CFP: Young Scholars’ Workshop in Jewish Analytic Theology

Young Scholars Workshop

At the Herzl Institute, Jerusalem

December 14-23, 2015

Project directors: Yoram Hazony and Joshua Weinstein

The Jewish Philosophical Theology project invites applications from graduate students and recent PhDs for a Young Scholars Bible and Philosophy Workshop in Jerusalem on December 14-23, 2015. Up to 20 students will be accepted to the program, which will be conducted in English by Institute scholars and invited speakers. Participants will attend seminars on philosophical issues in Hebrew Bible as well as Talmud and Midrash (classical rabbinic stories), present response papers, and visit historic sites in Jerusalem.

Philosophical theology uses the tools of philosophical investigation to seek new spiritual knowledge in theological subjects, including God’s nature and relationship to the world, the fundamental nature of reality, and the nature of human beings and human flourishing. Jewish philosophical theology is a distinctive philosophical enterprise that strives for new knowledge in these areas through the philosophical investigation of Jewish texts such as the Hebrew Bible and classical rabbinic literature; the elucidation of specifically Jewish theological concepts and their comparison with theological concepts inherited from other traditions; and the positive construction of theological explanatory frameworks of significance for contemporary Jews, Christians and others.

Lectures and discussions at the Workshop will be on topics such as: “The Bible as Philosophy?” “The Metaphysics of Hebrew Scripture”; “God’s Attributes in the Bible and Classical Rabbinic Sources”; “Is the Biblical God Perfect Being?”; “Human Nature as a Model for Understanding God?”; “What Does It Mean for God to Speak?”; “Mitzva and Human Flourishing in Hebrew Scripture.” 

Workshop participants will also take part in the fifth international conference in the “Philosophical Investigation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Talmud and Midrash.” The conference topic for this year is “The Question of God’s Perfection.” Speakers at the conference include Oliver Crisp, James Diamond, Yehuda Gellman, Lenn Goodman, Yoram Hazony, Brian Leftow, Berel Dov Lerner, Alan Mittleman, David Shatz, Eleonore Stump, Alan Torrance, Shmuel Trigano, and Howard Wettstein. More information on the conference can be found here:www.bibleandphilosophy.org/conference/2015.

Limited assistance with travel expenses and accommodation is available. All accepted participants will receive meals, free registration for the conference, and a modest stipend. 

To apply, please send the following:   

1.      1-2 page letter of introduction describing your interest in the program.

2.      Recent cv.

3.      Letter of recommendation.  

Applications will be judged by a panel consisting of Yoram Hazony, Josh Weinstein and Dru Johnson. Applications will judged principally with respect to potential future contributions to the field of Jewish philosophical theology. 

Applications are invited from graduate students and recent PhDs of all disciplinary and religious backgrounds.

The application deadline is April 1, 2015.

Please send all application materials and inquiries to Meirav Jones on [email protected]

For further information about the Jewish Philosophical Theology project, please consult the project website at www.bibleandphilosophy.org.

This workshop has been made possible by the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.