Matthias Henze, born in Einbeck, Germany, in 1965. Ph.D. from Harvard University, Cambridge. Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, Houston.
Fellow (1 September 2009 – 30 June 2010)
THE APOCALYPTIC PROMISE: 2 BARUCH AND JEWISH CONCEPTUALISATIONS OF THE END TIME IN FIRST CENTURY JUDEA
During my year at NIAS I produced two books. The first, which I wrote while at NIAS, is a book on the ‘Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch’, a Jewish apocalypse of the late first century CE. The purpose of the book is to explain Syriac Baruch’s apocalyptic programme and to determine its place in the rugged terrain of early Jewish literature and thought by comparing it to other early writings, both Jewish and Christian.
The second book is an edited volume on The Gabriel Revelation, an ancient inscription discovered about a decade ago in Jordan. The book contains the first English editions and translations of the inscription ever to appear, plus a number of interpretative essays.
I also wrote an article, an encyclopedia entry, and two book reviews. Finally, I was invited to give talks in New Orleans (USA), Durham (England), Greifswald and Rostock (Germany), and Groningen and Leiden (The Netherlands).