Dr. Brandon J. Simonson completed his PhD in Jewish Studies, focusing on the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Languages under the direction of Prof. Alejandro Botta. He is an Instructor of Biblical Studies at Boston University School of Theology and was recently a Visiting Researcher for the MAP Project at Université Toulouse—Jean Jaurès.
Dr. Simonson received a master’s degree in Hebrew Bible from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Languages, Religion, and Classics from Luther College. At Vanderbilt University, Brandon received the W. Kendrick Grobel Award for outstanding achievement in biblical studies.
His research interests surround the languages and literature of the ancient Near East and Egypt, especially how these primary sources contribute to our understanding of individual and family identity during an era of critical importance to the development of the Hebrew Bible. He studies the corpus of Aramaic and Demotic legal documents from the multi-cultural island of Elephantine and the influence of law on life in ancient Israel, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.