Job description
School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Department/Area: Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Position Description
The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations seeks to appoint a tenured professor in Jewish Studies, with a specialization in Jewish history, religion, and culture in antiquity and/or late antiquity. The successful candidate must have demonstrated expertise in Rabbinic and other Jewish literatures of the ancient world; facility with the relevant languages; deep knowledge of the surrounding civilization(s) in which Jews were embedded, i.e., some combination of Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern or Western Christian, and/or Zoroastrian; command of relevant disciplines in the Humanities including historical method. The appointment is expected to begin on July 1, 2027. The professor will teach and advise at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Basic Qualifications
Candidates are required to have a doctorate.
Additional Qualifications
Demonstrated strong commitment to teaching, advising, and research is a necessity. Candidates should also evince intellectual leadership and impact on the field and potential for significant contributions to the department, University, and wider scholarly community.
How to apply
Please submit the following materials through the ARIeS portal (https://academicpositions.harvard.edu). Candidates are encouraged to apply by September 1, 2025; applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
1. Curriculum Vitae
Harvard University is committed to fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive and experience a sense of inclusion and belonging. Community members are encouraged to model our values of integrity, responsible mentorship, equity, and excellence no matter where they are.
To support this commitment to our values of inclusion and excellence, the external finalist for this position will be required to complete a conduct questionnaire – specifically regarding findings of violation, on-going formal complaint investigations, or formal complaint investigations that did not conclude due to the external finalist’s departure concerning: harassment or discrimination, retaliation, sexual misconduct, bullying or intimidating/abusive behavior, unprofessional relationship, or misconduct related to scholarship, research, teaching, service, or clinical/patient care.
Harvard will also make conduct inquiries to current and former employers of the external finalist regarding such misconduct. To facilitate these inquiries, Harvard requires all external applicants for this position to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to release information for external applicants” as part of their application. If an external applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and, as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.
Contact Information
Jay M Harris, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Contact Email: [email protected]
Equal Opportunity Employer
Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard’s academic purposes.
Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university’s non-discrimination policy. Harvard’s equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.
Keywords
faculty, instructor, tenure, professor, senior
Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MA, Northeast, New England
Fields: History, Religion, Judaism, Rabbinics, Biblical interpretation, Jewish society, Talmud, Midrash, Magic, Comparative Religious Law
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
