John J. Collins

Who is John J. Collins?

John J. Collins is the Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism & Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. He is noted for his research in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the apocryphal works of the Second Temple period including the sectarian works found in Dead Sea Scrolls and their relation to Christian origins. Collins has published and edited over 300 scholarly works, and a number of popular level articles and books. Among his best known works are the Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora; Daniel in the Hermeneia commentary series; The Scepter and the Star. The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature; and The Bible after Babel: Historical Criticism in a Postmodern Age.

A native of Ireland, Collins was educated at University College Dublin and Harvard University. He has held academic positions at a number of institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Harvard University and the University of Chicago.