inquiry, Princeton, NJ.
October
16, 2001. "The Concept of Election and Second Isaiah: Recent Literature."
The Tanakh working group, Princeton Theological
Seminary, Princeton, NJ.
The annual AAR/SBL meeting in
Nashville, TN November 18-21, 2000.
Solicited papers, organized and chaired a panel in the Theology of the Hebrew
Scriptures Section.
November 20-23, 1999. The annual AAR/SBL meeting in
Boston, MA
Solicited papers for, organized and chaired a panel in the
Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures Section.
November 21-24, 1998. Panelist in
the Theology of Hebrew Scriptures Section. Theme: Discussion of Theology of the Old
Testament by Walter Brueggemann.
Annual AAR/ SBL meeting in Orlando, FL. Also chaired a
panel on a different day.
December
23, 1997. "Humor and the Theology of Hope in Genesis: Isaac as a Humorous Figure." Delivered at the AJS in Boston, MA.
November
22-25, 1997. Panelist in the Theology of Hebrew Scriptures
Section. Theme: Discussion of The Task of Old
Testament Theology by Rolf P. Knierim. Annual AAR/SBL
meeting in San Francisco, CA.
April
4-5, 1997. Panelist in a session entitled "Teaching Introductory Bible
Courses." The Upper Midwest Regional AAR/SBL.
October
9, 1996. "The Individual's Relationship to the Community in Ancient Israel: A
New Look at Joshua 7." The Aaron
Aronov Chair of Judaic Studies Fall Lecture Series at the University of
Alabama.
September
23, 1996. Public Lecture entitled "Repentance: What Might it be Like?" Delivered at Temple Israel, Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
April
12-13, 1996. Panelist in a session entitled "Post-Holocaust Theology: Necessary
or Not?" Also a
panelist in a session discussing Reading from this Place edited by
Tolbert and Segovia. The Upper Midwest Regional
AAR/SBL.
November
19, 1995. "Individualism Versus Communal Responsibility: Justice or
Mercy." Delivered at the annual
AAR/SBL in Philadelphia.
October
25, 1995. "Jewish Folklore and the Jewish-Christian Dialogue." Delivered at the
Midwest Jewish Studies Association in St. Paul, MN.
October
4, 1995. Public Lecture "The Book of Jonah" at Temple Israel,
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
April
21, 1995. "Isaac as a Humorous Figure." Delivered at the Midwest Regional
AAR/SBL in St. Paul, MN.
November
22, 1994. "Joshua 7: A Reassessment
of Israelite Conceptions of Corporate Punishment." Delivered at the Annual
AAR/SBL in Chicago.
November 8th and 15th, 1992. "Prophecy in Ancient Israel." A series of two
lectures delivered at Congregation B'nai Tikvah, Deerfield, IL.
July
17, 1990. "The Individual's Relationship to Society in Ancient Israel." The
Marion Green Memorial Lecture at Rodfei Zedek Synagogue in Chicago, IL.
November 28, 1990. "Rabbinic Judaism and its Hermeneutical Techniques." Formal Lecture at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Delivered again in December 1991.
Other Professional Experience:
Fall 2010. Reviewed a manuscript on the Book of Joshua for
the University of Notre Dame Press.
Winter 2010. Solicited by the NEH to review grant proposals.
Unfortunately I was overseas and unable to attend the annual meeting in
Washington DC at the time.
Spring 2009. External Honors Examiner, Swarthmore
College Religion Department. Wrote an Honors examination and
was brought in to do an oral exam for two students.
Summer 2008. Served as a tenure case reviewer for the Dept.
of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Fall 2008 forward. Solicited to be an Associate Editor on the
newly revised edition of the Harper/Collins Bible Dictionary. Given an
extensive list of entries to revise and rewrite and a few to write from
scratch.
Spring 2008. External Honors Examiner,
Swarthmore College Religion Department. I wrote an Honors
examination and was brought to campus for an oral exam.
Spring 2008. Reader and participant in Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi's
dissertation defense, "Belonging in Genesis: Biblical Israel and the Construction of Communal Identity,"
Duke University.
April 4-5, 2008. Primary organizer of a conference titled
"The Other in Second Temple Judaism" Amherst College. Invited all
guests, coordinated the panels, etc.
Winter 2008. Evaluated a 450 pages manuscript for Cambridge
University Press.
Spring 2007. Abingdon
Press asked me to read and blurb Larry Lyke's book, I Will Espouse You
Forever: The Song of Songs and the Theology of Love in the Hebrew Bible.
Fall 2006. Consulted by the editorial board of Harvard
Theological Review to evaluate an essay submitted to the journal.
Visiting Scholar at Durham University from February
15-July 1 2006. Interacted with colleagues and students in the Dept. of
Theology and Religion. Also made some formal presentations listed above.
Spring 2006. Dean at Wellesley College consulted me
by phone and e-mail to discuss possible evaluators for a tenure case in the
Religion Dept.
Fall 2005. Served as an external
evaluator of the Dept. of Comparative Religion at Miami University in Oxford,
OH. Visited campus for 3 days and met with all department members and various
administrators. Co-produced an assessment of the state of the department
including a number of recommendations to strengthen the program.
Fall 2005. Asked to evaluate a colleague
at Trinity College, Hartford, CT for renewal in a tenure track position.
Summer 2005. I was asked to review and
write a book blurb for Jacqueline Lapsley's, Whispering the Word
published by WJK.
Spring 2005. I was asked to review and
write a book blurb for Johanna van Wijk Bos's, Making Wise the Simple
published by Eerdmans.
I was solicited to
evaluate whether a book entitled Reading the Bible through Jewish Eyes
was worthy of publication by the Society of Biblical Literature Press in October 2004.
Fall 2004. I was asked to review and
write a book blurb for Frank Spina's, The Faith of the Outsider
published by Eerdmans.
Winter 2004. Solicited by Princeton Theological
Seminary and served as a Tenure Reviewer who evaluated a colleague for tenure
and promotion.
Fall 2003. Solicited by Duke University Divinity
School to evaluate a colleague for renewal in a tenure track position.
Summer 2002. Solicited by the State University of New
York Press to read and evaluate for publication a 289 page manuscript entitled
"Abraham's Marginalized Descendant: Rabbinic Portrayals of Ishmael."
Fall 2000. Solicited by the Department Chair and
served as a Tenure Reviewer for a candidate for tenure in the Religion
Department at Swarthmore College.
Winter 1999. Served as a reviewer for submissions to
the Journal of Teaching Theology and Religion.
1997-2003. Elected Co-Chair of the Theology of Hebrew
Scriptures Section for the Society of Biblical Literature at the national level
for a 6 year term. Organized the program for the AAR/SBL in
Orlando, FL in November 1998, Boston, MA in November 1999, Nashville, TN in
November 2000, Denver, CO in November 2001, and Toronto, Ont in 2002.
May 22-24, 1997 and May 23-25 1996. Served as a
visiting external examiner for graduating seniors at Swarthmore College taking
honors in Religion.
Summer 1980. Lahav Research
Project, Tell Halif, Israel.
Assisted in an archaeological dig which included college courses in
Archaeology, Anthropology, and Ancient History on the site.
Society of Biblical Literature
Association for Jewish Studies
Center of Theological Inquiry
Catholic Biblical Association