As Ben Wright approaches retirement, the renowned scholar celebrates a career unraveling the mysteries of the Second Temple period and advancing fresh perspectives in early Judaism studies.
Ben Wright has focused his decades of assiduous scholarship on an eventful and sometimes obscure segment of Jewish history known as the Second Temple period (c. 300 BCE–70 CE). It is a slice of the past shrouded by both time and the strange provenances of the many documents historians rely on in their work, understanding, and reconstructing to the degree possible, what has come before us.
A leading expert in the field, Wright has a gift for opening the curtains on history in a way that illuminates the richness and complexity of the issues of the moment, and the way the lives of those who lived in these societies differ from—and in some surprising ways resemble—our own.
Wright, University Distinguished Professor at Lehigh and professor of religion, culture, and society will retire at the end of 2025, and he has organized a valedictory conference titled “Studying Early Judaism in the 21st Century,” set for March 24-26 at Lehigh. “It seemed like a good time to take stock of what we have done in the first quarter of this century,” he says The conference is being organized in conjunction with the Philip and Muriel Berman Center for Jewish Studies, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
“I've been involved in the Berman Center since I came to Lehigh in 1990, and I’m delighted to be a part of this 40th anniversary year,” Wright says. “It's a big milestone for the program, and I'm really looking forward to the conference. The lineup of people coming in and presenting is really impressive.”
Read the full story on Lehigh's College of Arts & Sciences News
Spotlight Recipient
Ben Wright
University Distinguished Professor