Last updated, 15 July 2011

I am a scholar of ancient Judaism and Christianity, and part of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2010, I have held the M. Mark and Esther K. Watkins Assistant Professorship in the Humanities. I am also active in Penn's Jewish Studies Program and Graduate Group of Ancient History. Beginning in fall 2011, I will be a College House Fellow in Stouffer College House. Prior to joining the Penn faculty in 2007, I studied ancient religions at McGill University (BA 1997), Harvard Divinity School (M.T.S. 1999), and Princeton Univeresity (M.A. 2001; Ph.D. 2002), and I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University (2003-2007).

My research interests span the fields of Biblical Studies, Jewish Studies, Patristics, and Late Antiquity. Particular areas of concern include the reception of Second Temple Jewish traditions in late antique Judaism and Christianity; the Hellenistic and Roman cultural contexts of ancient Judaism and Christianity; and the overlaps, ambiguities, and fluidity between Jewish and Christian identities in Late Antiquity. In much of my work, I have approached these issues through a focus on biblical interpretation (esp. of Genesis) -- broadly construed to include, not only the practice of exegesis, but also the composition and reception of parabiblical literature, the transmission and translation of biblical texts, the creation of historiographical systems based on biblical narratives, the formation of textual canons, and the collection and compilation of midrashim. Other topics of interest include so-called "Jewish-Christianity"; the history of apocalyptic literature; heresiology, historiography, and religious self-definition; and "magic," astrology, angelology, demonology, and cosmology. At present, I am working on one book-project on Jubilees and another on the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies and "Jewish Christianity," as well as multiple edited volumes on topics related to ancient religions.

My publications include Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity (Cambridge UP 2005), Heavenly Realms and Earthly Realities in Late Antique Religions (ed. with Ra'anan S. Boustan; Cambridge UP, 2004), and The Ways that Never Parted: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages (ed. with A.H. Becker; Mohr Siebeck, 2003) - now out in paperback with Fortress Press. Recent publications include a theme-issue of the journal Henoch on the topic of "Blood and the Boundaries of Jewish and Christian Identities in Late Antiquity," which I edited with Ra'anan S. Boustan. Some on-line articles, preprints, papers, etc., are collected here.

Together with Bob Kraft, I oversee the Philadelphia Seminar of Christian Origins (PSCO), which brings together scholars, students, and others in the Philadelphia area interested in ancient Judaism and Christianity and which meets monthly throughout the school-year for talks, panels, discussions, etc.. Please contact me if you are interested in being added to our e-mail mailing list to recieve notices of our meetings. In addition, I am a member of the Editorial Board of the book-series Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism (published by Mohr Siebeck), together with Peter Schaefer, Seth Schwartz, and Azzan Yadin. Those interested in proposing a monograph for possible publication in the series are encouraged to contact me or one of my fellow editors; a list of past books published in the series is available on Mohr's website, together with further information about submitting a manuscript for consideration. Since 2007, I have been serving as Program Unit Chair, together with Zuleika Rodgers, of the Society of Biblical Literature's Hellenistic Judaism Section. For information about uncoming sessions, click here, and see the SBL website for information on submitting a paper proposal for presentation at the Annual Meeting. We are also happy to hear any suggestions for themes for future sessions, so please feel free to email me with ideas.