Israel Institute for Advanced Studies
Israel
fellow
Isaac Kalimi
2026-2027
Home institution
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Country of origin (home institution)
United States
Discipline(s)
Religious sciences
Theme(s)
Religion
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Isaac Kalimi is one of today’s most prolific, original thinkers, and an influential scholar. He is considered a pioneer of intercultural and interdisciplinary academic interactions between Jews and Christians, a Member of Academia Europaea, a Foreign Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences; an honorary member of the Scandinavian Society for Iranian Studies (Sweden); and an Honorary Corresponding Member of the Belgian Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences. He is a recipient of many international awards and honors. He has published numerous articles and 34 books, including Fighting over the Bible (2017), Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient Israel (2018), The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity (2023), and Martin Luther, Jews, and Judaism (2025);, and Eternal God and Mortal’s Hubris: The Destiny of Arrogant Leaders in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures (2026).
Research Project
The Book of Esther: A Commentary
Isaac Kalimi's research at IIAS focuses on the composition of The Book of Esther: A Commentary for the well-known series, New Cambridge Bible Commentaries (NCBC), which will be published by Cambridge University Press, UK. This project was invited by the editorial committee of NCBC.
Research Interests:
Hebrew Bible; Old Testament; Ancient Israelite History; Ancient Israelite Historiography; Second Temple Judaism; Rabbinic Literature; Medieval Jewish Exegesis; Jewish-Christian Relations; Martin Luther; Jews; Judaism