Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, Italy
Prof. Dr. Jean-Louis Ska, SJ
Professor Emeritus of Old Testament
Faculty of Biblical Studies
Official University Profile: Pontifical Biblical Institute – Jean-Louis Ska, SJ
Expertise: Hebrew Bible; Old Testament; Pentateuch; Biblical Narrative; Biblical Law; Pentateuchal Studies; Historical Criticism; Narrative Criticism; Biblical Theology; Ancient Israel.
Member of Editorial Board of European Hebrew Journal
CURRICULUM VITAE
Academic Profile
Prof. Dr. Jean-Louis Ska, SJ is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. A member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), he has taught at the Pontifical Biblical Institute since 1983 and is internationally recognized as one of the leading scholars of the Pentateuch and Hebrew Bible.
Born in Arlon, Belgium, in 1946, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1964. He studied philosophy in Namur, theology in Frankfurt, and biblical exegesis at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, where he earned his Doctorate in Sacred Scripture in 1984 with a dissertation on Exodus 14.
Prof. Ska has authored numerous influential books and articles in French, English, and Italian, many of which have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. His scholarship has had a significant impact on modern Pentateuchal studies, biblical narrative criticism, and Old Testament theology.
QUALIFICATIONS
1964
Entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
Studies in Philosophy, Namur, Belgium.
Studies in Theology, Frankfurt, Germany.
1984
Doctorate in Sacred Scripture, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.
Dissertation on Exodus 14 and the crossing of the sea.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
1983–2016
Professor of Old Testament, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.
2016–Present
Professor Emeritus, Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Visiting Professor and Lecturer at numerous universities and theological institutions throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
RESEARCH
Prof. Ska’s research focuses on the Hebrew Bible, especially the Pentateuch, biblical narratives, biblical law, and the literary formation of the Torah.
His work combines historical-critical exegesis with literary and narrative approaches, examining the composition, theology, and redaction of biblical texts. He has made major contributions to the understanding of narrative techniques in the Hebrew Bible and to contemporary research on the formation of the Pentateuch.
His scholarship also explores biblical anthropology, the relationship between law and narrative, and the influence of biblical literature on Western civilization.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Hebrew Bible
Old Testament
Pentateuch
Biblical Narrative
Narrative Criticism
Biblical Law
Pentateuchal Studies
Historical Criticism
Biblical Theology
Ancient Israel
History of Biblical Interpretation
Biblical Anthropology
ACADEMIC DISTINCTION
Professor Emeritus, Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Internationally recognized authority on the Pentateuch and biblical narrative.
Author of numerous books translated into multiple languages.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected Publications
Le passage de la mer: Étude de la construction, du style et de la symbolique d’Exode 14.
Our Fathers Have Told Us: Introduction to the Analysis of Hebrew Narratives.
Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch.
The Exegesis of the Pentateuch: Exegetical Studies and Basic Questions.
The Study of the Hebrew Bible: A New Introduction.
The Promise to the Fathers.
The Origins of the Biblical World.
The Bible and Western Culture.
Numerous articles on Pentateuchal studies, biblical narrative, Old Testament theology, and the literary formation of the Hebrew Bible published in leading international journals and edited volumes.