Announcement: 3-year doctoral scholarship from the research project JESAJA

March 28, 2022

The Polin Institute announces a 3-year doctoral scholarship (maximum 36 months) from the research project JESAJA – Isaiah between Judeo-Christian Border Lines. The JESAJA research project is funded by The Julius Polin Ancestors Memorial Fund, which is managed by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. The doctoral scholarship should begin during the calendar year of 2022.
 
The Book of Isaiah became the most cited and most actively interpreted book of the Old Testament in early Christianity (the first and second century). The Christian interpretation, which reads the Gospel foreshadowed in this prophetic book, did not however start from scratch, but is in many ways dependent upon the early Jewish reception of the same book. This project focuses on the relationship between the early Christian interpretation of the Book of Isaiah and the reception history of the same interpretation in early Judaism, an aspect which has received only little attention in earlier scholarship. Besides showing in which way the Jewish reception influenced the Christian one, and how these interpretive themes continued their way in the early Church, this project leads also to a deeper understanding on the development of anti-Judaic theology in early Christianity and how signs of this new confrontation is visible in the Jewish exegesis of the rabbinic era.
 
The application deadline is on Sunday 15 May at 23.59 (EEST). The form should be completed in Swedish or in English.
 
Specific eligibility requirements:
  • Master’s degree in theology with a focus on Old Testament exegetics, New Testament exegetics, Judaism or patristics.
  • Basic knowledge of the biblical original languages Hebrew and Greek is required. Knowledge of other Semitic languages and Latin is seen as an advantage.
  • The research topic in the doctoral dissertation must touch on the reception history of the book of Isaiah in Jewish or Christian texts. The research will be carried through in collaboration with researchers in the international network Studies in the Reception History of the Bible and there are opportunities to stay abroad, e.g. in Groningen, Göttingen, Madrid or Marburg.
Doctoral scholarships from The Julius Polin Ancestors Memorial Fund are intended for prospective or already enrolled doctoral students in theological subjects at the Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology and they are intended for full-time research (leave is required).
 
Applicants who do not already have the right to study for postgraduate education at the faculty should meet the criteria for admission to postgraduate education in accordance with the principles for admission to the doctoral programs at the faculty. Note that the application for the right to study for the doctoral program takes place via a separate application procedure. When the scholarship period begins, the doctoral student should be admitted to the doctoral program.
 
The scholarship amount is 2000 € / month. The scholarships are paid in monthly amounts.

The following appendices are attached to the application:
  • Certificate of theology master’s degree with relevant major
  • CV including publications
  • Research plan related to the research project, maximum 10,000 characters according to Åbo Akademi University’s model for admission of doctoral students
  • Brief description of yourself as a researcher and your vision of a good research environment (length: 1 A4)
For further information, please contact Professor Antti Laato, antti.laato@abo.fi or +358 50 3368954.