Research focuses
Judaism is explored within the historical context of the Second Temple period, which encompasses the Persian, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods. This era, marked by political and social crises, was the heyday of Jewish literature, during which both new literary genres as well as new theological ideas developed that are significant for the interpretation of the New Testament. From a geographical perspective, Judaism is not limited to Eretz Israe; rather, the history of Judaism throughout the Mediterranean world is considered.
This area of research focuses on the processes of collecting and receiving the New Testament and early Christian writings that led to the final form of the New Testament as recognized by the Church. The subject of this research area is the collection and transmission of the Pauline epistles in early Christianity.
While classical textual criticism methods have proven themselves over time as a significant tool of exegesis, new approaches to the analysis of textual evidence can complement the generally accepted methodologies, while also challenging them. The application of New Philology instead of classical textual criticism, which is oriented toward the (original) text, aims to explore manuscripts as historical artifacts in a material sense.
This area of research examines the material aspects of the New Testament and early Christianity. In this regard, the focus is on the material dimensions of reading culture and practices in antiquity. Particular attention is paid to the economic aspects of reading.
This area of research includes the application of digital methods in the context of New Testament research. This primarily encompasses new methods of digital text analysis, but also includes the application of digital tools that may be helpful in New Testament research.