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. It runs each term and hosts an international array of scholars in the field of Biblical Studies. The seminar is attended by a variety of faculties across the University of Oxford. Students and faculty members participate in discussions during the formal sessions, as well as in more informal discussions each week after the seminars.
MICHAELMAS TERM 2026
HEBREW BIBLE / OLD TESTAMENT SEMINAR
Weeks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, & 8
Mondays, 14:30–17:00
Harris Seminar Room (Oriel College)
No seminar in Weeks 3 and 7
Convened by Hindy Najman (Oriel)
Week 1, 12 October
Induction for Hebrew Bible/Old Testament subject group, 14:30–17:00; followed by reception.
Week 2, 19 October
Daniel 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 4, 2 November
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, 9 November
Jonathan Ben Dov (Tel Aviv University), An Optimistic Reading of 4QInstruction
Week 6, 16 November
Gary Rendsburg (Rutgers University), Lessons Learned While Writing a Commentary on the Book of Samuel
Week 8, 30 November
John Screnock (Wycliffe Hall), The Art of Repetition in 4QPaleoExodusm: Reading Scribal Changes in the Levantine Literary Tradition
Consult the Oriel College porter’s lodge for the 4-digit code to enter the Harris Seminar Room and Lecture Theatre
If you have any queries, please write to ocsb@oriel.ox.ac.uk