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Professor Benjamin Wold

Professor In (School of Religion)
      
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Professor Benjamin Wold

Professor In (School of Religion)

 woldb@tcd.ie

 


Research Interests and Supervision
I supervise research at the intersection of the New Testament and ancient Judaism, with particular focus on the Dead Sea Scrolls and related Second Temple Jewish literature. My work combines textual analysis, cultural history, and archaeology to explore how early Jewish and Christian communities articulated belief, identity, and social structure.

I have published three monographs and multiple edited volumes on these topics. My most recent book, Qumran Wisdom and the New Testament: Exploring Early Jewish and Christian Textual Cultures (Cambridge University Press, 2022), offers interrelated studies on James, Matthew, and the Pauline letters, highlighting resonances with Jewish wisdom motifs. I am currently developing a new project on prayer and ritual in early Judaism and Christianity.

I welcome enquiries from prospective postgraduate students interested in topics related to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, and Jewish-Christian relations in antiquity.

Biography
I completed my Ph.D. at Durham University (UK), specializing in ancient Judaism and early Christianity. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Durham, I held an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship at the Institut für antikes Judentum und hellenistische Religionsgeschichte in Tübingen. I joined the staff at Trinity College Dublin in 2007.

My research interests also include archaeology and material culture. I have participated in several excavations, including two seasons at Qumran. I have held fellowships at the American School of Overseas Research (Albright Institute) in Jerusalem: first with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (2012–13), and later as a Senior Fellow (2017).

Administrative Role
I currently serve as Director of Research for the School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies (RTPS).

Undergraduate Teaching
Semester 1:
• Jewish Thought and Practice (REU12731)
• The Apostle Paul: Life and Letters (REU33114)
• Co-teaching Introducing the Hebrew Bible (REU12101)

Semester 2:
• The Historical Jesus and the Gospels (REU22111)
• The Dead Sea Scrolls (REU44722)
• Co-teaching Introducing the New Testament and Early Christianity (REU12112)

Ph.D. Students
• Krueger Tumiwa (1st year Ph.D.)
• Maicol Cortes (2nd year Ph.D.)
• Irene Barbotti (3rd year Ph.D.)
• Simon Brummer (3rd year Ph.D.)
• Jadesmon Saragih (3rd year Ph.D.)
• Jesse Sykes (4th year Ph.D.)

Selected Publications

Monographs:
• Qumran Wisdom and the New Testament, Cambridge University Press, 2022
• 4QInstruction: Divisions and Hierarchies, STDJ 123, Brill, 2018
• Women, Men, and Angels, Mohr Siebeck, 2005

Edited Books:
• "Bring Them into the Land": The Holy Land in Ancient Judaism and Nascent Christianity: Essays in Honor of R. Steven Notley (co-edited), Wipf & Stock, 2025
• Das Böse, Der Teufel, und Dämonen — Evil, the Devil, and Demons (co-edited), Mohr Siebeck, 2016
• Memory in the Bible and Antiquity (co-edited), Mohr Siebeck, 2007
  Apocalypticism   Historical Jesus Studies   Jewish studies   New Testament   Qumran Studies   Second temple Judaism
Details Date
Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, Sage Publishers, editorial board 2015-2018
Associate Editor, De Gruyter Open (Religious Studies) 2012-2016
External Examiner, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Department of Theology, Religious Studies, and Islamic Studies. 2008-2012
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Basic Basic Basic
German Fluent Medium Medium
Greek Fluent Medium Basic
Hebrew Fluent Medium Medium
Spanish Basic Basic Basic
Details Date From Date To
Society of Biblical Studies (SBL) 2000 Present
European Association of Biblical Studies 2004 Present
Enoch Seminar 2004 Present
British New Testament Society 2000 Present
International Organization of Qumran Studies (IOQS) 2004 Present
Benjamin Wold, Daniel Machiela, Jeff Garcia, Chad Pierce (ed.), "Bring Them into the Land": The Holy Land in Ancient Judaism and Nascent Christianity: Essays in Honor of R. Steven Notley, Eugene, OR, Wipf & Stock, 2025, 1-300pp, Book, SUBMITTED
Glorification and Community: Sacred Speech in John 17 and the Self-Glorification Hymn in, editor(s)Matthijs den Dulk and Seth A. Bledsoe , 1 Enoch and the New Testament: Radboud Prestige Lectures in New Testament 2024, Leiden, Brill (Biblical Interpretation Series), 2025, pp1-20 , [Benjamin Wold], Book Chapter, ACCEPTED
Early Christianity, James C. VanderKam Lawrence H. Schiffman Sidnie White Crawford, Brill's Online Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Research Tool for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Leiden, Brill, 2025, pp1-15 , [Benjamin Wold], Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, ACCEPTED
Creation, James C. VanderKam Lawrence H. Schiffman Sidnie White Crawford, Brill's Online Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Research Tool for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Leiden, 2025, pp1-5 , [Benjamin Wold], Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, ACCEPTED
Florilegium, James C. VanderKam Lawrence H. Schiffman Sidnie White Crawford, Brill's Online Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Research Tool for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Leiden, Brill, 2025, pp1-5 , [Benjamin Wold], Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, ACCEPTED
Psalms, Hymns and Prayers and the New Testament in, editor(s)Loren T. Stuckenbruck, Ron Herms, Archie Wright , The New Testament in its Second Temple Period Context monograph series, introductory volume, Eugene, OR, Cascade Press, 2024, pp1-12 , [Benjamin Wold], Book Chapter, IN_PRESS
Benjamin Wold, Trans. ZHOU Geshan, 'Mandarin Translation of 4QInstruction: Divisions and Hierarchies)', Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2024, 1 - 221, Translation, INPROGRESS  TARA - Full Text
Benjamin Wold, Qumran Wisdom and the New Testament: Exploring Early Jewish and Christian Textual Cultures, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2023, 1 - 236pp, Book, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Wisdom in, editor(s)Matthias Henze & David Lincicum , Israel's Scriptures in Early Christian Writings, Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans, 2023, pp1-18 , [Benjamin Wold], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED  URL
Debt Remission and the Matthean Lord's Prayer in, editor(s)Beth Langstaff, Michael Tilley and Loren T. Stuckenbruck , The Lord's Prayer: Origins, Significance, and Reception, Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2022, pp91 - 114, [Benjamin Wold], Notes: [WUNT 490], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
  

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Award Date
Excellence in Supervision of Research Students 2024
Fellow of Trinity College Dublin (FTCD) 2018
Senior Associate Fellow - Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (Jerusalem) 1 January 2017 to 31 August 2017
Visiting Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong June-August 2014
Vice President, Irish Biblical Association 2014-15
Honorary President, Theological Society (TCD) 2013-2014
National Endowment for the Humanities Award December 2012
M.A. Jure officii, Trinity College Dublin 2011
Alexander von Humboldt (Rückkehrstipendium) 2010
Alexander von Humboldt Award 2006-2007
Lightfoot Scholarship, Durham University 2001-2002