Week 1
Induction for Hebrew Bible/Old Testament subject group, 14:30–17:00; followed by reception.
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Seminar
This seminar, co-sponsored by the Faculty of Theology and Religion, is the flagship seminar of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament subject area in Oxford. The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Seminar runs each term and hosts an international array of scholars in the field of Biblical Studies. The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Seminar is attended by a variety of faculties across the University of Oxford. Students and faculty participate in the discussion in the formal sessions as well as in more informal discussions each week after the seminars. We create the conditions for students to engage with visiting scholars, and to relate their research to larger research topics across the field. It is essential for our postgraduate community to engage with different methodologies and ways of thinking about the texts they study. Moreover, the students come to engage with scholars from across the UK and the world.
This academic year (2026-2027), the seminar is convened by Hindy Najman (Oriel).
In Michaelmas Term 2026, The Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament Seminar will run on Mondays 14:30 pm – 17:00 pm, weeks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, & 8.
Please direct any enquiries to emily.yoder@oriel.ox.ac.uk.
Schedule for Michaelmas Term 2026
Week 2
Dan Machiela (University of Notre Dame), Further Thoughts on Textual Reuse and Poetics in Genesis Apocryphon 21.23–22.34, in View of the Versions.
Week 3 (no session)
No session.
Week 4 (Workshop: Scripted Women: Female Voices Across Text, Liturgy, and Theatre, 9:00-17:45)
Workshop: Scripted Women: Female Voices Across Text, Liturgy, and Theatre; note time and location change: 9:00–17:45 (Harris Lecture Theatre). Organizers: Rahel Lampérth and Ya’el Kremer.
Week 5
Jonathan Ben Dov (Tel Aviv University), An Optimistic Reading of 4QInstruction.
Week 6
Gary Rendsburg (Rutgers University), Lessons Learned While Writing a Commentary on the Book of Samuel.
Week 7 (No session)
No session.
Week 8
John Screnock (Wycliffe Hall), The Art of Repetition in 4QPaleoExodus m: Reading Scribal Changes in the Levantine Literary Tradition.
Seminars in Previous Academic Years
Other Events
19 JANUARY TO 15 JUNE
Biblical Hebrew Reading Group
