University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Prof. Dr. Aaron D. Hornkohl
Associate Professor in Hebrew
Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Girton College
Official University Profile: University of Cambridge – Aaron Hornkohl
Expertise: Biblical Hebrew; Historical Hebrew Linguistics; Hebrew Philology; Grammar; Textual Criticism; Dead Sea Scrolls Hebrew; Semitic Linguistics; Masoretic Tradition; Tiberian Hebrew; Samaritan Hebrew; Qumran / Judaean Desert Hebrew; Rabbinic Hebrew.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Academic Profile
Prof. Dr. Aaron D. Hornkohl is Associate Professor in Hebrew at the University of Cambridge, in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. He is also associated with Girton College.
His academic work focuses primarily on ancient Hebrew philology and linguistics. His research includes historical linguistics, Hebrew diachrony, linguistic typology, linguistic periodisation, verbal semantics, pragmatics, word order, and the study of the Tiberian / Masoretic biblical tradition.
He also works on Samaritan Hebrew, Qumran and Judaean Desert Hebrew, Iron Age II epigraphic Hebrew, Rabbinic Hebrew, and biblical exegesis.
His 2023 monograph, The Historical Depth of the Tiberian Reading Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, won the 2024 BIAJS Book Prize.
QUALIFICATIONS
1996
B.A. in Social Science, Biola University.
1995–1996
Graduate studies in Applied Linguistics, SIL-UND.
2005
M.A. in Bible and Its World, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
2012
Ph.D. in Hebrew and Jewish Languages, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
2012
Moved to Cambridge and began working in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge.
2014–2023
University Language Teaching Officer in Hebrew, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge.
2023–Present
University Associate Professor in Hebrew, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge.
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge.
Director of Studies and Undergraduate Tutor, Girton College.
Director of Studies, Homerton College.
RESEARCH
Prof. Dr. Hornkohl’s research focuses on ancient Hebrew philology and linguistics, especially historical linguistics and the periodisation of ancient Hebrew.
His work examines the standard Tiberian Masoretic biblical tradition and its relationship to other biblical traditions and extra-biblical sources. He also studies Hebrew diachrony, the linguistic profile of Biblical Hebrew, and the relationship between Tiberian Hebrew, Samaritan Hebrew, Qumran Hebrew, Judaean Desert Hebrew, Iron Age II epigraphic Hebrew, and Rabbinic Hebrew.
His publications contribute to the study of Biblical Hebrew grammar, textual traditions, diachronic linguistics, Hebrew periodisation, and the historical development of the Hebrew language.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ancient Hebrew Philology and Linguistics
Historical Linguistics
Hebrew Diachrony
Linguistic Typology
Linguistic Periodisation
Verbal Semantics
Pragmatics
Word Order
Tiberian / Masoretic Biblical Tradition
Samaritan Hebrew
Qumran / Judaean Desert Hebrew
Iron Age II Epigraphic Hebrew
Rabbinic Hebrew
Biblical Exegesis
Textual Criticism
Dead Sea Scrolls Hebrew
Semitic Linguistics
TEACHING AND SUPERVISION
Prof. Dr. Hornkohl teaches courses on both ancient and modern Hebrew.
He is available to supervise doctoral students.
He is available to supervise master’s students.
Courses listed on his University of Cambridge profile include:
MES.5 Beginning Hebrew
MES.6 Contributing Lectures on Nascent Christianity
MES.13 Intermediate Hebrew
MES.33 Advanced Hebrew / Biblical Hebrew in Historical Perspective
PRIZES AND AWARDS
2024
BIAJS Book Prize for The Historical Depth of the Tiberian Reading Tradition of Biblical Hebrew.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected Publications
Diachronic Diversity in Classical Biblical Hebrew. University of Cambridge Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Open Book Publishers, 2024.
The Historical Depth of the Tiberian Reading Tradition of Biblical Hebrew. University of Cambridge Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Open Book Publishers, 2023.
Ancient Hebrew Periodization and the Language of the Book of Jeremiah. Leiden: Brill, 2014.
The Linguistic Periodization of the Book of Jonah: E. B. Pusey and Modern Scholarship. Journal of Anglican Studies, 2026.
The Origins of Wayyiqṭol: A First-person Account. In Interconnected Traditions: Semitic Languages, Literatures, Cultures—A Festschrift for Geoffrey Khan. University of Cambridge Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Open Book Publishers, 2025.
Niphalisation in Ancient Hebrew: A Perspective from the Samaritan Tradition. Journal for Semitics, 2022.