Ancient Jewish Biblical Interpretation Call for Papers 2027 London: Jewish Wisdom Traditions across Literatures
Chairs
Constanza Cordoni (University of Vienna)
Willem Smelik (University College London)
Lieve Teugels (Protestant Theological University, Utrecht)
Programme
This unit offers a forum for the comparative study of ancient and early medieval Jewish biblical interpretation in all its various literary forms. Rabbinic literature serves as the initial point of departure for discussion, spanning the classical corpora of midrash through the later, post-classical rabbinic works. From this midrashic anchor, papers are invited to explore comparative questions across neighboring and contemporary modes of biblical exegesis, including forms of biblical interpretation embedded in the Talmud, targum, piyyut, Samaritan literature, and patristic literature, as well as earlier forms of Jewish exegesis found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple writings. The aim is to bring these traditions of biblical reception into conversation with one another, tracing continuities, divergences, and points of exchange across genres, languages, and religious communities. Thematic or topical sessions on the afterlife of specific books of the Hebrew Bible are encouraged. Sessions focusing on the formal aspects of midrash are similarly invited. Papers addressing new developments in the field are particularly welcome.
Keywords
Biblical Interpretation, Comparative Exegesis, Bible Reception, Midrash
Current term
2027–2031
Call for Papers 2027 London
Jewish Wisdom Traditions across Literatures
For its first year, the research unit “Ancient Jewish Biblical Interpretation” invites papers on Jewish Wisdom traditions across literatures. As a literary genre, a hermeneutical category, and a personified figure, Wisdom occupies a distinctive place in ancient and early medieval Jewish biblical interpretation, appearing in forms ranging from Second Temple Wisdom literature to rabbinic midrash, targum, piyyut, and beyond. This session invites comparative papers exploring how Wisdom traditions were read, transformed, and reinterpreted across these various corpora. Papers might address, among other topics, the personification of Wisdom and its reception history; the interpretation of Wisdom books (e.g., Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes) in rabbinic and adjacent literatures; points of contact or divergence between Jewish and non-Jewish Wisdom traditions; and the role of Wisdom motifs in shaping exegetical or homiletical strategies.