Yeshiva scholar to speak on "Dead Sea Scrolls at Sixty" at Fairfield University

Yeshiva scholar to speak on "Dead Sea Scrolls at Sixty" at Fairfield University

Dr. Moshe Bernstein, an internationally recognized scholar who served as a member of the International Editorial Team responsible for editing and publishing the Dead Sea Scrolls, will speak at Fairfield University on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m., as part of the Judaic Studies Scholar-in-Residence program. The lecture in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room is free of charge and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Please contact Elaine Bowman at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066 or by e-mail at ebowman@mail.fairfield.edu .

Dr. Bernstein's talk will focus on "The Dead Sea Scrolls at Sixty: What Have They Taught Us? What Can They Teach Us? What Can They Not Teach Us?" He says while many people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, "far fewer know what they are, and even fewer understand their real importance. The image and reputation of the Scrolls in popular culture diverge considerably from what they are in reality, and it is sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction in the popular imagination about the Scrolls." His lecture will examine what the Dead Sea Scrolls have contributed to the understanding of Judaism in late antiquity as well as the limitations they present in the study of Judaism and Christianity within that period of time.

Dr. Bernstein is professor of Bible at Yeshiva University where he teaches Bible, Jewish biblical interpretation, and Second Temple Jewish History. He spent two academic semesters at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Fall 2001, as a Fellow at their Institute for Advanced Studies, and Spring 2004 as Lady Davis Visiting Professor of Bible. In recent years, he has regularly been Visiting Professor at the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies of New York University, teaching Aramaic and Dead Sea Scrolls.

Professor Bernstein is a member of the editorial boards of the major journals Journal of Biblical Literature , Aramaic Studies , and Dead Sea Discoveries . He is currently co-chairperson of the Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and was formerly the chairperson of its Aramaic Studies Section.

Dr. Bernstein will be participating in the Judaic Studies Scholar-in-Residence program at Fairfield that brings well-known scholars onto Fairfield's campus for two days to address many different audiences, including students, faculty, local rabbis and clergy, community leaders and the general public. The Judaic Studies Scholar-in-Residence Lecture is made possible by an annual gift from David and Edith Chaifetz of Fairfield, Conn.

A graduate of Yeshiva College in New York City, Dr. Bernstein received his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Yeshiva University. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Fordham University in Classical Languages and received a Master's degree in Semitic languages from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva, where he later did further advanced graduate work in Biblical Studies.

Posted On: 10-05-2007 10:10 AM

Volume: 40 Number: 70