The Dead Sea Scrolls and Jewish-Christian Dialogue

4 March, 2024

We are deeply honoured to welcome Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman, Global Distinguished Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University, USA, to lead a session of the International Interfaith Reading Group on Manuscripts in Interfaith Contexts.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

Here are the details of this fascinating session.

Topic: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Jewish-Christian Dialogue

Abstract: The Dead Sea Scrolls came to light in a very auspicious time for the development of Jewish Christian dialogue. The discovery of the scrolls initially set into motion a competition between Jewish and Christian scholars for ownership, publication and interpretation. While these issues were being hotly contested, the beginnings of Jewish Catholic and later Jewish Christian reconciliation were taking place in the aftermath of the Holocaust. To many, the scrolls strongly supported the growing consensus that early Christianity can only be understood within the Second Temple period Jewish context and that earliest Christianity was indeed a Jewish sect. While some scholars tended to exaggerate or even sensationalize connections between early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls, an emerging consensus brought balance to the field and thus made it possible for Jewish and Christian scholars to work closely in finally publishing the entire corpus and in providing balanced interpretations. These new academic developments served as a strong encouragement and sometimes even as a basis for the ongoing progress of Jewish Christian dialogue.

Speaker: Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman is a Global Distinguished Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University, and Director of the Global Institute for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies. He has served as the Chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva University. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. He is a specialist in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Judaism in Late Antiquity, the history of Jewish law, and Talmudic literature. Professor Schiffman was featured in the PBS Nova series documentary, “Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” four BBC documentaries on the scrolls, a Discovery special, the series “Mysteries of the Bible” (A&E) and “Kingdom of David” (PBS) and other documentaries. He recorded two audio lecture series for Recorded Books, The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Truth behind the Mystique and The Hebrew Bible. He has lectured widely in universities, academic conferences, and for community organizations and is a contributing editor of the Long Island Jewish World newspaper. More recently he served as the academic advisor to the exhibition at Discovery Times Square entitled, The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times.

Chair: Dr Joseph O’Hara, Research Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University of Oxford, UK.

Date: 4 March, 2024.

Time: 18:00-19:00 GMT| 19:00-20:00 CEST | 10:00-11:00 PST | 13:00-14:00 EST

Venue: online

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

MSS-MAR-2024_LS_wihw Download

If you would like to join the International Interfaith Reading Group on Manuscripts in Interfaith Contexts please, register HERE.