Loren Spielman
Associate Professor of Judaic Studies
Contact:
(503) 725-5940
spielman@pdx.edu
Office: UCB 465E
Courses Taught:
- JST/HST 308U: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
- JST/HST 311 New Testament
- JST/HST 317U: Jewish History I
- HST 319U: Rabbinic Culture in a Roman World
- JST/HST 378U Pagans, Christians, and Jews
- JST 325U: Retelling the Bible
About
Professor Loren Spielman specializes in Ancient Jewish History. His research and courses engage in the work of breaking down preconceptions about the Jewish past. Professor Spielman’s first book, Jews and Entertainment in the Ancient World , argues against the long-standing belief that Jews were predominantly resistant to the popular entertainments of the ancient world: athletics, theater, horse races and gladiators. His classes, which include Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Pagans, Christians and Jews, examine the links between the Bible and history and investigate the intersections between ancient Judaism, early Christianity and Greco-Roman culture. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Professor Spielman enjoys exploring the beauty of his new home in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two young children.
Degrees
Ph.D. Ancient Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2010
M.A. Ancient Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2002
B.A. Ancient Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2000
B.A. Literature and Creative Writing, Columbia University, 2000
Research Interests
Ph.D. Ancient Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2010
M.A. Ancient Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2002
B.A. Ancient Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2000
B.A. Literature and Creative Writing, Columbia University, 2000
Representative Publications
Jews and Entertainment in the Ancient World
"Playing Roman in Jerusalem: Jewish Attitudes towards Sport and Spectacle during the Second Temple Period," in Jews in the Gym: Judaism, Sports and Athletics, Vol. 23 of Studies in Jewish Civilization. Edited by L. Greenspoon. (Indiana: Purdue University Press, 2012).
"Review: Holger M. Zellentin, Rabbinic Parodies of Jewish and Christian Literature," Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations (SCJR):9. (2014).