Bernard M. Levinson
Encyclopedia
Bernard M. Levinson serves as Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and of Law at the University of Minnesota
, where he holds the Berman Family Chair in Jewish Studies
and Hebrew Bible
. He is the author of Deuteronomy
and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation, “The Right Chorale”: Studies in Biblical Law and Interpretation, and Legal Revision and Religious Renewal in Ancient Israel; and is the co-editor of The Pentateuch as Torah: New Models for Understanding Its Promulgation and Acceptance. He has published extensively on biblical and ancient Near Eastern law and on the reception of biblical literature in the Second Temple period
. His research interests extend to early modern intellectual history, constitutional theory
, the history of interpretation, and literary approaches to biblical studies
.
in 1974, where he majored in Humanities and English and graduated with first class honors. He received his M.A in Religious Studies from McMaster University
in 1978. Following his two years at McMaster, he spent a year as Visiting Researcher in Bible and Semitic Languages at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1991, under the advisor Michael Fishbane
, he received a Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University
.
in Vermont, teaching there for a semester each in 1983 and 1984. In 1987, he received a fellowship as the Stroum Fellow in Advanced Jewish Studies at the University of Washington
in Seattle. Subsequently, while working on his dissertation, he taught full-time for two years in the Religious Studies Program at The Pennsylvania State University. Upon the completion of his dissertation, he was appointed to Indiana University
in Bloomington, as an Assistant Professor in its Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, with adjunct appointments to both Jewish Studies and Religious Studies. Midway through his appointment, he was invited to spend a year as a visiting scholar in the Faculty of Protestant Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University, in Mainz, Germany (1992–1993), where he began to build many professional relationships with German scholars. After being tenured at Indiana University, he was appointed to the University of Minnesota’s Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies as the first inhabitant of the Berman Family Chair in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible. This position was the first endowed chair in the College of Liberal Arts and was seen as distinctive for confirming the significance of the academic study of religion within a public and state university. Shortly after his arrival, he received an appointment to the Law School as an affiliated faculty member. In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of full Professor, and in 2010, honored as a Scholar of the College of Liberal Arts 2010–2013.
The interdisciplinary significance of Levinson’s work has been recognized with appointments to the Institute for Advanced Study
(1997); the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin/Berlin Institute for Advanced Study (2007); and, most recently, to the National Humanities Center (Research Triangle, NC), as the Henry Luce Senior Fellow in Religious Studies (2011 academic year).
Bernard Levinson seeks to bring the academic biblical scholarship to the attention of a broader, non-specialist readership. In this vein, he has recently written on the impact of the King James
Version of the Bible upon the American Founding; drawn attention in the national press to the role of early feminist Bible scholars like Elizabeth Cady Stanton
in helping win the vote for women; and, in his attention to language, has been cited in the Oxford English Dictionary
.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where he holds the Berman Family Chair in Jewish Studies
Jewish studies
Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...
and Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. He is the author of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation, “The Right Chorale”: Studies in Biblical Law and Interpretation, and Legal Revision and Religious Renewal in Ancient Israel; and is the co-editor of The Pentateuch as Torah: New Models for Understanding Its Promulgation and Acceptance. He has published extensively on biblical and ancient Near Eastern law and on the reception of biblical literature in the Second Temple period
Second Temple period
The Second Temple period , in Jewish history, is the period between 530 BCE and 70 CE, when the Second Temple of Jerusalem existed. It ended with the First Jewish–Roman War and the Temple's destruction....
. His research interests extend to early modern intellectual history, constitutional theory
Constitutional theory
Constitutional theory is an area of constitutional law that focuses on the underpinnings of constitutional government. It overlaps with legal theory, constitutionalism, philosophy of law and democratic theory...
, the history of interpretation, and literary approaches to biblical studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
.
Education
Levinson earned an Honors B.A. from York UniversityYork University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in 1974, where he majored in Humanities and English and graduated with first class honors. He received his M.A in Religious Studies from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in 1978. Following his two years at McMaster, he spent a year as Visiting Researcher in Bible and Semitic Languages at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1991, under the advisor Michael Fishbane
Michael Fishbane
Michael A. Fishbane is a scholar of Judaism and rabbinic literature. Formerly at Brandeis University, he is currently the Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies at the Divinity School, University of Chicago....
, he received a Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
.
Professional career
Bernard Levinson began his professional teaching career at Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in Vermont, teaching there for a semester each in 1983 and 1984. In 1987, he received a fellowship as the Stroum Fellow in Advanced Jewish Studies at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle. Subsequently, while working on his dissertation, he taught full-time for two years in the Religious Studies Program at The Pennsylvania State University. Upon the completion of his dissertation, he was appointed to Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in Bloomington, as an Assistant Professor in its Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, with adjunct appointments to both Jewish Studies and Religious Studies. Midway through his appointment, he was invited to spend a year as a visiting scholar in the Faculty of Protestant Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University, in Mainz, Germany (1992–1993), where he began to build many professional relationships with German scholars. After being tenured at Indiana University, he was appointed to the University of Minnesota’s Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies as the first inhabitant of the Berman Family Chair in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible. This position was the first endowed chair in the College of Liberal Arts and was seen as distinctive for confirming the significance of the academic study of religion within a public and state university. Shortly after his arrival, he received an appointment to the Law School as an affiliated faculty member. In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of full Professor, and in 2010, honored as a Scholar of the College of Liberal Arts 2010–2013.
The interdisciplinary significance of Levinson’s work has been recognized with appointments to the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
(1997); the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin/Berlin Institute for Advanced Study (2007); and, most recently, to the National Humanities Center (Research Triangle, NC), as the Henry Luce Senior Fellow in Religious Studies (2011 academic year).
Bernard Levinson seeks to bring the academic biblical scholarship to the attention of a broader, non-specialist readership. In this vein, he has recently written on the impact of the King James
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
Version of the Bible upon the American Founding; drawn attention in the national press to the role of early feminist Bible scholars like Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
in helping win the vote for women; and, in his attention to language, has been cited in the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
.
Selected Awards and Honors
- Elected Fellow, American Academy for Jewish Research (2010– )
- Henry Luce Senior Fellow in Religion, National Humanities CenterNational Humanities CenterThe National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
, Research Triangle Park, NC (2010) - Scholar of the College Award, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota (2010–13)
- Imagine Fund Award Winner (2009)
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin/Berlin Institute for Advanced Studies Fellowship (2007)
- National Endowment of the Humanities Summer Research Stipend (2004)
- Appointment to membership in Biblical Colloquium (2003)
- McNight Arts and Humanities Summer Fellowship (1999)
- Co-recipient of the 1999 Salo W. Baron Award for Best First Book in Literature and Thought from the American Academy for Jewish Research
- Member, Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), School of Social Science (1997)
- Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania (1997)
- NEH Summer Grant nomination; Indiana University Fellowship (1995)
- Stroum Fellowship for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies, University of Washington (1987)
Editorial Boards
- Co-editor, Journal of Ancient Judaism Supplement Series, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht (2010– ).
- Editorial Board, International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (2005– ).
- Editorial Board, Journal of Ancient Judaism (2010– ).
- Editorial Board, Journal of Biblical LiteratureJournal of Biblical LiteratureThe Journal of Biblical Literature is one of three theological journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature .First published in 1881, JBL is the flagship journal of the field...
(1998–2001; renewed, 2001–2004). - Editorial Board, Zeitschrift für altorientalische und biblische Rechtsgeschichte (1994– ).
Books Authored
- Legal Revision and Religious Renewal in Ancient Israel. New York and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-51344-9
- Paperback edition, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-17191-5
- “The Right Chorale”: Studies in Biblical Law and Interpretation. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 54; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008. ISBN 978-3-16-149382-9
- Paperback edition, 2011. ISBN 978-1-57506-210-5
- L’herméneutique de l’innovation: Canon et exégèse dans l’Israël biblique. Introduction by Jean Louis Ska. Le livre et le rouleau 24. Brussels: Editions Lessius, 2006. ISBN 978-2-87299-146-4
- DeuteronomyDeuteronomyThe Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. - Paperback edition, 2002. ISBN 978-0-19-511280-1
- Korean translation (Osan-City, South Korea: Hanshin University Press, 2009). ISBN 978-89-7806-128-5
Books Edited
- The Pentateuch as Torah: New Models for Understanding Its Promulgation and Acceptance. Gary N. KnoppersGary N. KnoppersGary Neil Knoppers is a professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He has written books and articles regarding a range of Old Testament and ancient Near Eastern topics...
, co-editor. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2007. ISBN 978-1-57506-140-5 - Theory and Method in Biblical and Cuneiform Law: Revision, Interpolation, and Development. Classic Reprints series, Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2006. ISBN 978-1-905048-61-8
- Judge and Society in Antiquity. Edited by Aaron Skaist and Bernard M. Levinson. Special double issue of MAARAV: A Journal for the Study of the Northwest Semitic Languages and Literatures 12.1–2 (2005).
- Recht und Ethik im Alten Testament: Studies in Honor of Gerhard von RadGerhard von RadGerhard von Rad was a German Lutheran pastor, University professor and an Old Testament scholar.With the experience of two World Wars, the German-speaking world began to turn "anti-Old Testament"...
. Eckart Otto, co-editor, with Walter Dietrich. Münster/London: LIT, 2004. ISBN 978-3-8258-5460-7 - Gender and Law in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East. Victor H. Matthews and Tikva Frymer-KenskyTikva Frymer-KenskyTikva Frymer-Kensky was a Professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She received her MA and PhD from Yale University...
, co-editors. JSOTSup 262. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998; paperback, 2004. ISBN 978-0-567-54500-8
Commentaries
- “Deuteronomy.” In The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003, 356–450. ISBN 978-0-19-529751-5
- “Deuteronomy.” In New Oxford Annotated Bible. Third edition. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 240–313. ISBN 978-0-19-528478-2
Selected Articles and Book Chapters
- “Esarhaddon’s Succession Treaty as the Source for the Canon Formula in Deuteronomy 13:1,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 130 (2010): 337–347.
- “The King James Bible at 400: Scripture, Statecraft, and the American Founding.” (Co-author: Joshua A. Berman). The History Channel Magazine, special supplement, November 2010, pp. 1–11.
- “The Neo-Assyrian Origins of the Canon Formula in Deuteronomy 13:1.” Pages 25–45 in Scriptural Exegesis: The Shapes of Culture and the Religious Imagination (Essays in Honour of Michael Fishbane). Edited by Deborah A. Green and Laura Lieber. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
- “Reading the Bible in Nazi Germany: Gerhard von Rad’s Attempt to Reclaim the Old Testament for the Church.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 62.3 (July, 2008): 238–53.
- “The First Constitution: Rethinking the Origins of Rule of Law and Separation of Powers in Light of Deuteronomy.” Cardozo Law Review 27:4 (2006): 1853–1888.
- “‘Du sollst nichts hinzufügen und nichts wegnehmen’ (Dtn 13,1): Rechtsreform und Hermeneutik in der Hebräischen Bibel.” Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche 102 (2006): 157–183.
- “The Manumission of Hermeneutics: The Slave Laws of the Pentateuch as a Challenge to Contemporary Pentateuchal Theory.” Pages 281–324 in Congress Volume Leiden 2004. Edited by André Lemaire. Vetus Testamentum Supplements 109. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2006.
- “The Birth of the Lemma: Recovering the Restrictive Interpretation of the Covenant Code’s Manumission Law by the Holiness Code (Lev 25:44–46).” Journal of Biblical LiteratureJournal of Biblical LiteratureThe Journal of Biblical Literature is one of three theological journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature .First published in 1881, JBL is the flagship journal of the field...
124 (2005): 617–639. - “The Metamorphosis of Law into Gospel: Gerhard von Rad’s Attempt to Reclaim the Old Testament for the Church” (with Douglas Dance). In Recht und Ethik im Alten Testament. Edited by Bernard M. Levinson and Eckart Otto. Münster/London: LIT Verlag, 2004, 83–110.
- “Is the Covenant Code an Exilic Composition? A Response to John Van Seters.” In In Search of Pre-Exilic Israel: Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar. Edited by John Day. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series, vol. 406. London & New York: T. & T. Clark, 2004, 272–325.
- “‘You Must Not Add Anything to What I Command You’: Paradoxes of Canon and Authorship in Ancient Israel.” Numen: International Review for the History of Religions 50 (2003): 1–51.
- “Goethe’s Analysis of Exodus 34 and Its Influence on Julius Wellhausen: The Pfropfung of the Documentary Hypothesis.” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche WissenschaftZeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche WissenschaftThe Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft is an academic German journal established in 1881. It is concerned with theological, linguistic and historical criticism of the Old Testament. Formerly, it represented a strictly Protestant point of view...
114 (2002): 212–23. - “Revelation Regained: The Hermeneutics of כי and אם in the Temple Scroll” (Co-author: Molly M. Zahn). Dead Sea Discoveries: A Journal of Current Research on the Scrolls and Related Literature 9:3 (2002): 295–346.
- “Textual Criticism, Assyriology, and the History of Interpretation: Deuteronomy 13:7a as a Test Case in Method.” Journal of Biblical LiteratureJournal of Biblical LiteratureThe Journal of Biblical Literature is one of three theological journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature .First published in 1881, JBL is the flagship journal of the field...
120 (2001): 211–43.
Selected Review Articles
- Review of Susannah Heschel, The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologian and the Bible in Nazi Germany. (Co-author: Tina Sherman). Review of Biblical Literature http://www.bookreviews.org (2010).
- “The Bible’s Break with Ancient Political Thought to Promote Equality—‘It Ain’t Necessarily So.’” A review article of Joshua Berman, Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought. The Journal of Theological StudiesThe Journal of Theological StudiesThe Journal of Theological Studies is an academic journal established in 1899 and now published by Oxford University Press in April and October each year. It publishes theological research, scholarship, and interpretation, and hitherto unpublished ancient and modern texts, inscriptions, and documents...
61:2 (2010). Online advance access: doi: 10.1093/jts/flq048. - Essay review of Michael Fishbane, Sacred Attunement: A Jewish Theology. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 64 (2010): 294–300.
External links
- Many of Bernard Levinson’s papers can be downloaded from: http://umn.academia.edu/BernardMLevinson.
- Academic Website, University of Minnesota.
- Law School Profile, University of Minnesota.
- Center for Jewish Studies, University of Minnesota.
- “Rethinking an Ancient Text.” In Perspectives, the Magazine of the Program in Religious Studies, University of Minnesota (Fall 2009).
- “Levinson’s Road to Scholarship Paved With Joy.” In CLA Today, University of Minnesota (Spring 2001).
- "Six Other Calamities Blamed on Divine Retribution." On Belief Blog, CNN.com, March 16, 2011.