Ancient Judaism
Below is a condensed description of the program. For further information, consult the Graduate Handbook.
The Ph.D. program in Ancient Judaism focuses on the history, literature, religion, and culture of ancient Israelites and Jews from the late second millennium B.C.E. through the end of Late Antiquity. In addition to encouraging students to work across artificially constructed time periods (e.g., the biblical, Hellenistic, Roman or rabbinic periods), the program emphasizes the importance and relevance of theoretical and comparative/contextual issues to the study of antiquity.
The Ancient Judaism program encourages students to draw on the rich resources in antiquity and Judaic Studies available at Brown University. Students in the program regularly attend seminars with faculty specializing in early Christianity, classics, ancient history, and archaeology. Students also attend both the “Culture and Religion of the Ancient Mediterranean” seminar (CRAM), in which faculty from different departments who share an interest in the ancient Mediterranean regularly gather to present work-in-progress, and the Judaic Studies colloquium, in which faculty with interests in Judaic Studies (across time periods and disciplines) do the same. Students become vital members of several overlapping and vibrant intellectual communities.
The program requires the successful completion of an examination in ancient Hebrew (biblical and rabbinic), administered annually. Knowledge of the equivalent of two years of college level ancient Greek and one year of college level Latin is also expected. A student completing courses in Greek and Latin at Brown may be excused from examination if the program faculty is satisfied with the student's ability to work in these languages. Students must also successfully complete the Aramaic course sequence offered by the program every third year (or demonstrate equivalent knowledge).
The Preliminary Examinations are roughly divided into two segments. The first, to be taken no later than the end of a student's seventh semester in residence, is meant to provide a firm grounding in history, literature, and methodological issues from Ancient Israel to the end of Late Antiquity. This examination is based on a standard reading list provided in advance to the student. The second exam, to be completed no later than the end of the eighth semester of residence, is on a series of specialized topics. The reading lists for this exam are made by the student in close consultation with the core faculty.
Core Faculty
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Professor of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies Samuel Ungerleider Jr. Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies |
Professor of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies |
Affiliated Faculty
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Professor of Classics Adjunct Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies Professor of Philosophy and Classics Professor of Religious Studies |
The John Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor of Classics and the Humanistic Tradition, Departments of Classics and Comparative Literature Professor Emerius of Classics and History Professor Professor of Religious Studies |
Recent Seminars
- Problems in Israelite History or Religion
- Exegesis at Qumran
- Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Adam and Eve in Early Jewish and Christian Interpretation
- Midrash Sifra
- Philo
- Jewish and Christian Women in the Greco-Roman Period
- Ancient “Pseudepigrapha”
Recent Dissertations
- Representation and Interpretation: Blood Manipulation in Ancient Israel and Early Judaism