About
A brief description of who you are and what you do.
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Write about yourself in the third person. Aim for 100 to 150 words covering the main points about who you are and what you currently do. Clear, simple language is best. You can include specialist or technical terms.
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Research
Research interests
- Jewish-Christian relations and Jewish-Muslim relations
- Interpretation of midrashic literature
- Apocalyptic, eschatology and messianism
- Reception history of the Bible
- Jewish history from biblical times to Late Antiquity
Current research
My research centres on the interpretation of midrashic literature, with particular reference to Jewish-Christian relations, Jewish-Muslim relations, Jewish history from biblical times to Late Antiquity, and eschatology and apocalypticism.
I currently work on a project examining Jewish apocalyptic literature from the seventh and eighth centuries. This period was a critical time for the development of Judaism because of the impact of political events, including the rise of Islam. The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between Jews, Christians and Muslims in the seventh and eighth centuries, and to expand knowledge of Jewish history and attitudes to events at this significant period of religious history. The focus of study is Jewish apocalyptic literature, namely, Sefer Zerubbabel, Sefer Eliyyahu, Otot ha-Mashiaḥ, Pirqe Mashiaḥ, Nistarot Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai and Pirqe de Rabbi Eliezer. Many debates highlighted in these texts, such as over the status of the Temple Mount, have a significant legacy for today, and understanding the diverse perspectives they present is of primary importance for knowledge of this crucial era of religious development.
Another major research interest is Jewish biblical interpretation during Late Antiquity. A recent research project looked at ‘The Exegetical Encounter between Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity’, which investigated the relationship between Jewish and Christian exegesis of the book of Genesis. I analysed rabbinic interpretations of the book of Genesis throughout Late Antiquity, which were studied comparatively with exegesis of Genesis from Church Fathers of the eastern tradition.
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Research groups
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Research interests
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Current research
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Research projects
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Publications
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Supervision
Current PhD Students
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Teaching
Postgraduate Supervision:
I would welcome enquiries from graduate students interested in studying Jewish history and culture in the classical rabbinic period (from the tannaim to the geonim), midrashic literature, Jewish-Christian relations, Jewish-Muslim relations, apocalypticism, or interpretation and reception of the Bible.
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Courses and modules
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External roles and responsibilities
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Biography
Following a BA in Theology and an MPhil in Hebrew Bible, I completed my PhD at Christ's College, University of Cambridge, examining Jewish apocalyptic texts as a response to the rise of Islam. I then worked as a Research Associate first at the University of Sheffield (2003-2005) and then the University of Cambridge (2005-2009) before joining the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations in 2009.
I was Director of the Parkes Institute (2018-2019). I also took up the roles of Secretary of the British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies (2012-2019), and President of the British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies (2019-2021), a national organisation that aims to promote, cultivate and advance teaching and research in Jewish culture and history in all its aspects within Higher Education in the UK.
I am currently Deputy Head of School (Research and Enterprise), Humanities.
My research centres on the interpretation of midrashic literature, with particular reference to Jewish-Christian relations, Jewish-Muslim relations, Jewish history from biblical times to Late Antiquity, and eschatology and apocalyptic.
You can update your biography section in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select your ‘Personal’ tab then ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading, and ‘Curriculum and research description’, select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select - ‘Biography’. Aim for no more than 400 words.
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Prizes
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