Bezalel Bar-Kochva (born January 1, 1941) is a professor emeritus in the Department of Jewish History at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

. He is a historian of the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...

, the three centuries after the conquests of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

, and the

Second Temple period The Second Temple period in Jewish history lasted approximately 600 years (516 BCE - 70 CE), during which the Second Temple existed. It started with the return to Zion and the construction of the Second Temple, while it ended with the First Jewis ...

of Judaism. Bar-Kochva's research focuses on

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous L ...

, the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

diaspora Jew The negation of the Diaspora ( he, שלילת הגלות, ''shlilat ha'galut'', or he, שלילת הגולה, ''shlilat ha'golah'') is a central assumption in many currents of Zionism. The concept encourages the dedication to Zionism and it is use ...

s, and the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

in that era. Notably, he has written extensively on the military history of the

Maccabean Revolt The Maccabean Revolt ( he, מרד החשמונאים) was a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The main phase of the revolt lasted from 167–160 BCE and ended ...

as well as Greek views on Judaism and Jewish adaptation to Greek culture during the Hellenistic era.

Biography

Bezalel Bar-Kochva was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

(then part of

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

) in 1941. His family were part of the Revisionist movement within Zionism, a precursor to later right-wing Zionist movements. He received religious schooling as a child in

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

s, including extensive study of the Talmud. Like most Israelis, he served a mandatory tour of duty in the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

. He completed a bachelor's degree at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

in the department of

Jewish History Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...

and the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. He studied for a master's degree, first in the

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

department at Hebrew University and then in the Department of Jewish History at

, and graduated with honors. He received a doctorate in Classics at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in England, where he studied from 1969–1972. His doctoral dissertation was "The Organization and Social Structure of the Seleucid Army". His advisor was Guy Thompson Griffith. In 1973, Bar-Kochva was appointed a lecturer at Tel Aviv University. In 1980 he was appointed a full professor. Bar-Kochva retired from teaching in 2011. Bar-Kochva is married and has two daughters.

Works

Bar-Kochva has written five books and about eighty

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...

articles, generally focusing on Second Temple period Judaism, the Hellenistic World, and how they intersected. * ** An adaptation of Bar-Kochva's 1972 doctoral

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

. * * ** Originally published in Hebrew in 1980 as מלחמות החשמונאים ("The Battles of the Hasmoneans, the Era of Judah Maccabee") before the 1989 revision and official translation. * * The book ''The Image of the Jews in Greek Literature'' was cited in several lists of the best academic books of 2010. Bar-Kochva was a winner of the

Humboldt Prize The Humboldt Prize, the Humboldt-Forschungspreis in German, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of G ...

in 2013/2014 in recognition of his scholarship, after previously receiving a Humboldt Fellowship from 1980–1983.פרס הומבולדט לפרופ' בצלאל בר-כוכבא על חקר ההיסטוריה היהודית העתיקה
Tel-Aviv University. February 2, 2014.Positive selection decisions
Humboldt Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bar-Kochva, Bezalel 1941 births Living people People from Tel Aviv Israeli historians Israeli Jews Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Tel Aviv University alumni Academic staff of Tel Aviv University Alumni of the University of Cambridge Historians of Jews and Judaism