Jacob Neusner
Distinguished Service Professor of the History and Theology of Judaism
Senior Fellow, Institute of Advanced Theology
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 12504
June 1, 2008
Professor Bruce D. Chilton
Director, Institute of Advanced Theology
Dear Bruce,
This is my annual report of scholarly and academic activities, including academic public service, for the academic year 2007-2008, specifically, June 1, 2007 through May 31, 2008.
Teaching
Fall semester
Trading Places. Judaism and Christianity in the formative centuries.
Spring Semester:
The Golden Rule in the Religions of the world (seminar, conference)
Supererogatory activities connected with teaching, at Bard and in public, in 2007-2008
In connection with the seminar and conference “The Golden Rule in the Religions of the World” planned for 2008 semester II I got a grant from the Templeton Foundation via the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love for $25,000. Bard contributed the overhead of the NEH grant for the conference on toleration in the religions of the world.
On Sept. 19, 2007, I taught a session of the Religion Colloquium.
Books Published From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
In order of appearance of bound copies or proofs,
with date of reception indicated
I do not log in those titles that have gone to press in the period under review but that have not yet appeared in bound copies. These are listed in the academic year in which they are published in bound copies. I indicate the date I received the first bound copy of each item. The President and Dean receive copies of these items as they appear.
1, Habakkuk, Jonah, Nahum, and Obadiah in Talmud and Midrash. A Source Book. Lanham, 2007: University Press of America Studies in Judaism Series
2. Editor: Encyclopaedia of Religious and Philosophical Writings in Late Antiquity. Pagan, Judaic, Christian. Leiden, 2007: E. J. Brill.
3. The Rabbinic Utopia Lanham, 2007: University Press of America
4. Bologna Addresses and Other Recent Papers. Lanham, 2007: University Press of America
5. Rabbinic Theology and Israelite Prophecy. Primacy of the Torah, Narrative of the World to Come, Doctrine of Sacrifice, Repentance and Atonement, and the Systematization of Theology in the Rabbis’ Reading of the Prophets. Lanham, 2007: University Press of America
6. Building Blocks of Rabbinic Tradition The Documentary Approach to the Study of Formative Judaism. Lanham, 2007: University Press of America
7. The Rabbis, the Law, and the Prophets Lanham, 2007: University Press of America. Studies in Judaism Series.
8. Religious Tolerance. In World Religions. West Conshohocken, 2008: Templeton Foundation Press.
Academic Articles Published in
Refereed Scholarly Journals, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias,
collections of scholarly essays and Festschriften
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
Off prints of all English-language items listed below have been filed
with colleagues & senior administration.
1. “Die Wiederaufnahme des religiösen Streitgesprächs auf der Suche nach theologischer Wahrheit,” Internationale Katholische Zeitschrift. Communio. May-June, 2007. 36:293-299.
2. “The Talmud Teaches How to Speak about Beliefs and Deeds,” in Rosalind Horowitz, ed., Talking Texts. How Speech and Writing Interact in School Learning. Mahwah, NJ and London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 397-320.
3. “Extra- and Non-documentary Writing in the Rabbinic Cannon of Late Antiquity: Non-Documentary Writing in Sifra, Sifré to Numbers, Sifré to Deuteronomy, Mekhilta Attributed to R. Ishmael, and Leviticus Rabbah.” Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:11-76.
4. Review Essay: Judith Hauptman, Rereading the Mishnah. A New Approach to Ancient Jewish Texts,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:129-137.
5. “Einzigartig in 2000 Jahren,” In Thomas Soeding, editor, Ein Weg zu Jesus. Schluessel zu einem tieferen Verstaendnis des Papstbuches. Freiberg, 2007: Herder, pp, 71-90.
6. “Renewing Religious Disputation in Quest for Theological Truth. In Dialogue with Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth,” Communio. International Catholic Review Summer 2007.34:328-334. Also in Italian, French, Croatian, French, Flemish, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Hungarian, and Czech.
7. “The Halakhic Category-Formations of Normative Judaism: Why This, not That in the Mishnah-Tosefta-Yerushalmi-Bavli,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:176-209.
8. “Testing the Results of Richard Kalmin: A Null Hypothesis Examined in the Setting of Mishnah and Bavli Tractate Moed Qatan,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:247-262
9. “Rabbi Jeremiah,” The Jonathan Z. Smith festschrift. Pp. 1-20.
10. “Die Wiederaufnahme des religioesen Streitgesprächs — auf der Suche nach theologischer Wahrheit,” in Jan-Heiner Tück, ed., Annaeherungen an Jesus von Nazareth, Das Buch des Papstes in der Diskussion (Stuttgart, 2007: Matthias GruenewaldVerlag) pp. 13-21.
11. Judaism, theology of Judaism, in International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr.. Vol. 4. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. p219-223.
12. “The Religious Meaning of the Torah,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism Volume XI No. 1, pp. -1-32 .
13. Is Judaism a Traditional Religion,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism Volume XI No. 1, pp. 100-138. .
14. “Is Scripture the Origin of the Halakhah?” Religion 2008 20:1-19.
15. “Theological Foundations of Tolerance in Classical Judaism, “Religious Tolerance. In World Religions. West Conshohocken, 2008: Templeton Foundation Press., pp. 193-217.
16. “Rabbinic ethics,” in Craig Evans editor, Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus (London, 2008: Rooutledge), pp 481-484.
17. “Theological Foundations of Tolerance,” Gregorianum s2008. 89:52-68.
ACADEMIC YEAR 2007-2008
Reviews of Scholarly Books
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
Off prints of all items listed below have been filed
with colleagues & senior administration.
These book reviews were written in the preceding academic year or in the present one. All were published on the indicated dates.
1. David Klinghoffer, Why the Jews Rejected Jesus. The Turning Point in Western History,” Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:137-139.
2. Michael D. Swartz and Joseph Yahalom, trans. and eds. Avodah An Anthology of Ancient Poetry for Yom Kippur. Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:139-140
3. Jonathan Klawans, Purity Sacrifice and the Temple: Symbolism and Supersessionism in the Study of Ancient Judaism. Review of Rabbinic Judaism, Ancient, Medieval and Modern 2007 10:140-
4. Jonathan Sacks, Society as a Country House. Jerusalem Post, December 23 2007.
5. Jonathan Sacks, Society as a Country House. National Jewish Post, December 19 2007.
6. Jonathan Cohen, Philosophers and Scholars. . National Jewish Post, December 19 2007.
7. Jonathan Sacks, Society as a Country House. Long Island Jewish World, February 15, 2008.
8. Jonathan Sacks, The House We Build Together . Review of Rabbinic Judaism Volume XI No. 1, pp. 176-178
9. Jonathan Cohen, Philosophers and Scholars. , Review of Rabbinic Judaism Volume XI No. 1, pp. – 178-180
10. Bruce Chilton, Abraham’s Curse. Jerusalem Post, May 15 2008.
1. Parsing the Torah. Surveying the History, Literature, Religion, and Theology of Formative Judaism. Lanham, 2005: University Press of America.
Italian translation: Analizzando la Torah. Capitoli di autobiografia intellettuale Brescia, 2007: Editrice Morcelliana.
2. A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. Second edition Montreal and Kingston, 2000: McGill-Queen’s University Press. And Ithaca, 2000: Cornell University Press. Second printing, 2001. Book of the Month Club selection, 2002. German translation: Ein Rabbi Spricht mit Jesus. Ein jüdisch-christlicher Dialogue. Munich, 1997: Claudius Verlag. Second printing: March, 2007. Herder and Herder, Freiburg. Third printing: October, 2007.
3. A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. Second edition Montreal and Kingston, 2000: McGill-Queen’s University Press. And Ithaca, 2000: Cornell University Press. Italian translation of the second edition: Un Rabbino Parla con Gesu. Milano 2007: Edizioni San Paolo.
4. A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. Second edition Montreal and Kingston, 2000: McGill-Queen’s University Press. And Ithaca, 2000: Cornell University Press. French translation: Un Rabbin parle avec Jesus. Paris 2008: Editions du Cerf
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
I am happy to call attention to reprints of prior publications of mine, which show a continued interest in the scholarly world in my work. In the past academic year I have succeeded in reprinting quite a number of backlist titles of mine.
Telling Tales: Making Sense of Christian and Judaic Nonsense. The Urgency and Basis for Judaeo-Christian Dialogue. Louisville, 1993: Westminster-John Knox Press. Reprint: Eugene OR, 2007: Wipf and Stock.
The Pilgrim Library of World Religions. III. Buddhism, Hinduism Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, on Evil and Suffering. Cleveland, 1999: Pilgrim Press. Second printing: Eugene Or, 2006: Wipf & Stock. . Third printing: Eugene Or, 2007: Wipf & Stock.
The Pilgrim Library of World Religions. I. Buddhism, Hinduism Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, on Women and Families. Cleveland, 1999: Pilgrim Press. Second printing: Eugene Or, 2006: Wipf & Stock. . Third printing: Eugene Or, 2008: Wipf & Stock.
The Pilgrim Library of World Religions. II. Buddhism, Hinduism Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, on Sacred Texts and Authority. Cleveland, 1999: Pilgrim Press. Second printing: Eugene Or, 2006: Wipf & Stock. . Third printing: Eugene Or, 2008: Wipf & Stock.
Public Service
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
Academic Year 2007-2008Articles Published in magazines and newspapers including letters to the editor, op-ed pieces and other newspaper and magazine book reviews, articles and columns of opinion, and WWW Presentations. Also: Reprinted articles
I define as “public service” acts of engagement with public issues beyond the bounds of the academy; or involvement in other-than-academic newspapers, magazines, and other publications.
Selected list. Off prints of items listed below
have been filed with colleagues & senior administration.
Academic Year 2007-2008Lectures at Scholarly Meetings
and at Other Universities. Other Public Service at Bard College
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
1, Womack Lectures in Religion, Methodist College, Fayetteville NC
2. Conference address, The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, Altruism, Compassion, Service, Philadelphia
3. Conference address, The Golden Rule in World Religions, Bard College
4. Address, Bar Ilan University “From History to Hermeneutics”
5. Seminar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Public Service Beyond the Academic Community in Academic Year 2007-2008
Interviews with reporters; answers to queries;
other contributions to public life
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
I receive a constant flow of e-mail inquiries as to facts of Rabbinic literature and scholarly issues on that subject. I do not log in the occasions.
I gave numerous newspaper and magazine interviews in connection with the Pope’s praise of my RABBI TALKS WITH JESUS in his JESUS OF NAZARETH. I did not keep a log of them.
1. “THE Pope’s Favorite Rabbi,“ Forward, June 1, 2007.
2. “THE Pope’s Favorite Rabbi “ Jerusalem Post, May 30, 2007.
3. “THE Pope’s Favorite Rabbi,” London Jewish Chronicle
4. NPR On point. Interview June 12, 2007. Thirty minutes.
5. PBS Interview June 19, 2007, one hour.
6. Interviews leading to feature article in TIME, June 4, 2007. Six hours
7. Interview leading to feature article in HAARETZ, June 11, 2007. Two hours.
8. “Renewing Religious Disputation in Quest of Theological Truth,” National Jewish Post center spread, June 6, 2007.
9. Interview leading to feature article in THE DAILY FREEMAN, July 17, 2007. Two hours.
10. Interview for TV film on religious tolerance. Living Biography Film Makers, July 22, 2007.
11. “The Favella and the Sukkah,” Jerusalem Post September 25, 2007
12. “The Favella and the Sukkah,” Chicago Jewish Star September 28, 2007.
13. “The Favella and the Sukkah,” Connecticut Jewish Ledger, September 28, 2007.
14. “The Favella and the Sukkah,” London Jewish Chronicle, September 27, 2007.
15. “The Favella and the Sukkah,” Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, , September 28, 2007
16. Interview for the Southwest German TV March 2 2008. On Pope Benedict XVI on my RABBI TALKS WITH JESUS.
17. “The Speech the Graduates Didn’t Hear,” in Lynn . Bloom and Louise Z. Smith, The Arlington Reader. Contexts and Connections. Second edition, Bedford-St. Martins NY, pp. 346-348,’
18. “Monotheistische Logik,” Die Tagespost February 23, 2008. This appeared in Italian translation in il Folgio Feb. 27 2008 and in English in Forward, below.
19. Interview with Andrea Monda for a full page feature story on me in l’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s newspaper. The article appeared in Italian. A second interview for the same newspaper was published in May.
20. Two hour interview with Fox News Network March 5 2008. In connection with the Pope’s visit.
21. “Catholics have a right to pray for us,” Forward, February 27 2008. Also: Connecticut Jewish Ledger 2/29/08.
22. Two hour interview with a reporter for the Southwest German Rundfunk (German PBS) for a feature planned for April 2 2008.
23. Two hour interview with a reporter from Fox News Service. March 2008.
Academic Year 2007-2008Public Service to the Academic Community
Including On-Going Editorial projects
From June 1, 2007, through June 1, 2008
I continued my service in the following on-going projects, which take time on occasion, some more, some less.
1. Max Richter Foundation. Founder and president. The Foundation makes regular, small grants to projects in Judaic studies and in public health. This is in memory of my late father-in-law. In summer 2008 we will close the Foundation and transferre3d the assets to the Max Richter Fund at Bard College. Vice President Papadimitriou managed the project on Bard’s side.
2. Humanitas. Member of the Editorial Board.
3. Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Studies in Judaism. Rowman & Littlefield/University Press of America. This is a scholarly monograph series, which issues up to a dozen titles a year.
4. Founder and Editor-in-Chief, UPA Studies on Religion and the Social Order, published by University Press of America.
Sincerely,
Cc President
Vice President Papadimitriou
Dean Dominy, Professor Richard Davis, chair, Religion