Imagining the World of Second Temple Judaism: Dr. Malka Simkovich

A fragment of an ancient page unlocks a centuries-old treasure trove of lost books in the heart of the Holy Land, and you have a front-row seat to the adventure.

In her recent book, Discovering Second Temple Literature, Professor Malka Z. Simkovich takes us to Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch. She takes us to the Cairo genizah, the burial site of hundreds of holy books, and to the ancient caves that kept the secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In this conversation she recounts Jewish history during this vibrant, formative era of the Second Temple (539 BCE–70 CE), showing us both the ancient and contemporary personalities that brought the literature of this period into modern hands.

Malka Simkovich is Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Her first book, The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria was published in 2016.