The Jewish Theological Seminary
Stephen Garfinkel
Stephen Garfinkel is associate provost and an assistant professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary. He also serves as chair of the Council on Graduate Studies in Religion.
Dr. Garfinkel's scholarly publications have appeared in a variety of journals including Vetus Testamentum, Conservative Judaism, and the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society. His essays published during the past few years include "Clearing Peshat and Derash" (in Hebrew Bible / Old Testament: The History of Its Interpretation, edited by Magne Sæbø); "Moses: Man of Israel, Man of God" (in Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, edited by David Lieber); "The Man Moses, the Leader Moses" (in Jewish Religious Leadership: Image and Reality, edited by Jack Wertheimer); and "Qoheleth: The Philosopher Means Business" (in Bringing the Hidden to Light: Studies in Honor of Stephen A. Geller, edited by Kathryn Kravitz and Diane Sharon). Dr. Garfinkel's current research is focused on early popular perceptions of Moses as a divine figure.
Dr. Garfinkel has served as a visiting faculty member at Yale University and adjunct faculty at Hunter College. While serving as educational coordinator for United Synagogue Youth, Dr. Garfinkel wrote and/or edited more than fifteen books on Jewish education. He is a member of the Association for Jewish Studies, Columbia University Hebrew Biblical Seminar, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Dr. Garfinkel has received many academic awards throughout his career, including a JTS Stroock Faculty Fellowship, a Dancinger Fellowship, and grants from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture.
Dr. Garfinkel received his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree and rabbinic ordination from JTS. He later received a second master's degree, and the degrees of MPhil and PhD in Middle East Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. He was also awarded the DHL, honoris causa, from JTS.
