Joel Baden

Type:	author
Address:	Yale Divinity School
	New Haven, CT 6511
	United States
Phone:	(203) 432-5360

Joel Baden joined the YDS community in the fall of 2007 as an assistant professor of Old Testament. Baden, a specialist in the Pentateuch and Biblical Hebrew, is particularly interested in the issue of Pentateuchal and Deuteronomistic composition and redaction. He is teaching classes in Advanced Biblical Hebrew (prose and poetry), Composition of the Pentateuch, and Methods of Reading the Pentateuch. Baden holds a B.A. in Judaic Studies from Yale University, an M.A. in Northwest Semitics from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. When asked if he ever thought that he would return to Yale after earning a bachelor’s degree, Baden says, “Thinkâ€”not necessarily. Hopeâ€”of course. I would think that most Yale undergrads, who generally spend four fantastic years in New Haven, upon making the decision to pursue a life in academia would be looking for just about any excuse to come back â€˜home.’â€ “I’ve had a very easy transition to YDS. Faculty, staff, and students have all made me feel very welcome” Baden continues. “What has impressed me most is the collegiality, both between faculty members and among the students, and the real excitement the student body has for their learning. It’s a rare and valuable characteristic for a graduate school, and it’s refreshing to be a part of.â€ Baden has presented papers on source criticism and other methods of reading the biblical text, as well as the nature of the priestly strand of the Torah. Currently his dissertation, on the redaction of the Pentateuch, is in the final stages of being transformed into a book. Baden has a number of articles in “various stages between conception and press” he says. Future projects include articles on detailed source-critical treatments of various passages in the Pentateuch, a handbook on the methodology of source criticism, and a study of the differing redactional techniques in the Pentateuch and the Deuteronomistic History. As Baden reflects on his place in the YDS community, he says, “I see myself as an educator first and foremost. In my view, that title comprises both classroom teaching and mentoring.â€

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