Dr JUTTA LEONHARDT-BALZER

Dr JUTTA LEONHARDT-BALZER The University of Aberdeen School of Divinity, History & Philosophy Lecturer work +44 (0)1224 273248 work fax +44 (0) 1224 273750 pref j.leonhardt-balzer@abdn.ac.uk pref School of Divinity, History and Philosophy King's Quad University of Aberdeen Aberdeen AB24 3UB

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Biography

Between 1990 and 1995 I studied Theology in Tübingen, Heidelberg and Cambridge. My PhD thesis in Cambridge (1995-1999) was on Jewish Worship in Philo of Alexandria. In 2000 I became a curate of the Protestant Church of Baden in Wertheim, near Würzburg, Germany. After my pastoral training I returned to university life in 2002 to work on my book on Evil in Dualistic Worldviews. A Comparison of Three Approaches (Qumran, the Johannine Writings, the Apocryphon of John), a project that is still continuing (see below).

I am married, and our daughter was born in November 2007.

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Research Interests

The New Testament texts as evidence of the faith of early Christians have a particular interest for me in their historical context. At the moment I am working on the Johannine writings, particularly on the community behind the texts. For this purpose I have also studied sociological approaches, above all the use of the sociology of knowledge. The matter of dualism, particularly in the Johannine writings but also in the New Testament and beyond is also a field I have worked in. Apart from these areas, I have been involved in projects using new approaches on the NT parables and miracle narratives, both published by the Gütersloher Verlagshaus. I also take a strong interest in Pauline studies, especially in Paul and his Jewish background.

I regard the world of the New Testament texts as important for understanding them. Thus I have been studying and continue to maintain an interest in Hellenistic Judaism, particularly Philo of Alexandria. The Qumran texts – the genuine community documents as well as the non-community texts – are also an important aspect of New Testament background that I have been involved in for the last years. But not only the Jewish evidence helps to understand the New Testament. The Gnostic texts, now available through the findings of Nag Hammadi, also provide a wealth of information about the way some Christians in the second century understood the developing Christian traditions – even if this particular interpretation was different from the line represented by the New Testament texts and rejected by the developing consensus. Particularly the Apocryphon of John as a very important and widely circulated document is an important key to the Gnostic approach to the Jewish and Christian heritage, which I have been working on for some time.

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Current Research

Currently, I am working on a book on Evil in Dualistic Worldviews. A Comparison of Three Approaches (Qumran, the Johannine Writings, the Apocryphon of John). In this context I study the three different text corpora using methods from the sociology of knowledge to gather information about the three different communities behind these texts. On the basis of their description of evil I aim at describing the way the communities did not want to be, to draw conclusions about the way they were and about the way they used different forms of dualism to develop and maintain their social identity. 

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Collaborations

Member of the SBL, particularly the Philo group.

Involved in the Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum Novi Testamenti project (Jena). 

Member of David Runia's International Philo Bibliography, published annually in the Studia Philonica Annual.

Member of the British New Testament Society.

Member of the British Association of Jewish Studies.

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External Responsibilities

Referee for the editorial board of the Studia Philonica Annual.

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Publications

Contributions to Journals

Articles

• Runia, DT., Berthelot, K., Geljon, AC., Keizer, HM., Leonhardt-Balzer, J., Martin, J., Pearce, SJK. & Seland, T. (2012). 'Philo of Alexandria: An Annotated Bibliography 2009'. Studia Philonica Annual, vol 24, pp. 183-229.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2012). 'Bilder des Bösen in den johanneischen Schriften und ihr Ort in der johanneischen Gemeinde'. Jahrbuch für biblische Theologie, vol 26, pp. 227-256.

Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings

Chapters

• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2011). 'Priests and Priesthood in Philo'. DR Schwartz, Z Weiss & RA Clements (eds), in: Was 70 CE a Watershed in Jewish History? : On Jews and Judaism Before and After the Destruction of the Second Temple. Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, vol. 78, Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, pp. 121-147.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2010). 'Philo und die Septuaginta'. W Krauss, M Karrer & M Meiser (eds), in: The Septuagint: Text, Theology, Influence. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, vol. 252, Verlag J.C B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tübingen, Germany, pp. 623-637.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2010). 'Evil and Community: Who/What did the Yahad not want to be?'. GG Xeravits (ed.), in: Dualism in Qumran. Library of Second Temple Studies, vol. 76, T&T Clark, London, United Kingdom, pp. 121-147.
• Runia, DT., Berthelot, K., Birnbaum, E., Geljon, AC., Keizer, HM., Leonhardt-Balzer, J., Martín, JP., Niehoff, MR. & Seland, T. (2010). 'Philo of Alexandria: An Annotated Bibliography 2007'. DT Runia & GE Sterling (eds), in: Studia Philonica Annual: Studies in Hellenistic Judaism. vol. 22, Studia Philonica Annual, vol. 22, Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, GA, USA, pp. 209-256.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2009). 'Heilsgeschichte bei Philo? : Die Aufnahme der Zweigeisterlehre in QEx I 23'. J Frey, S Krauter & H Lichtenberger (eds), in: Salvation and History: The problem of Salvation History in the biblical tradition and the theological interpretation. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, vol. 248, Verlag J.C B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tübingen, Germany, pp. 129-147.

Entries for Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2009). 'Righteousness in Early Judaism'. KD Sakenfeld (ed.), in: The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. vol. 4, Abingdon Press, Nashville, pp. 807-818.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2009). 'Aaron. III. NT'. C-L Seow, H-J Klauck, P mendes-Flohr, EJ Ziolkowski & H Spieckermann (eds), in: Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception: Aaron - Animal Symbolism. vol. 1, Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin, pp. 15-17.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2008). 'Maid. Maiden'. KD Sakenfeld (ed.), in: The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. vol. 3, Abingdon Press, Nashville, pp. 771-772.
• Leonhardt-Balzer, J. (2007). 'Hellenistic Jewish Historians'. KD Sakenfeld (ed.), in: New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. vol. 2, Abingdon Press, Nashville, pp. 794-795.

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