Sarah Pearce


Sarah J. K. Pearce is Ian Karten Professor of History and Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Southampton. She is known in particular for her work on Jews in the Hellenistic world and the Roman Empire, especially the life and work of Philo of Alexandria.

Career

Pearce read Divinity at the University of London gaining her BA in 1988. She moved to the Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford and gained her D.Phil. in 1995 with a dissertation on the reception of the Bible in the Second Temple period. Her work was published in an expanded version in 2013 as The words of Moses: studies in the reception of Deuteronomy in the Second Temple Period.
Pearce moved to the University of Southampton in 1996 firstly as a Parkes Fellow and then as the first Ian Karten Fellow. She became lecturer, senior lecturer and then Professor of History. She is a member of the University of Southampton's Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations. Pearce was a co-director of the AHRB funded Greek Bible in the Graeco-Roman World Project with Tessa Rajak at the University of Reading.
Pearce was a collaborator on the AHRC project based at the University of Oxford on The Reception of Josephus in Jewish Culture from the Eighteenth Century to the Present.
Pearce is working on a new English translation and commentary on Philo's On the Decalogue for the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series.

Selected publications

Articles

  • Pearce, S.. The Cleopatras and the Jews. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 27, 29-64. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0080440117000032
  • Pearce, S.. Notes on Philo’s use of the terms ΕΘΝΟΣ AND ΛΑΟΣ. The Studia Philonica Annual, 28, 205-226. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1gxxpz0.13
  • Pearce, S.. Intermarriage and the ancestors of the Jews: Philonic perspectives. The Studia Philonica Annual, 27, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1b7x683.4
  • Pearce, S. J.. Pity and emotion in Josephus's reading of Joseph. Journal of Biblical Literature, 133, 858-862. https://doi.org/10.1353/jbl.2014.0045
  • Pearce, S. J. K.. Rethinking the other in antiquity: Philo of Alexandria on Intermarriage. Antichthon, 47, 140-155.
  • Pearce, S. J. K.. Philo and Roman Imperial power: introduction. The Studia Philonica Annual, 24, 133-137.
  • Pearce, S.. King Moses: notes on Philo’s portrait of Moses as an ideal leader in the life of Moses. Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph, LVII, 37-74.
  • Pearce, S. J. K.. Contextualising Greek chronicles. Zutot: Perspectives on Jewish Culture, 1, 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1163/187502101788691024
  • Pearce, S. J. K.. Echoes of Eden in the old Greek of Susanna. Feminist Theology, 4, 11-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/096673509600001102
  • Pearce, S. J. K.. Flavius Josephus as interpreter of Biblical law: the Council of Seven and the Levitical Servants in Jewish Antiquities 4.214. The Heythrop Journal, 36, 477-492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2265.1995.tb01005.x
  • Pearce, S.. Josephus as interpreter of Biblical law: the representation of the High Court of Deut. 17:8-12 according to Jewish Antiquities 4.218. Journal of Jewish Studies, 46, 30-42.

    Books

  • Salvesen, A., Pearce, S., & Frenkel, M. . Israel in Egypt: the land of Egypt as concept and reality for Jews in antiquity and the early Medieval period.. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004435407
  • Runia, D. T., Sterling, G. E., Pearce, S. J. K., & Cox, R. . The Studia Philonica Annual XXVIII, 2016: Studies in Hellenistic Judaism.. SBL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1gxxpz0
  • Pearce, S. . The image and its prohibition in Jewish antiquity.. Journal of Jewish Studies.
  • Pearce, S.. The words of Moses: studies in the reception of Deuteronomy in the Second Temple Period.. Mohr Siebeck.
  • Jordan, J., Kushner, A., & Pearce, S. . Jewish journeys: from Philo to Hip Hop.. Vallentine Mitchell.
  • Rajak, T., Pearce, S., & Aitken, J. . Jewish perspectives on Hellenistic rulers.. University of California Press.
  • Pearce, S.. The Land of the Body: Studies in Philo's Representation of Egypt.. Mohr Siebeck.
  • Jones, S., & Pearce, S. . Jewish local patriotism and self-identification in the Graeco-Roman period.. Sheffield Academic Press.
  • Jones, S., Kushner, T., & Pearce, S. . Cultures of contempt and ambivalence: studies in Jewish-non-Jewish relations.. Vallentine Mitchell.

    Book chapters

  • Pearce, S.. Philo and the Septuagint. In A. G. Salvesen, & T. M. Law, The Oxford Handbook of the Septuagint. Oxford University Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Philo of Alexandria and the memory of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. In A. Salvesen, S. Pearce, M. Frenkel, & D. Crowther, Israel in Egypt: the Land of Egypt as Concept and Reality for Jews in Antiquity and the Early Medieval Period.. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004435407_010
  • Pearce, S.. Josephus and the Jewish Chronicle: 1841-1855. In A. Schatz, Josephus in Modern Jewish Culture.. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004393097_007
  • Pearce, S.. Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the Letter of Aristeas §§1-27: A study in power. In D. Rivlin-Sachs, N. Hacham, G. Herman, & L. Sagiv, A Question of Identity: Social, Political, and Historical Aspects of the Formation of Identity in Jewish and Related Contexts. De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110615449-010
  • Pearce, S.. 'ed. In H-J. Fabry, & U. Dahmen, Theologisches Woerterbuch zu den Qumrantexten Band 3. Kohlhammer.
  • Pearce, S.. Introduction. In S. Pearce, The Image and its Prohibition in Jewish Antiquity.. Journal of Jewish Studies.
  • Pearce, S. J.. On the Decalogue. In L. H. Feldman, J. L. Kugel, & L. H. Schiffman, Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture. 3-Volume Set. Jewish Publication Society.
  • Pearce, S.. Philo of Alexandria on the Second Commandment. In S. Pearce, The Image and its Prohibition in Jewish Antiquity.. Journal of Jewish Studies.
  • Pearce, S.. Philo and the Temple Scroll on the prohibition of single testimony. In A. Lange, K. De Troyer, S. Tzoref, & N. Dávid, The Hebrew Bible in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls.. Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht.
  • Pearce, S.. Philo of Alexandria on Jewish law and Jewish community. In M. A. Júnior, Fílon de Alexandria: Nas Origens da Cultura Occidental. Centro de Estudios Classicos.
  • Pearce, S.. Egypt on the Pentateuch’s map of migration. In T. Kushner, J. Jordan, & S. Pearce, Jewish journeys: from Philo to Hip Hop.. Vallentine Mitchell.
  • Pearce, S.. Egypt on the Pentatuech's Map of Migration in the Writings of Philo of Alexandria. In J. Jordan, T. Kushner, & S. Pearce, Jewish Journeys: from Philo to Hip Hop. Vallentine Mitchell.
  • Jordan, J., Kushner, T., & Pearce, S.. Introduction: the Nature of Jewish Journeys. In J. Jordan, T. Kushner, & S. Pearce, Jewish journeys: from Philo to Hip Hop.. Vallentine Mitchell.
  • Pearce, S.. Animal worship. In H-J. Klauck, V. Leppin, B. McGinn, C-L. Seow, H. Spieckermann, B. D. Walfish, & E. J. Ziolkowski, The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Volume 2: Anim - Atheism De Gruyter.
  • Pearce, S.. Josephus. In E. Kessler, & N. Wenborn, A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations Cambridge University Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Onkelos. In E. Kessler, & N. Wenborn, A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations Cambridge University Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Philo. In E. Kessler, & N. Wenborn, A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations Cambridge University Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Pseudepigrapha. In E. Kessler, & N. Wenborn, A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations Cambridge University Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Translating for Ptolemy: patriotism and politics in the Greek Pentateuch? In T. Rajak, S. Pearce, J. Aitken, & J. Dines, Jewish Perspectives on Hellenistic Kingship.. University of California Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Philo on the Nile. In J. Frey, D. R. Schwartz, & S. Gripentrog, Jewish Identity in the Greco-Roman World.. Brill.
  • Pearce, S.. Speaking with the voice of God: the High Court according to Greek Deuteronomy 17:8-13. In C. Hempel, & J. M. Lieu, Biblical Traditions in Transmission: Essays in Honour of Michael A. Knibb.. Brill.
  • Pearce, S.. Jerusalem as "Mother-City" in the writings of Philo of Alexandria. In J. M. G. Barclay, Negotiating Diaspora: Jewish Strategies in the Roman Empire.. T. & T. Clark International.
  • Pearce, S.. Jerusalem as mother city in the writings of Philo of Alexandria. In J. M. G. Barclay, Negotiating Diaspora: Jewish Strategies in the Roman Empire.. T&T Clark.
  • Pearce, S.. King Moses: Notes on Philo's portrait of Moses as an ideal leader in the Life of Moses. In The Greek Strand in Political Thought. Proceedings of the Conference held at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, 16–27 June 2003.. Université Saint-Joseph.
  • Pearce, S.. Judaea under Roman rule 63-135 CE. In J. Barton, The Biblical World. Routledge.
  • Pearce, S.. 3 Maccabees. In J. Barton, & J. Muddiman, The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford University Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Josephus and the Witness Laws of Deuteronomy. In J. U. Kalms, Internationales Josephus-Kolloquium Aarhus 1999.. Lit Verlag.
  • Pearce, S.. Belonging and not belonging: local perspectives in Philo of Alexandria. In S. Jones, & S. Pearce, Jewish Local Patriotism and Self-Identification in the Graeco-Roman Period.. Sheffield Academic Press.
  • Pearce, S.. Attitudes of contempt: Christian anti-Judaism and the Bible. In T. Kushner, S. Jones, & S. Pearce, Cultures of Ambivalence and Contempt: Studies in Jewish-non-Jewish Relations.. Vallentine Mitchell.