Dr. Julia Rhyder

Biography

Julia Rhyder is an Associate Professor at Harvard University in the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations. Her research focuses on the Hebrew Bible, particularly ritual texts and the history of Israelite cult practices. She authored the book 'Centralizing Cult: Holiness Legislation Leviticus 17–26' (Mohr Siebeck, 2019), which has garnered praise and led to the receipt of the 2021 Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise. Additionally, she co-edited several volumes, including 'Text and Ritual in the Pentateuch: A Systematic Comparative Approach' (Penn State University Press, 2021) and 'Collective Violence and Memory in Ancient Mediterranean' (Brill, 2023). Rhyder has received the David Noel Freedman Award for Excellence in Creativity for her scholarship on the Hebrew Bible and is currently completing a monograph on calendrical festivals and war commemoration in the Hebrew Bible. Her current work presents a new perspective on how the history of war influenced the Israelite calendar and the oldest biblical traditions associated with the Temple. In 2024, she was granted the Beaufort Visiting Fellowship at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, to further her book project. She is also writing a commentary on Leviticus for the Hermeneia series (Fortress Press).

Research Interests