John J. Collins
Encyclopedia
John J. Collins is the Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism & Interpretation at Yale Divinity School
. He is noted for his research in the Hebrew Bible
, as well as the apocryphal works of the Second Temple period
including the sectarian works found in Dead Sea Scrolls
and their relation to Christian origins. Collins has published and edited over 300 scholarly works, and a number of popular level articles and books. Among his best known works are the Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora (New York: Crossroad, 1983); Daniel in the Hermeneia commentary series (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993); The Scepter and the Star. The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature (New York: Doubleday, 1995); and The Bible after Babel: Historical Criticism in a Postmodern Age (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2005).
A native of Ireland, Collins was educated at University College Dublin
(B.A., M.A.) and Harvard University
(Ph.D.). He has held academic positions at a number of institutions including the University of Notre Dame
(1985-91), Harvard University
and the University of Chicago
(1991-2000). In 2002 he was president of the Society of Biblical Literature
, and he served as regional president for the New England and Eastern Canada region in 2008. He has also served as editor in chief of Dead Sea Discoveries, Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism and the Journal of Biblical Literature
.
Collins is married to Prof. Adela Yarbro Collins
, Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School since 2000, with whom he has co-authored King and Messiah as Son of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008).
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
. He is noted for his research in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, as well as the apocryphal works of the Second Temple period
Second Temple period
The Second Temple period , in Jewish history, is the period between 530 BCE and 70 CE, when the Second Temple of Jerusalem existed. It ended with the First Jewish–Roman War and the Temple's destruction....
including the sectarian works found in Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
and their relation to Christian origins. Collins has published and edited over 300 scholarly works, and a number of popular level articles and books. Among his best known works are the Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora (New York: Crossroad, 1983); Daniel in the Hermeneia commentary series (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993); The Scepter and the Star. The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature (New York: Doubleday, 1995); and The Bible after Babel: Historical Criticism in a Postmodern Age (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2005).
A native of Ireland, Collins was educated at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
(B.A., M.A.) and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(Ph.D.). He has held academic positions at a number of institutions including the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
(1985-91), Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(1991-2000). In 2002 he was president of the Society of Biblical Literature
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...
, and he served as regional president for the New England and Eastern Canada region in 2008. He has also served as editor in chief of Dead Sea Discoveries, Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism and the Journal of Biblical Literature
Journal of Biblical Literature
The Journal of Biblical Literature is one of three theological journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature .First published in 1881, JBL is the flagship journal of the field...
.
Collins is married to Prof. Adela Yarbro Collins
Adela Yarbro Collins
Adela Yarbro Collins is the Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on the New Testament, especially the Gospel of Mark and the Book of Revelation, and she has also written on early Christian apocalypticism and eschatology...
, Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School since 2000, with whom he has co-authored King and Messiah as Son of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008).
Selected Bibliography
- Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora (New York: Crossroad, 1983)
- The Scepter and the Star. The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature (New York: Doubleday, 1995; 2nd ed. 2010)
- Beyond the Qumran Community. The Sectarian Movement of the Dead Sea Scrolls, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009).