Amy-Jill Levine

Amy-Jill Levine
Levine in 2023
Born1956 (age 68–69)
Other namesA. J. Levine
SpouseJay Geller[2]
Awards
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences, member 2021[3]
  • Seelisberg Prize 2022[4]
  • Council of Christians and Jews Bridge Award 2022[5]
  • Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation 2023[6]
  • Academia Europaea, member 2024[7]
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisThe Matthean Program of Salvation History (1984)
Doctoral advisorD. Moody Smith[1]
Academic work
DisciplineBiblical studies
School or traditionFeminism
Institutions
Notable works
  • The Misunderstood Jew (2006)
  • Short Stories by Jesus (2014)
  • The Jewish Annotated New Testament (2011, 2nd ed. 2017)
  • The Bible With and Without Jesus (2020)
  • The Pharisees (2021)
  • The Gospel of Luke (2018)

Amy-Jill Levine (born 1956) is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University.[8][9] Her research treats Second Temple Judaism, Jewish-Christian relations, the historical Jesus, and the parables, with sustained attention to eliminating antisemitic, sexist, and homophobic readings of biblical texts.[8]

Early life and education

Levine was raised in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in a largely Portuguese Roman Catholic neighborhood, and she has described early exposure to Christian traditions in that context.[2][10] She earned a B.A. at Smith College with high honors in religion and English, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion at Duke University.[9] Her dissertation, "The Matthean Program of Salvation History: A Contextual Analysis of the Exclusivity Logia," was completed in 1984 under D. Moody Smith.[1][11]

Career

Levine taught at Swarthmore College before joining Vanderbilt University in 1994, where she held appointments in the Divinity School and the Department of Jewish Studies. She later became Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies. She retired from Vanderbilt in 2021 with emerita status, then joined Hartford International University as Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies.[9][12][8] In spring 2019 she taught New Testament at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, the first Jew to do so, and she has had multiple audiences with Pope Francis.[13][8]

Levine has produced widely used courses for The Teaching Company, including "Great Figures of the New Testament" and "Great Figures of the Old Testament," as well as a survey of the Old Testament.[14][15][16]

Levine serves as New Testament editor of the Oxford Biblical Commentary Series and as editor or volume editor for several volumes in the Wisdom Commentary series.[8][17][18]

Scholarship

Levine has published on the historical Jesus, Matthean studies, Pauline interpretation within Judaism, and the reception of Jews and Judaism in Christian exegesis and homiletics. With Marc Zvi Brettler she co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament first published by Oxford University Press in 2011 with a revised and expanded second edition in 2017.[19][20] With Ben Witherington III she co-authored the commentary The Gospel of Luke in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series, a project that juxtaposes Jewish and Christian scholarly perspectives.[21] She co-edited The Pharisees: An Interdisciplinary Study with Joseph Sievers, published by Eerdmans in 2021, which includes an essay by Pope Francis and addresses the figure of the Pharisee in history, exegesis, and reception.[22]

Her single-author monographs for general audiences include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus and Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi.[23][24] With Brettler she co-authored The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently.[25] Her Abingdon Press series offers introductions to biblical themes for congregational study, including The Difficult Words of Jesus, Witness at the Cross, Signs and Wonders, and The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner's Guide to the Good News.[26][27][28][29]

Public engagement

Levine lectures internationally on the Bible, Christian–Jewish relations, and questions of religion, gender, and sexuality. She has held leadership roles in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies.[8] She is a member of Congregation Sherith Israel in Nashville, an Orthodox synagogue, and has described herself as an "unorthodox" Orthodox member.[2][30]

Honors and recognition

Levine was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.[3] She received the inaugural Seelisberg Prize in 2022 for contributions to Jewish–Christian relations and the Council of Christians and Jews Bridge Award in 2022. She received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation in 2023 from the Archbishop of Canterbury. She was elected to Academia Europaea in 2024.[4][5][6][7] The American Academy of Arts and Sciences lists her among members in the Section for Philosophy and Religious Studies elected in 2021.[31]

Selected publications

Books and monographs

  • The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus New York, HarperSanFrancisco, 2006.[23]
  • Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi New York, HarperOne, 2014, paperback 2015.[24]
  • with Douglas A. Knight, The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us New York, HarperOne, 2011.[32]
  • with Warren Carter, The New Testament: Methods and Meanings Nashville, Abingdon, 2013.[33]
  • with Marc Zvi Brettler, The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently New York, HarperOne, 2020.[25]

Edited volumes

  • with Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Annotated New Testament Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011, 2nd ed. 2017.[19][20]
  • with Joseph Sievers, eds., The Pharisees: An Interdisciplinary Study Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2021.[22]
  • editor, Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings 13 volumes, Continuum and T&T Clark, various dates.[8]

Commentary

  • with Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Luke New Cambridge Bible Commentary, Cambridge University Press, 2018.[21]
  • The Difficult Words of Jesus Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2021.[26]
  • Witness at the Cross: A Beginner's Guide to Holy Friday Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2021.[27]
  • Signs and Wonders: A Beginner's Guide to the Miracles of Jesus Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2022.[28]
  • The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner's Guide to the Good News Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2023.[29]

Children's books with Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

  • Who Counts? 100 Sheep, 10 Coins, and 2 Sons Louisville, Flyaway Books, 2017.[34]
  • The Marvelous Mustard Seed Louisville, Flyaway Books, 2018.[35]
  • Who Is My Neighbor? Louisville, Flyaway Books, 2019.[36]
  • A Very Big Problem Louisville, Flyaway Books, 2020.[37]

Teaching Company courses

  • Great Figures of the Old Testament The Teaching Company, 2002, audio and guidebook.[15]
  • Great Figures of the New Testament The Teaching Company, 2003, audio and guidebook.[14]
  • The Old Testament The Teaching Company, audio course.[16]

Personal life

Levine is married to Jay Geller, a scholar of modern Jewish culture. They have two children.[2] She is a member of Congregation Sherith Israel in Nashville.[2][30]

Quotes

Per the introduction to The Historical Jesus in Context:

There is a consensus of sorts on a basic outline of Jesus' life. Most scholars agree that Jesus was baptized by John, debated with fellow Jews on how best to live according to God's will, engaged in healings and exorcisms, taught in parables, gathered male and female followers in Galilee, went to Jerusalem, and was crucified by Roman soldiers during the governorship of Pontius Pilate. But, to use the old cliche, the devil is in the details.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae, Amy-Jill Levine" (PDF). Vanderbilt University. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kandil, Caitlin Yoshiko (November 2013). "The Gospel of Amy-Jill Levine". Moment. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Pioneering Vanderbilt scholars Amy-Jill Levine and Hortense Spillers elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Vanderbilt University News. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Prof. Amy-Jill Levine awarded first "Seelisberg Prize" by the ICCJ and the University of Salzburg". Council of Centers on Jewish–Christian Relations. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Professor Amy-Jill Levine Receives Prestigious UK Award". Hartford International University. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Lambeth Awards 2023: Shining a light on outstanding effort and dedication". Archbishop of Canterbury. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Amy-Jill Levine". Academia Europaea. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Amy-Jill Levine". Hartford International University. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Amy-Jill Levine". Vanderbilt University, Department of Jewish Studies. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  10. ^ "A Jewish take on Jesus: Amy-Jill Levine talks the gospels". U.S. Catholic. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  11. ^ "The Matthean Program of Salvation History". Google Books. Duke University. 1984. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  12. ^ "Alumni Profiles Series: Amy-Jill Levine". Duke Graduate School. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  13. ^ "I, a Jew, teach the New Testament". Osservatore Romano. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Great Figures of the New Testament". The Great Courses. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Great Figures of the Old Testament". LearnOutLoud. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  16. ^ a b "The Old Testament". Audible. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Amy-Jill Levine – Selected Publications". Academia Europaea. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Explore the Wisdom Commentary series". Liturgical Press. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  19. ^ a b "The Jewish Annotated New Testament". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  20. ^ a b "The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Second Edition". Oxford University Press. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  21. ^ a b "The Gospel of Luke" (PDF). Cambridge University Press. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  22. ^ a b "The Pharisees". Wm. B. Eerdmans. 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  23. ^ a b "The Misunderstood Jew". HarperCollins. 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Short Stories by Jesus". HarperCollins. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  25. ^ a b "The Bible With and Without Jesus". HarperCollins. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  26. ^ a b "The Difficult Words of Jesus". Abingdon Press. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  27. ^ a b "Witness at the Cross". Abingdon Press. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Signs and Wonders". Abingdon Press. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  29. ^ a b "The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner's Guide to the Good News". Abingdon Press. 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  30. ^ a b "Chris Yaw Interviews Amy-Jill Levine". Day1. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  31. ^ "Members elected in 2021, Section 1". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  32. ^ "The Meaning of the Bible". HarperCollins. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  33. ^ "The New Testament: Methods and Meanings". AbeBooks. 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  34. ^ "Who Counts?". Flyaway Books. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  35. ^ "The Marvelous Mustard Seed". Flyaway Books. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  36. ^ "Who Is My Neighbor?". Flyaway Books. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  37. ^ "A Very Big Problem". Flyaway Books. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  38. ^ Levine, Amy-Jill; Allison, Dale C.; Crossan, John Dominic (2006). The Historical Jesus in Context. Princeton University Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4008-2737-4. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.