The Text Strikes Back: Presentation Dirk Smilde Fellowship

On February 5th, the president of the University of Groningen, Sibrand Poppema, will present the Dirk Smilde Fellowship to Dr Benjamin G. Wright, Professor of the History of Christianity at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. Dr Bärry Hartog will receive the Dirk Smilde Scholarship. If you would like to attend the ceremony please register in time, seating is limited!

Benjamin G. Wright

Benjamin Wright is professor of the History of Christianity in the Religion Studies Department at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His area of expertise is the history of Judaism in the Second Temple period, with a focus on Jewish Wisdom literature, the translation of Jewish literature from Hebrew into Greek (Septuaginta, Ben Sira, Aristeas) and the Dead Sea Scrolls. His broad array of publications in these and other areas shows his interest in larger questions such as Hellenization, (cultural) translation, heritage and identity. In September 2015 his commentary on the Letter of Aristeas appeared with De Gruyter (Berlin). He is currently preparing a commentary on the Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sira and has recently co-edited a new English translation of the Septuagint.

Professor Wright will do research at the Qumran Institute of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Groningen between the beginning of February and the end of May 2016.

Bärry Hartog

Bärry Hartog is a Postdoctoral Researcher of the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO-V) at the KU Leuven. His research concentrates on the position of Second Temple Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls within the Hellenistic-Roman world, with a special interest in Jewish and Greek textual cultures. Other research interests are the Book of the Twelve Prophets, textual history of the Hebrew Bible, Biblical commentaries, and Hebrew linguistics. Dr. Hartog will be staying in Groningen between the start of January and the end of June 2016.

Programme

Dirk Smilde

Through the University’s Ubbo Emmius Fund, Mr. Dirk Smilde (1926-2013) made a generous multi-year financial commitment to the Qumran Institute. By associating his name to the fellowship – unique in the Netherlands – we want to honour the important role and financial contributions of Dirk Smilde towards the research of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the University of Groningen. With this fellowship it is possible for leading researchers in the field to come to the Qumran Institute for a while, conduct research and share knowledge with other researchers. This fellowship is awarded every two years. The Dirk Smilde Scholarship is ment for excellent PhD students and postdocs in the fields of Hebrew Bible, early Judaism and Dead Sea Scrolls.

The first Dirk Smilde fellowship was awarded to professor Steve Mason. The first scholarship to PhD-student Bernie Hodkin.