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Dr. Levenson was interviewed by Greg Forster of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters for our series of interviews with 2023 Barry Prize winners. They discuss the danger of “presentism” and “reductionism” – overemphasizing immediate relevance and the role of power relations in a way that can deafen us to the voice of the past and the transcendent.
The prize citation for Dr. Levenson’s Barry Prize reads:
Jon Levenson’s meticulous and sensitive investigation of the text and history of the Hebrew Bible has helped us confront the unconscious assumptions we bring to texts, especially texts presented to us as divine scriptures. His landmark work in Jewish biblical theology as well as in interfaith dialogue invites us into a deeper awareness of what we mean by such essential concepts as gratitude, faithfulness, covenant, tradition, resurrection, and divine love. The Academy honors Dr. Levenson’s distinguished contributions to humanity’s understanding of one of its oldest and most influential sacred traditions.
Jon D. Levenson is Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University. His work concentrates on the literary and theological dimensions of the Hebrew Bible, including its reinterpretations in Second Temple Judaism and rabbinic midrash. Levenson has a strong interest in the philosophical and theological issues involved in biblical studies, especially the relationship of premodern modes of interpretation to modern historical criticism and the challenge of maintaining intellectual honesty while living an authentic religious life. Much of his work centers on the relationship of Judaism and Christianity, both in antiquity and in modernity, and he has long been active in Jewish-Christian dialogue.
November 2023
The awarding of the Barry Prize to Dr. Levenson at our 2023 ceremony at the Library of Congress:
© 2023 American Academy of Sciences & Letters – Dover, DE
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