Atar Livneh1

Atar LivnehDate (December, 2014)

CURRICULUM VITAE

• Personal Details

Name: Atar Livneh

Date and place of birth:13 December, 1975, Jerusalem

Address and telephone number at work: Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva. Tel: 972-8-6461092

Address and telephone number at home: 30 Vered St., Lehavim 8533800,
Tel: 972-8-6528669; 972-522-330-521

• Education

B.A. -1999–2003, University of Haifa, Dual major in Honors and Communication

M.A. -2003–2006, University of Haifa, Department of Biblical Studies

Name of advisor:Prof. Devorah Dimant

Title of thesis:The Concept of “Periods” in the Pesher Habakkuk from Qumran

Ph.D.- 2006–2011, University of Haifa, Department of Biblical Studies

Name of advisor:Prof. Devorah Dimant

Title of thesis:The Pseudo-Jubilees Composition from Qumran (4Q225–4Q226–4Q227): A New Edition, Introduction, and Commentary

Post-doctoral studies –

2010–2011Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame

2011–2012Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, University of Haifa

2012–2013Post-doctoral student, Kreitman School for Advanced Graduate Studies and the Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Employment History

2014- Assistant Professor, Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

2011–2012Researcher, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature

2012Teaching Fellow grade B, University of Haifa, Department of Biblical Studies

2010External Teacher, University of Haifa, Department of Biblical Studies

2010Researcher grade B, University of Haifa, Department of Biblical Studies

• Professional activities

(e) Ad- hoc reviewer for Journals

Henoch

(f)Membership in professional/scientific societies

2009–2014Society of Biblical Literature

2009–2014World Union of Jewish Studies

2014 – European Association of Biblical Studies

• Educational activities

(a)Courses taught

  1. The Abraham Cycle, B.A., University of Haifa
  2. Introduction to Textual Criticism, B.A., University of Haifa
  3. The Family in the Bible, B.A., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  4. Women in the Bible and in the Ancient Jewish Literature,B.A., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  5. The Joseph Stories, B.A., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  6. Parents and Children in the Bible, B.A., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  7. Love in the Bible and Second Temple Literature, M.A., University of Haifa
  8. The Book of Exodus, M.A., University of Haifa
  9. The Book of Genesis in Ancient Jewish Exegesis, M.A., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Awards, citations, honors, fellowships

(a)Honors, Citation Awards

2010Rector’s Outstanding Student Award for Post-doctoral Studies, University of Haifa

2006Dean’s List, Faculty of Humanities, University of Haifa

2005Excellence Prize for MA Students, Advanced Studies Authority, University of Haifa

2004Excellence Prize for MA Students, Advanced Studies Authority, University of Haifa

2003Student Honor Prize, Department of Biblical Studies, University of Haifa

(b)Fellowships

2013–2014Post-doctoral scholarship, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

2012–2013KreitmanPost-doctoral scholarship, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

2012Post-doctoral fellowship, Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, University of Haifa

2011–2012Post-doctoral fellowship, Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2010International Fellowship in Jewish Studies and Jewish Culture, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture

2007–2010 Nathan Rotenstreich Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate Students, Israel Council for Higher Education

2006Outstanding Doctoral Students’ Scholarship, University of Haifa

• Scientific publications

H-Index = 1

(c)Refereed chapters in collective volumes, Conference proceedings, Festschrifts, etc.

  1. Livneh A.PI 2013. With My Sword and Bow: Jacob as Warrior in Jubilees.D. Dimant and R. Kratz (eds.), Rewriting and Interpretation: The Biblical Patriarchs in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. BZAW 439. W. de Gruyter: Berlin, pp. 189-213.
  2. Livneh A.PI2014.“The Biblical Background of an Extra-Biblical Conflict Account: Notes on Jubilees 37:1–13.” E. Tigchelaar (ed.), Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the Scriptures. BETL 270. Peeters: Leuven. pp. 123-136.

(d)Refereed articles and refereed letters in scientificjournals

  1. Livneh A.PI 2010. כמה שנים ישב אברהם בחרן? מסורות אודות אבי האומה בחיבורים מקומראן How Long was Abraham’s Sojourn in Haran? Traditions Regarding the Patriarch in Compositions from Qumran, Meghillot 8, 193–210(Hebrew). (Bar-Ilan University [=BIU] Journal Ranking: A+)
  2. Livneh A.PI 2011. Judgment and Revenge: The Exodus Account in Jubilees 48. Revue du Qumran 98,161-75. (SJR in Religious Studies Category Q1, 0.199; BIU Journal Ranking and ERA [=Excellence in Research for Australia] Journal Ranking: A)
  3. Livneh A.PI2011. “Love Your Fellow as Yourself”: The Interpretation of Leviticus 19:17–18 in the Book of Jubilees. Dead Sea Discoveries 18:173–99. (SJR in History Category Q1, 0.334; BIU Journal Rankingand ERA Journal Ranking: A+)
  4. Livneh A.PI 2012. “Can the Boar Change its Skin?” Esau’s Speech in Jubilees 37:18-23. Henoch 34:75-94. (BIU Journal Ranking: B)
  5. Livneh A.PI 2012. Jubilees 34:1–9: Joseph, the “House of Joseph,” and the Josephites’ Portion. Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods 43:1-20.(SJR in History Category Q1, 0.245; BIU Journal Ranking and ERA Journal Ranking: A)
  6. Livneh A.PI 2013. Not at First Sight: Gender Love in Jubilees. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 23:3-20. (SJR in Religious Studies Category Q2, 0.112; BIU Journal Rankingand ERA Journal Ranking: B)
  7. Livneh A.PI2014. “United We Stand”: Two Jubilean Clan Rosters Adapted to Demonstrate Israelite Cohesion. Journal of Jewish Studies65: 26-37. (SJR in Religious Studies Category Q2, 0.122; BIU Journal Ranking and ERAJournal Ranking: A+)
  8. Livneh A.PI (accepted). שני בנים וארבע קללות: ההקבלות בין כנען לעשו בספר היובליםTwo Sons, Four Curses: The Parallels between Canaan and Esau in Jubilees.Meghillot11(Hebrew). (BIU Journal Ranking: A+)
  9. *Livneh A.PI (accepted). The “Beloved Sons” of Jubilees. Journal of Ancient Judaism (BIU Journal Ranking: A)

(f)Unrefereed professional articles and publications

  1. Livneh A.PI Jubilees, Book of. (accepted). Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (W. de Gruyter).

• Lectures and Presentations at Meetings and Invited Seminars

(b)Presentation of papers at conferences/meetings(oral or poster)

2007 Sixth Haifa Dead Sea Scrolls Workshop, University of Haifa: “How Long was Abraham’s Sojourn in Haran? Traditions Regarding the Patriarch in Compositions from Qumran. A revised version of this paper has been published in a peer-reviewed journal: “How Long was Abraham’s Sojourn in Haran? Traditions Regarding the Patriarch in Compositions from Qumran,” Meghillot 8 (2010): 193–210 (Hebrew).

2008 Joint Israeli-German Workshop, University of Haifa: “Pseudo-Jubilees and the Book of Jubilees.”

2009Eighth Haifa Dead Sea Scrolls Workshop, University of Haifa: “The Exodus Story in Pseudo-Jubilees (4Q225).”

2009Fifteenth World Congress of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: “The Reworking of the Bible in Pseudo-Jubilees.”

2009Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, New Orleans: “Pseudo-Jubilees and the Book of Jubilees.”

2009The Interpretation of the Book of Genesis at Qumran Project: Workshop, University of Göttingen: “The Selection and Reworking of Biblical Episodes inPseudo-Jubilees.”

2011Narrative and Law in the Patriarchal Traditions: The Hebrew Bible and Dead Sea Scrolls Symposium, University of Göttingen: “With My Sword and Bow: Jacob as Warrior in Jubilees.” See With My Sword and Bow: Jacob as Warrior in Jubilees. In Rewriting and Interpretation: The Biblical Patriarchs in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls (BZAW 439;ed. D. Dimant and R. Kratz; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2013), 189–213.

2011Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, San Francisco: “Not at First Sight: Gender Love in the Book of Jubilees.”

2012Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense, Leuven: “A Study of Jub. 37:1–38:14: The Biblical Background of an Extra-Biblical Conflict Account.” See “The Biblical Background of an Extra-Biblical Conflict Account: Notes on Jubilees 37:1–13. In Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the Scriptures (BETL 270; ed. Eibert Tigchelaar; Leuven: Peeters) (accepted)

2012Haifa Dead Sea Scrolls Workshop, University of Haifa: “Two Sons and Four Curses: The Parallels between Canaan and Esau in Jubilees.”

2013Sixteenth World Congress of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem: “A Question of Honor: Exod 20:12 in Jubilees.”

2013Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Baltimore: “Raising and Loving Children in Jubilees” and “Entitled to What? The PseudoJubilees Texts from Qumran and Masada.”

2014 The St. Andrews Symposium for Biblical and Early Christian Studies, St. Andrews: “Jewish Traditions and Roman Values: Notes on Abr. 245-254.”

2014 The 5th International Conference on Drylands, Deserts, and Desertification, Sede Boqer: “The Wanderings in the Wilderness according to Pseudo-Philo’s Biblical Antiquities.”

2014 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, San Diego: “The Figure of Sarah in Abr. 245-254.”

(d)Seminar presentations at universities and institutions

2012Department of Hebrew Culture, Tel Aviv University: “The Biblical Building Blocks of the Non-Biblical Story of Jacob’s War with the Amorites.”

2012Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: “With My Sword and Bow: Jacob as Warrior in Jubilees.”

2013Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev: “The Interpretation of Gen 48:22 in Jubilees.”

2014Department of Jewish Thought, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev: “The Interpretation of the Fifth Commandment in Jubilees.”

• Research Grants

2010International Fellowship in Jewish Studies and Jewish Culture, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture for a study entitled, Livneh API, “The Abraham Cycle in Jubilees.” One-year grant to the sum of $4,000.

• Present Academic Activities

Research in progress

My current research focuses on the theme of the family in Second Temple Jewish literature in light of Graeco-Roman sources and in comparison with later Jewish writings. Currently I am preparinga paper, which focuses on the theme of Pregnancy and Childbirth in theLiber Antiquitatum Biblicarum attributed to Pseudo-Philo.I am also in the process of revising and expanding my dissertation in preparation for publication in Brill’s STDJ series (proposed date for manuscript delivery, August 2015).

Books and articles to be published

Authored book:

  1. Livneh A. Rethinking Pseudo-Jubilees: 4Q225–4Q227 in their Literary and Historical Context. STDJ. Leiden: Brill).

Articles:

  1. Livneh, A. “AQuestion of Honor: Exod 20:12 in Jubilees” (revise and resubmit, JBL).
  1. Livneh, A. “Jewish Traditions and Roman Values: Notes on De Abrahamo 245–254.” (revise and resubmit, HTR).
  2. Livneh, A. “Entitled to What? The Pseudo-Jubilees Texts from Qumran and Masada.”
  3. Livneh, A. “Pregnancy and Childbirth in Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum.”
  4. Livneh, A. “The Wanderings in the Wilderness according to Pseudo-Philo.”

• Additional Information

Researchprojects

2008–2010

Research assistant to “The Interpretation of the Book of Genesis at Qumran” project—a joint cooperation between the Universities of Haifa and Göttingen funded by the German Ministry of Science (DFG) and moderated by Profs. Devorah Dimant and Reinhard Kratz.

Year-long workshop

2009Research workshop for outstanding research students working in fields related to Land of Israel Studies, Ben-Zvi Institute.

Languages

Modern: Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew

Ancient: Aramaic, Ge’ez, Greek, Hebrew, Latin

• Synopsis of research

(including reference to publications and grants in above lists )

Livneh, A. Rethinking Pseudo-Jubilees: 4Q225–4Q227 in their Literary and Historical Context. STDJ. Leiden: Brill (proposed date for manuscript delivery, August 2015).

This volume, based on my PhD,constitutes a revised edition and commentary of 4Q225, 4Q226, and 4Q227, known as Pseudo-Jubilees. One of the significant questions being the title of and relationship between the three scrolls, it also analyzes their relation to other compositions found at Qumran and Masada—in particular the Book of Jubilees. The discussion of Pseudo-Jubilees will form a platform for the examination of additional, broader questions—such as the exegetical category of “Rewritten Bible” and the techniques it employs and the book of Genesis in Second Temple Jewish writings (transmission, reception, and interpretation).

Livneh, A. (accepted). The “Beloved Sons” of Jubilees. Journal of Ancient Judaism.

This paper focuses on the Jubilean portrayal of Shem, Isaac, and Jacob as beloved sons. In all three cases, their parents’ affection for their scions is modeled on Jacob’s favoring of Joseph. The themes of human parental love, divine election, birthright, and inheritance being interwoven in all three cases, human parental love functions primarily to signal the status of those sons who form the heirs through whom the Israelite line will be maintained. Their characterization as “beloved” also highlights Israel’s prominence amongst the nations—their siblings, in contrast, being destined to become the fathers of the gentile nations. On basis of the fact that the biblical texts relate the image of God as father to His love for and election of His children, Jubilees also presents human parental love as following (upon) God’s election of a favored son. The combination of the motif of God as a loving father with the verse that “Because He loved your fathers, He chose their heirs after them” (Deut 4:37) appears to have led the Jubilean author to assume that the Israelites’ ancestors were the object of divine parental love. He then takes this idea one step further, presenting patriarchal parental love as paralleling God’s love/election.

Livneh, A. (accepted). שני בנים וארבע קללות: ההקבלות בין כנען לעשו בספר היובלים Two Sons, Four Curses: The Parallels between Canaan and Esau in Jubilees. Meghillot 11 (Hebrew).

Jubilees reworks the accounts of Canaan and Esau in order to demonstrate how the two figures symbolize the relationship between Israel and the surrounding nations. The Jubilean author states that curse of slavery with which they are cursed in the Hebrew Bible falls on their immediate descendants, Jacob subjecting them to himself as a result of military combat. They are further cursed, according to Jubilees, by the curse that their descendants will be annihilated in the “day of judgment.” Rather than the innocent suffering the consequences of their cursed forefathers, this curse is represented the making of a vain oath. It thus becomes a moral issue—punishment for breaking an oath. The pairing of the two figures in this regard appears to derive from the affinities between the two men in the biblical narrative, the Jubilean author adducing their parallel status as wicked and lawless as a paradigm for their descendants and their relations with Israel. Both the biblical injunction (Exod 12:15; Deut 7:2) and the “lessons of the past” therefore accentuate the fact that Israel should not make any alliances with their neighbours.

Livneh, A. (2014). The Biblical Background of an Extra-Biblical Conflict Account: Notes on Jubilees 37:1–13. In Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the Scriptures (BETL 270; ed. E. Tigchelaar Peeters: Leuven).

This paper examines the biblical strands utilized in the extra-biblical account of Jacob’s warring against Esau in Jub. 37:1–13. A close perusal of the story reveals that, apart from biblical passages relating to Esau and Jacob, some of the narratives concerning David’s wars and enemies are also likely to have influenced the rewritten text, these details being combined with allusions to biblical laws and elements deriving from various biblical prophecies. The focus lies on the methods whereby these biblical texts were reworked and the function the latter serve in their new Jubilean context.

Livneh, A. (2014). “United We Stand”: Two Jubilean Clan Rosters Adapted to Demonstrate Israelite Cohesion.Journal of Jewish Studies 65, 26-37.

This paper focuses on two lists of Jacob’s sons, representing the Israelite tribes. Partially based on Numbers 2 and Ezek 48:30–35, the first list (Jub. 38:4–8) depicts the tactical formation of Jacob’s sons in four companies facing the four points of the compass in a battle against Esau and his allies. In “mixing and matching” sons from different mothers, as well as the southern and northern tribes, in each group/unit, the Jubilean author highlights their military alliance. The reworking of the second clan roster (Jub. 33:21–23), which reflects Gen 35:22b–26, also possibly serves to highlight Israelite cohesion, the author incorporating the tribal list into an account of how Jacob and “all his sons” practiced familial harmony by living together and respecting their elders. The two passages thus appear to serve to demonstrate Israelite unity during war and peace.

Livneh, A. (2013). Not atFirst Sight: Gender Love in Jubilees. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, 3–20.

This article examines the theme of love in Jubilees, suggesting that the author distinguishes between two types of love: “eye-appeal” and “moral-appeal”—i.e., that based on ethical conduct. The first consists of a three-stage cause and effect process in which a person’s outward appearance elicits erotic feelings that frequently lead to transgression of the law. In systematically depicting this sin as a violation of a recorded authoritative instruction, Jubilees highlights the gravity of love/desire kindled by eyesight, which threatens the social order. In contrast, love based on moral-appeal is depicted as flourishing within the marriage bond and grounding familial harmony. The scheme is exemplified in the Jubilean reworking of the Jacob-Rachel-Leah triad and Reuben’s relation with Bilhah, together with other references to love introduced by the Jubilean author.

Livneh, A. (2013). With My Sword and Bow: Jacob as Warrior in Jubilees. Pages 189–213 in Rewriting and Interpretation: The Biblical Patriarchs in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls (BZAW 439; ed. D. Dimant and R. Kratz; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2013).

The extra-biblical accounts of Jacob as warrior, combating first seven Amorite kings (Jub. 34:1–9) and then his brother Esau (Jub. 37:1–38:14), has garnered a large measure of scholarly attention. The fact that parallels to these two narratives exist in other ancient texts has led to their scrutiny in the context of the development of the literary tradition of Jacob as warrior. The suggestion that they reflect authentic historical events has also played a significant role in discussions regarding the date of Jubilees’composition. No detailed analysis of the literary devices and/or exegetical features of these texts has been undertaken, however, nor have the narratives been studied in their literary context—namely, the book of Jubilees as a whole. This paper examines the literary and/or exegetical elements common to these depictions of “Jacob as warrior” and studies their affinities with themes and ideas central to Jubilees, thereby demonstrating that numerous details of the war accounts in Jubilees derive from literary and exegetical considerations rather than reflecting actual historical campaigns.

Livneh, A. (2012). “Can the Boar Change its Skin?” Esau’s Speech in Jubilees 37:18–23. Henoch 34, 75–94.

The poetic speech attributed to Esau in Jub. 37:18–27 reflects the author’s conviction that the gentile nations are intrinsically evil and thus, despite any oath they may swear, cannot maintain peaceful relations with Israel. This view is presented via fauna imagery drawn from biblical and non-biblical sources alike, Esau/the gentile nations being compared to predators and Jacob/Israel represented as domesticated animals. While corresponding to the general ideology of Jubilees, this text also demonstrates affinities with contemporary writings, particularly the Enochic Animal Apocalypse.