Dialogues in Judaic Studies

Ari Barbalat
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This podcast features educational, informative and intellectually compelling conversations with authors of newly-published books and recently-released monographs on Jewish history, Jewish religion, Jewish philosophy and Jewish literature. The podcast intends to reach academic specialists, members of the reading public and beginners with entry-level curiosity.

  1. Hindy Najman, *Scriptural Vitality: Rethinking Philology and Hermeneutics*. New York: Oxford University Press, 2025.

    6d ago

    Hindy Najman, *Scriptural Vitality: Rethinking Philology and Hermeneutics*. New York: Oxford University Press, 2025.

    This study contests the perspective that the Persian and Hellenistic periods signify a decline, often referred to as "late Judaism," situated between a once-vibrant Judaism and the rise of Christianity.  Conversely, Hindy Najman contends that the Second Temple period was distinguished by unrestrained creativity and poetic imagination, characterized by philosophical translation, poetic composition, and a convergence of ancient Mediterranean cultures that encouraged hermeneutic innovation. By building on Friedrich Nietzsche's critique of classical philology and exploring new interpretative methods for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Najman initiates a radical rethinking of biblical studies.  Rather than attempting to reconstruct the original text or identify its original author or context, Najman celebrates the diversity and transformation of texts, tracing how meanings and texts proliferated within interpretive communities through innovative performances and new articulations of the past.  Engaging with thinkers such as Friedrich Schlegel and Peter Szondi, who are rarely acknowledged by biblical scholars, biblical philology is reimagined as a forward-moving study of the poetic processes through which Jewish communities re-created their past and revitalized their present.  The Second Temple period emerges as an extraordinary age of creativity, whose influences may still be observed in contemporary Judaism and Christianity.

    1h 10m
  2. Joseph Scales, *Galilean Spaces of Identity: Judaism and Spatiality in Hasmonean and Herodian Galilee*. Leiden: Brill, 2024.

    Jun 28

    Joseph Scales, *Galilean Spaces of Identity: Judaism and Spatiality in Hasmonean and Herodian Galilee*. Leiden: Brill, 2024.

    We interpret the world surrounding us through the constructed spaces we inhabit. These spaces are formed by human activities and, in turn, shape the way people live. This book delves into an analysis of archaeological and textual evidence from the inception of Hasmonean influence in Galilee to the outbreak of the First Jewish War against Rome, exploring how Judaism was socially articulated: in bodily, communal, and regional dimensions. Within each articulation, certain elements of Jewish identity are present, including ideas of purity, communal gatherings, and Galilee's ties with the Hasmoneans, Jerusalem, and the Temple during its last days.

    1h 21m
  3. Lindsey Davidson, *Scribal Culture in Ben Sira*. Leiden: Brill, 2018.

    Jun 28

    Lindsey Davidson, *Scribal Culture in Ben Sira*. Leiden: Brill, 2018.

    This monograph explores the concept of scribal culture as a lens for analyzing the characteristics of textual referencing in the Book of Ben Sira (c.198-175 BCE), offering fresh perspectives on how Ben Sira crafted his wisdom literature. While the term "scribe" is frequently attributed to Ben Sira, this label brings with it certain interpretive difficulties. By employing comparative analysis, this study situates the sage’s writing style within various historical, literary, and socio-cultural contexts. It illuminates aspects of Ben Sira’s text and the early Jewish practice of textual reuse. Utilizing both physical and material evidence related to reading and writing, this book uncovers the skill and intricacy involved in Ben Sira’s ongoing textual reuse. Consequently, Ben Sira’s work exemplifies outstanding writing that resonates with an appreciative audience.

    1h 36m
  4. Emmylou Grosser, *Unparalleled Poetry: A Cognitive Approach to the Free-Rhythm Verse of the Hebrew Bible*. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

    Jun 19

    Emmylou Grosser, *Unparalleled Poetry: A Cognitive Approach to the Free-Rhythm Verse of the Hebrew Bible*. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

    For over two and a half centuries, the study of biblical Hebrew poetry has largely been influenced by metrical theories and the concept of parallelism. Although there is a growing agreement that biblical poetry does not adhere to metrical norms, a cohesive understanding of parallelism itself, or the features that classify biblical poetry as 'verse' or 'poetry' in the absence of meter, graphical lineation, and line-ending markers, has not yet been achieved. This monograph argues for the necessity of a new paradigm for biblical poetry, one that separates itself from both parallelism and meter. By employing the Cognitive Poetics framework developed by Reuven Tsur, Emmylou Grosser shifts the conversation regarding the structure of biblical poetry towards the auditory and perceptual experiences of the listener or reader. She contends that the line-units of biblical poetry emerge within the cognitive experience of the audience and offers a comprehensive analysis of the free-rhythm versification system that is intrinsic to biblical poetry. Grosser's cognitive perspective on biblical poetry tackles the extensive variety of lines and poems found in the Bible, shedding light on both the structural elements of biblical poetry and the artistic effects that can be achieved. This book presents a promising new paradigm for those who engage with the Bible, while also opening avenues for new investigations into nonmetrical poetries and the notion of 'parallelism' observed globally.

    1h 7m
  5. Alex Jassen, *Violence, Power and Society in the Dead Sea Scrolls*. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2025.

    Jun 19

    Alex Jassen, *Violence, Power and Society in the Dead Sea Scrolls*. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2025.

    Violence emerges as a pivotal theme within the Dead Sea Scrolls. It captivated the Sectarians who penned these scrolls, viewing themselves as victims of oppression. Their apocalyptic vision was filled with aspirations of retribution against their foes. In this scholarly work, Alex P. Jassen examines the intricate relationship between violence and power as depicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ancient sectarian movement that both created and preserved these texts. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, he offers profound insights into the origins and significance of violence for those connected to the Dead Sea Scrolls. He demonstrates how they navigated a landscape overshadowed by more powerful Jewish factions and the overwhelming influence of foreign entities. Jassen investigates the complex interplay between violence, power, and social groups, drawing on cross-cultural instances of sectarianism, millennial movements, and marginalized communities, with particular emphasis on New Religious movements such as the Branch Davidians.

    1h 22m
  6. Jacqueline Vayntrub, *Body Language: Voice, Embodiment and Textuality in the Hebrew Bible*. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2026.

    Jun 17

    Jacqueline Vayntrub, *Body Language: Voice, Embodiment and Textuality in the Hebrew Bible*. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2026.

    Performance, transmission, and corporeality were crucial to ancient understandings of textuality. Written text was far more than a mere memory aid; it served as a formidable tool for encapsulating and conveying the essence of embodied vocal presence. In this audacious and perceptive book, Jacqueline Vayntrub elucidates how the core concepts of embodied speechmaking shaped a tradition of aesthetics and interpretation in the Hebrew Bible. For both authors and readers, biblical texts functioned as vessels that preserved voices for future generations, capturing transient moments of performance and transporting audiences to an idealized or stylized past. Through in-depth analyses of various passages and examinations of the social and material dimensions of speech in the ancient Near East, Vayntrub presents a compelling reimagining of the biblical authors’ perspective on literary creation.

    59 min
  7. Archibald L.H.M. van Wieringen and Sehoon Jang, eds., *The Function of the Reader in the Formation and the Reception of the Book of Isaiah*. Leiden: Brill, 2024.

    Jun 16

    Archibald L.H.M. van Wieringen and Sehoon Jang, eds., *The Function of the Reader in the Formation and the Reception of the Book of Isaiah*. Leiden: Brill, 2024.

    What new insights from readers were vital for the creation of both the Book of Isaiah and external texts such as the Gospel of Luke? In this meticulously curated volume, a team of esteemed international scholars who specialize in Isaiah explores, for the first time, the intricate roles that readers have in shaping and interpreting the Book of Isaiah. Traditionally, since the rise of exegesis as a critical field, considerable attention has been directed towards the author's impact on the development of biblical texts. However, with the recent progress in literary studies regarding the role of the reader, it becomes crucial to also examine the exegetical question of how readers influence the text. As a text progresses, it inherently reflects a shift in its audience. Therefore, the evolution and reception of the Isaian text can be understood as a result of this continuous transformation.

    56 min
  8. Ari Ackerman, *Hasdai Crescas on Codification, Cosmology and Creation: The Infinite God and the Expanding Torah*. Leiden: Brill, 2022.

    Jun 10

    Ari Ackerman, *Hasdai Crescas on Codification, Cosmology and Creation: The Infinite God and the Expanding Torah*. Leiden: Brill, 2022.

    This study investigates the understanding of God as presented by the medieval Jewish philosopher and legal scholar, Hasdai Crescas (1340-1410/11). It illustrates that Crescas perceives God as infinitely creative and benevolent, while also examining the implicit comparison he makes between God as both creator and legislator. This comparison is based on his belief in the Deity's ongoing engagement in generative processes, characterized by the continuous flow of goodness and love, which is expressed through multiple, simultaneous, and successive worlds, as well as an ever-expanding Torah. Additionally, the work considers the Maimonidean context for Crescas' views and posits that Crescas is responding to Maimonides' assertion that creation occurs only at a single moment, along with Maimonides' idea of the Torah as perfect and unchanging.

    58 min
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About

This podcast features educational, informative and intellectually compelling conversations with authors of newly-published books and recently-released monographs on Jewish history, Jewish religion, Jewish philosophy and Jewish literature. The podcast intends to reach academic specialists, members of the reading public and beginners with entry-level curiosity.

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  • Creator
    Ari Barbalat
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    51
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    © 2026 Dialogues in Judaic Studies
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    Dialogues in Judaic Studies