About
A brief description of who you are and what you do.
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You can update this in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading and then ‘Curriculum and research description’, select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select - ‘About’.
Write about yourself in the third person. Aim for 100 to 150 words covering the main points about who you are and what you currently do. Clear, simple language is best. You can include specialist or technical terms.
You’ll be able to add details about your research, publications, career and academic history to other sections of your staff profile.
Research
Research interests
- Interpretation of the Bible (Hebrew and Greek).
- Philo of Alexandria.
- Josephus.
- Jewish history in the hellenistic and Roman periods.
- Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt.
Current research
Philo of Alexandria's On the Decalogue
The Letter of Aristeas
Modern reception of ancient Jewish writings
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Research groups
Any research groups you belong to will automatically appear on your profile. Speak to your line manager if these are incorrect. Please do not raise a ticket in Ask HR.
Research interests
Add up to 5 research interests. The first 3 will appear in your staff profile next to your name. The full list will appear on your research page. Keep these brief and focus on the keywords people may use when searching for your work. Use a different line for each one.
In Pure (opens in a new tab), select ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading 'Curriculum and research description', select 'Add profile information'. In the dropdown menu, select 'Research interests: use separate lines'.
Current research
Update this in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘Edit profile’ and then ‘Curriculum and research description - Current research’.
Describe your current research in 100 to 200 words. Write in the third person. Include broad key terms to help people discover your work, for example, “sustainability” or “fashion textiles”.
Research projects
Research Council funded projects will automatically appear here. The active project name is taken from the finance system.
Publications
Public outputs that list you as an author will appear here, once they’re validated by the ePrints Team. If you’re missing any outputs that you’ve added to Pure, they may be waiting for validation.
Supervision
Current PhD Students
Contact your Faculty Operating Service team to update PhD students you supervise and any you’ve previously supervised. Making this information available will help potential PhD applicants to find you.
Teaching
A short description of your teaching interests and responsibilities.
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You can update your teaching description in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading and then ‘Curriculum and research description’ , select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select – ‘Teaching Interests’. Describe your teaching interests and your current responsibilities. Aim for 200 words maximum.
Courses and modules
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External roles and responsibilities
These are the public-facing activities you’d like people to know about.
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Biography
Sarah Pearce, B.D., DPhil., SFHEA, FRHistS.
Following undergraduate studies in Theology and Philosophy, I completed my DPhil (University of Oxford, 1995) on the interpretation of the laws of Deuteronomy in ancient Judaism, arriving at the University of Southampton as a Parkes Fellow in 1994. Since then I have taught Ancient History and Jewish Studies within the History curriculum. From 2012 to 2015, I served as Head of History, and from 2018-2023 as Head of the School of Humanities.
Research: My research focuses on the history and literature of Jews in the ancient world, specifically in the Land of Israel and in Egypt and the wider Mediterranean world during the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods. I have written, in particular, on the Dead Sea Scrolls (Temple Scroll and Damascus Document), the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, the works of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, and on the Jews of Egypt under Ptolemaic and Roman rule.
Recent public appearances include (with George Brooke, Charlotte Hempel, and Melvyn Bragg) BBC Radio 4's In Our Time: The Dead Sea Scrolls (4 May 2023), BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Dead Sea Scrolls
Major projects have included:
The idea of Egypt ("The Land of the Body") in the writings of Philo of Alexandria (AHRB funded, 2001).
"The Greek Bible in the Graeco-Roman World", co-directed with Tessa Rajak (AHRC funded, 2001-2006)
"Israel in Egypt", co-directed with Alison Salvesen and Miriam Frenkel (Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, 2016).
I am presently working on new translations of and commentaries on key hellenistic Jewish texts, including Philo's On the Decalogue, and The Letter of Aristeas.
Service to the Academic Community: I am a former Chair of the Philo of Alexandria section at the Society of Biblical Literature (USA); former President of the British Association of Jewish Studies (2010); and former Secretary and Chair of the Executive Committee of the European Association of Jewish Studies (2018-2022) and currently serve as Chair of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, and Co-Chair of the Society of Biblical Literature's Hellenistic Judaism unit.
You can update your biography section in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select your ‘Personal’ tab then ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading, and ‘Curriculum and research description’, select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select - ‘Biography’. Aim for no more than 400 words.
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Prizes
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