Biblical Studies and Interpretation

Biblical studies and interpretation examines the texts, communities, and historical contexts that gave rise to the Hebrew Bible and early Christian literature, drawing on archaeology, linguistics, and comparative religion to understand how these writings were composed, transmitted, and read. Scholars work to reconstruct the social worlds of ancient Judaism and early Christianity — how monotheism developed amid Iron Age Near Eastern cultures, how Jewish identity was negotiated under foreign rule, and how early followers of Jesus forged a distinct communal self-understanding. Active debates include the precise chronology of Israelite history and its relationship to the archaeological record, as well as what documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal about the diversity of Jewish belief before and during the emergence of Christianity. The field ultimately asks how authoritative scriptures are made, contested, and interpreted across centuries of changing communities and theological commitments.

Works

405,695

Total citations

1,099,992

Keywords

Biblical MonotheismJewish SocietyChristian IdentityAncient JudaismHebrew BibleEarly Christianity