James C. VanderKam
James C. VanderKam is an American scholar of the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism, John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. His research centers on the Dead Sea Scrolls and related literature, including Enoch and Jubilees. He served as general editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, co edited the two volume Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and edited multiple volumes in the official Discoveries in the Judaean Desert series.
Early life and education
VanderKam earned a BA in classics from Calvin College in 1968, then a BD from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1971. During seminary studies he taught introductory Greek at Calvin. He subsequently studied in Scotland as a Fulbright recipient before doctoral work at Harvard University, where he completed the PhD in 1976.Career
VanderKam joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 1976, where he taught for fifteen years, then moved to the University of Notre Dame in 1991. He later held the John A. O'Brien chair in Hebrew Scriptures and now holds emeritus status. His editorial and field leadership includes service as general editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature and as editor of thirteen volumes in Discoveries in the Judaean Desert. He was elected to the American [Academy of Arts and Sciences] in 2022.In 2011, colleagues and former students honored VanderKam with a Festschrift titled A Teacher for All Generations, celebrating both his sixty-fifth birthday and twenty years of distinguished service at Notre Dame. The volume was published in the Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism series.