Israel Knohl
Encyclopedia
Israel Knohl is the Yehezkel Kaufmann
Chair of Biblical studies
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
and a Senior Fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute
in Jerusalem.
Knohl is best known for his theory that Jewish culture contained a myth about a messiah who rose from the dead in the days before Jesus Christ. Those theories are expounded in the book, The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (University of California Press, 2000).
He is known also for his The Sanctuary of Silence, a book concerning his theories about the dating of the Priestly Source
. In this, Knohl proposes that the Priestly Source (P) dates from a much earlier period than it is usually dated to, and consequently that the Holiness Code
(H) represents an addition to the law code of P
, rather than the standard interpretation which is the reverse. Knohl suggests that H might have been inserted into P in order for the Temple priesthood to respond to the growing Prophetic movements.
In 2007, Knohl was noted for his research on the Gabriel's Revelation
, an ancient document which appears to give details on early messianic beliefs about a death and resurrection of a messianic leader after three days.
Yehezkel Kaufmann
Yehezkel Kaufmann was an Israeli philosopher and Biblical scholar associated with Hebrew University.- Biography :...
Chair of Biblical studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
and a Senior Fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute
Shalom Hartman Institute
Shalom Hartman Institute is a Jewish research and education institute based in Jerusalem, Israel, that offers pluralistic Jewish thought and education to scholars, rabbis, educators, and Jewish community leaders in Israel and North America...
in Jerusalem.
Knohl is best known for his theory that Jewish culture contained a myth about a messiah who rose from the dead in the days before Jesus Christ. Those theories are expounded in the book, The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (University of California Press, 2000).
He is known also for his The Sanctuary of Silence, a book concerning his theories about the dating of the Priestly Source
Priestly source
The Priestly Source is one of the sources of the Torah/Pentateuch in the bible. Primarily a product of the post-Exilic period when Judah was a province of the Persian empire , P was written to show that even when all seemed lost, God remained present with Israel...
. In this, Knohl proposes that the Priestly Source (P) dates from a much earlier period than it is usually dated to, and consequently that the Holiness Code
Holiness code
The Holiness Code is a term used in biblical criticism to refer to Leviticus 17-26, and is so called due to its highly repeated use of the word Holy. It has no special traditional religious significance and traditional Jews and Christians do not regard it as having any distinction from any other...
(H) represents an addition to the law code of P
Priestly Code
The Priestly Code is the name given, by academia, to the body of laws expressed in the Torah which do not form part of the Holiness Code, the Covenant Code, the Ritual Decalogue, or the Ethical Decalogue. The Priestly Code constitutes the majority of Leviticus, as well as some of the laws...
, rather than the standard interpretation which is the reverse. Knohl suggests that H might have been inserted into P in order for the Temple priesthood to respond to the growing Prophetic movements.
In 2007, Knohl was noted for his research on the Gabriel's Revelation
Gabriel's Revelation
Gabriel's Revelation or the Jeselsohn Stone, is a three-foot-tall stone tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew text written in ink, containing a collection of short prophecies written in the first person and dated to the late 1st century BCE...
, an ancient document which appears to give details on early messianic beliefs about a death and resurrection of a messianic leader after three days.
External links
- Homepage at Hebrew University
- Homepage at Shalom Hartman Institute
- 'In three days, you shall live' at Haaretz.com
- 'The messiah before Jesus' at Shalom Hartman InstituteShalom Hartman InstituteShalom Hartman Institute is a Jewish research and education institute based in Jerusalem, Israel, that offers pluralistic Jewish thought and education to scholars, rabbis, educators, and Jewish community leaders in Israel and North America...
- "Pharaoh’s War with the Israelites: The Untold Story," Azure: Ideas for the Jewish NationAzure (journal)Azure: Ideas for the Jewish Nation is a quarterly journal published by the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Azure publishes new writing on issues relating to Jewish thought and identity, Zionism, and the State of Israel. It is published in both Hebrew and English, allowing for the exchange of...
41 (Summer 2010)