Department chair: Prof. Dr. Koert van Bekkum
Studies in Old Testament
The Department of Old Testament at ETF Leuven conducts research into the Old Testament books in the original languages against the background of the cultures and religions of the Ancient Near East. A wide range of historical, literary, and linguistic methods are used. Specific attention is paid to the way the texts express their message and to the dynamics by which biblical passages not only make use of their own social and cultural context, but also respond to it in a critical and transformative way. It is precisely in this way that it becomes clear how the texts not only relate to the discourse about God in the Bible as a whole, but also have significance for contemporary issues. The current form of the text and of the Old Testament canon is the starting point of research. From this point of departure historical questions are also addressed. In addition, fruitful use is made of new perspectives in biblical exegesis, such as literary and feminist interpretations. Besides the study of the biblical texts themselves, the reception of the biblical books in early translations and interpretations such as the Septuagint and the Targumim, as well as in the early church and the wider Protestant-evangelical tradition, is investigated.
Independent Academic Personnel
| Prof. Dr. Koert van Bekkum |
Literary, historical, and theological aspects of Genesis – 2 Kings; archaeology of the Southern Levant and biblical history; 19th and 20th century evangelical and Reformed interpretation of OT |
| Prof. Dr. Geert W. Lorein |
Exilic and post-exilic biblical writings; early OT interpretation; Psalms in the Targum; general introduction to the OT
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| Prof. Dr. Markus Zehnder |
OT Ethics; OT law in biblical and ancient Near Eastern context; immigration in the OT; violence in the OT and its ancient Near Eastern context; Messianic expectations
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Post-Doctoral Researchers
Special Academic Personnel
External Instructors
| Dr. Benjamin Kilchör |
Pentateuch; Old Testament Law collections; Pentateuchal criticism; Ezekiel |
| Wouter Wakker, MPhil |
Hebrew; Valency Grammar |
Doctoral Students (with or without AAP/SAP-status)
| Mart Jan Luteijn |
Christ, Context & Crime: a Theological-Hermeneutical Approach to the Exegesis regarding the Cities of Refuge in the Hexateuch |
| Ashraf Melika |
Epistemology of Suffering in Ancient Israelite, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian Wisdom Literature |
| Héctor Molano |
Social Justice in the Eight Century BCE Prophets and Their Significance in the Present Context of South America |
| Joshua Sherrill |
Scribal Culture, Old Testament Textual Criticism and the Doctrine of Holy Scripture |
| Bram van den Heuvel |
Memories of a Flood: The Search for Patterns in the Worldwide Attestation of Flood Stories |
| Sjoerd van der Wielen |
Structure and Meaning in the Book of Numbers: Discerning its Literary Composition within the Context of Genesis to Joshua |
| Vladimir Yakim |
Resurrection in the Book of Daniel |
