Benjamin Wold

Biography

Before joining the Department of Religions and Theology at TCD in 2007, Benjamin Wold was Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Institute for Ancient Judaism and Hellenistic Religions (Institut für antikes Judentum und hellenistische Religionsgeschichte) at the University of Tübingen, Germany. In addition to studies at Durham University, both Ph.D. and Post-doctoral, he has also spent time at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During more than half a decade living and studying in Jerusalem he participated in archaeological excavations, including as a volunteer at excavations at Qumran, and has held fellowships from the American School of Oriental Research/Albright Institute (National Endowment for the Humanities 2012/13 and Senior Associate Fellow 2017).

Research Interest

The interaction between religious traditions in ancient Jewish thought and practice from the third century BCE to the second century CE and how they contribute to our understanding of the cultural contexts that exerted influence on emerging Christianity are Benjamin’s key interests. Approaches to this topic are particularly focused on languages, literature, material culture, and archaeology from the period. Benjamin’s publications have focused on ancient Jewish wisdom traditions and especially Dead Sea Scrolls. Other interests include conceptualizations of “evil” (Dualism, Demonology) and the phenomenon of ancient “apocalypticism.”