Why Study Talmud in the Twenty-First Century?

Shaye J. D. Cohen received a B.A. in classics from Yeshiva College in 1970, a M.A. in Judaica and rabbinic ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a second M.A. and a Ph.D. in ancient history at Columbia University. A director and professor of Judaic Studies at Brown University, he previously worked at the Jewish Theological Seminary as Dean of the Graduate School, and was a visiting Professor of History at Columbia University.

Holding a keen interest in the history of Judaism and its social and legal boundaries, his published works include Josephus in Galilee and Rome: His Vita and Development as a Historian and From the Maccabees to the Mishnah: A Profile of Judaism. He has also written numerous articles and book chapters on the menstrual taboo in Judaism.

He has received numerous honors, including the Faculty Fellow and Whiting Fellow from Columbia University, the Fellowship from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, and the Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research.

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