Michael Wechsler
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Email:
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Department:Bible and Theology
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Location:Chicago
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School:Undergraduate in Chicago, Graduate/Seminary in Chicago
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Position:Teaching
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Start Date:August 2001
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Educational Background:
BS, Rutgers University
MA, Trinity International University
PhD, University of Chicago -
Publications:
Books:
Saadia ben Joseph Gaon. The Book of Conviviality in Exile (Kitāb al-īnās bi-'l-jalwa): The Judaeo-Arabic Translation and Commentary on the Book of Esther. Translated by Michael G. Wechsler. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2015.
From Persia with Love: The Arabic Translation and Homiletical Commentary of Salmon ben Yeruḥam on the Book of Esther. Karaite Texts and Studies, 6; Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, 47. Leiden: Brill, 2013.
Pesher Naḥum: Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature from Antiquity through the Middle Ages, presented to Norman (Naḥum) Golb, edited with J. L. Kraemer, with the participation of F. Donner, J. Holo, and D. Pardee. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, 66. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2012.
Strangers in the Land: The Judaeo-Arabic Exegesis of Tanḥum ha-Yerushalmi on the Books of Ruth and Esther. Magnes Bible Studies. Jerusalem: Magnes, 2010.
The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben 'Eli the Karaite on the Book of Esther. Translated by Michael G. Wechsler. Karaite Texts and Studies, 1; Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, 36. Leiden: Brill, 2008.
Evangelium Iohannis Aethiopicum [The Gospel of John in Classical Ethiopic]. Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, 617; Scriptores Aethiopici, 109. Louvain: Peeters, 2005.
Articles (in Academic Journals and Encyclopedias):
"Peshitta: Ruth"; "Peshitta: Esther"; Syro-Hexapla: Ruth"; "Syro-Hexapla: Esther"; "Ethiopic Translations: Judges." In The Textual History of the Bible, vol. 1, edited by Armin Lange, Emanuel Tov, et al. Leiden: Brill, 2016.
"Esther (II.A. Second Temple and Hellenistic Judaism; II.C. Medieval Judaism: Judeo-Arabic Commentary; III.B. Near-Eastern Christianity);" "Eternity (III. Judaism);" "Exodus, Book of (II.D. Medieval Judaism: Karaites versus Rabbanites)"; "Footwear (III. Judaism)"; "Four Empires (III.C. Medieval Judaism)." In the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, vols. 8–9, edited by Hans-Josef Klauck et al. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2014.
"Ben Yijū Family." In Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, 2nd online edition, edited by Norman Stillman et al. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
"Saadia's Seven Guidelines for 'Conviviality in Exile' (from His Commentary on Esther)." Intellectual History of the Islamicate World 1 (2013): 203–33.
"Daniel (Book and Person) (III.C. Medieval Judaism)" (co-authored with R. Chazan and B. D. Walfish); "David ben Boaz"; "Deuteronomy, Book of (II.D. Medieval Judaism: Karaites versus Rabbanites)"; "Dissimulation (I. HB/OT and Judaism; II. New Testament; III. Christianity; IV. Islam)"; "Ecclesiastes, Book of (II.B. Medieval and Modern Judaism: Liturgy);" "Egypt, Ancient (X.C. Medieval Judaism)." In Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, vols. 6–7, edited by Hans-Josef Klauck et al. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2013.
"Cush (Place) (II. Judaism)." In the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, vol. 5, edited by Hans-Josef Klauck et al. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012.
"Ten Newly Identified Fragments of Saadia's Commentary on the Book of Esther: The Judaeo-Arabic Text (with an Appendix Containing a Fragment of Judah ibn Bal'am's Commentary on Esther)." [in Hebrew] Pp. 17*–39* (+1 plate) in Pesher Naḥum: Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature from Antiquity through the Middle Ages Presented to Norman (Naḥum) Golb, edited by J. L. Kraemer and M. G. Wechsler. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2012.
"Ten Newly Identified Fragments of Saadia's Commentary on the Book of Esther: Introduction and Translation." Pp. 237–91 (+7 plates) in Pesher Naḥum: Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature from Antiquity through the Middle Ages Presented to Norman (Naḥum) Golb, edited by J. L. Kraemer and M. G. Wechsler. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2012.
"Review of Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt." Review of Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt by Mark R. Cohen. Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2005. Pp. xvi + 288, and idem, ed. and trans., The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages: An Anthology of Documents from the Cairo Geniza. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2005. Pp. xiv + 226." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 70, no.1 (2011): 173–75.
"Aaron ben 'Amram"; "Aaron Hakīmān"; "Aghmātī, Zechariah ben Judah"; "Alī ben Sulaymān"; "Bar Satya, Joseph ben Jacob"; "Baradānī, Joseph al-"; "Baradānī, Naḥum al-"; "Ben Berechiah Family"; "Daniel ben Eleazar b. Hibat Allāh"; "Daniel ben Ḥasday"; "Daniel ben Samuel ibn Abī 'l-Rabī' ha-Kohen"; "David ben Boaz"; "Dunash (Abū Sahl) ben Tamīm"; "Eleazar ben Ḥalfon ha-Kohen"; "Ḥananel ben Ḥushiel"; "Ḥananel ben Samuel"; "Ḥasan, Abū 'Alī Yefet ibn Bundar"; "Ḥushiel ben Elḥanan"; "Ibn al-Barqūlī Family"; "Ibn al-Majjānī Family"; "Ibn al-Shūwaykh, Isaac ben Israel"; "Ibn Jāmi', Samuel ben Jacob"; "Ibn Sighmār Family"; "Ibn Yijū, Abraham"; "Joshua ben Elijah ha-Levi"; "Josiah ben Jesse"; "Judah ben Eli"; "Judah ben Joseph of Qayrawān"; "Kohen Ṣedeq ben Joseph Gaon"; "Levi ben Yefet"; "Messianism and Messianic Movements (Medieval)"; "Nathan ben Ḥananiah"; "Salmon ben Yerūḥam"; "Shabīb ben Jacob"; "Tanḥum ben Joseph ha-Yerushalmi"; "Wahb ibn Ya'īsh al-Raqqī"; and "Yefet ben 'Eli." In the Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, 5 vols., edited by Norman Stillman et al. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
"Review of Esoteric and Exoteric Aspects in Judeo-Arabic Culture." Review of Esoteric and Exoteric Aspects in Judeo-Arabic Culture, edited by Benjamin H. Hary and Haggai Ben-Shammai. Journal of the American Oriental Society 127, vol. 2 (2007): 210–12.
"Review of 4Q Pesher Nahum: A Critical Edition." Revew of 4Q Pesher Nahum: A Critical Edition, by Gregory L. Doudna. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 65, vol. 2 (2006): 150b–53a.
"The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben 'Eli on Proverbs 31:10–31." Journal of Jewish Studies 54, vol. 2 (2003): 283–310.
"The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben 'Eli on Proverbs 31:1–9." Revue des études juives 161, vols. 3–4 (2002): 393-409.
"An Early Karaite Commentary on the Book of Esther." Hebrew Union College Annual 72 (2002): 101–37.
"Shared Reflections of Early Jewish Exegetical/Targumic Tradition in the Peshitta Text of Job and the Targum from Qumran (11QTgJob)." Le Muséon 115, vols. 1–2 (2002): 77–128.
"Once Again on the Preposition hmn—A Response to the Article by Shamma Yehuda Friedman in Lĕšonenu 61, pp. 259–263." [in Hebrew] Lĕšonenu 63, vols. 1–2 (2001–2002): 169–70.
"The Appellation ΒΟΥΓΑΙΟΣ and Ethnic Contextualization in the Greek Text of Esther." Vetus Testamentum 51, vol. 1 (2001): 109–14.
"Two Para-Biblical Novellae from Qumrân Cave 4: A Reevaluation of 4Q550." Dead Sea Discoveries 7, vol. 2 (2000): 130–72.
"'Va-asher nittan keter malkhūt be-rō'shō' (Esther 6:8) in the Light of Old Persian." [in Hebrew] Beit Miqra 157, vol. 2 (1999): 183–85.
"The Purim-Passover Connection: A Reflection of Jewish Exegetical Tradition in the Peshitta Book of Esther," Journal of Biblical Literature 117/2 (1998): 321–27.
EDITORSHIPS AND EDITED VOLUMES
Editorships:Principal Investigator since March 2012, The Textual History of the Ethiopic Old Testament Project (chief eds.: A. Lange and E. Tov): the book of Judges. Brill.
Editor of Medieval Judaism since 2011, The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2009–.
Co-editor (with Meira Polliack, Tel-Aviv University) since 2007, Karaite Texts and Studies, a sub-series of Études sur le judaïsme médiéval. Leiden: Brill, 2008–.
Edited Volumes:
Pesher Nahum: Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature from Antiquity through the Middle Ages Presented to Norman (Nahum) Golb, co-edited with J. L. Kraemer, with the participation of F. Donner, J. Holo, and D. Pardee. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 66. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2012.
Marzena Zawanowska, The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Yefet ben ʿEli on the Abraham Narratives (Genesis 11:10–25:18), Part 1: Introduction and text edition. Karaite Texts and Studies, 5; Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, 46. Co-edited with Meira Polliack. Leiden: Brill, 2012.
James T. Robinson, Asceticism, Eschatology, Opposition to Philosophy: The Arabic Translation and Commentary of Salmon ben Yeroham on Qohelet (Ecclesiastes). Karaite Texts and Studies, 4; Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, 45. Co-edited with Meira Polliack. Leiden: Brill, 2012.
Joachim J. M. S. Yeshaya, Medieval Hebrew Poetry in Muslim Egypt: The Secular Poetry of the Karaite Poet Moses ben Abraham Darʿī. Karaite Texts and Studies, 3; Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, 44. Co-edited with Meira Polliack. Leiden: Brill, 2011.
Barry Dov Walfish with Mikhail Kizilov, Bibliographia Karaitica: An Annotated Bibliography of Karaites and Karaism. Karaite Texts and Studies, 2; Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, 43. Co-edited with Meira Polliack. Leiden: Brill, 2011.
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Professional / Personal Interests:Biblical exegesis; medieval literary sources in Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew; Judaeo-Arabic (both Karaite and Rabbanite) exegetical literature; medieval Near Eastern history, especially literary-academic interactions between Christians, Muslims, and Jews; Syriac literature (exegesis and Bible translation); Ge'ez literature (exegesis and Bible translation); classical English literature and poetry; science fiction; walking the dog (with or without the kids) and Dexter.
