John J. Collins (born 1946) is the Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...
and their relation to Christian origins. Collins has published and edited over 300 scholarly works, and a number of popular level articles and books. Among his best known works are the ''Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora'' (New York: Crossroad, 1983); ''Daniel'' in the Hermeneia commentary series (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993); ''The Scepter and the Star. The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature'' (New York: Doubleday, 1995); and ''The Bible after Babel: Historical Criticism in a Postmodern Age'' (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2005).
Collins was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and attended high school in a boarding school (
Rockwell College
Rockwell College ( ga, Coláiste Charraig an Tobair), founded in 1864, is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school near Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland.
The school has a rugby tradition and has won the Munster Schools S ...
) run by the Holy Ghost Fathers in Cashel, Tipperary. After high school he joined the Holy Ghost Fathers and spent nine years with the order. He was educated at
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...
(B.A., M.A.) and
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
(Ph.D.). He has held academic positions at a number of institutions including the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
(1985–91),
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
and the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
(1991–2000). He served as president of the Chicago Society of Biblical Research (1995–96), of the Catholic Biblical Association of America (1996–97), and of the Society of Biblical Literature (2002), and as regional president for the New England and Eastern Canada region of the Society of Biblical Literature (2008). He has also served as editor in chief of ''Dead Sea Discoveries'', ''Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism'' and the ''
Journal of Biblical Literature
The ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' (''JBL'') is one of three academic journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). First published in 1881, ''JBL'' is the flagship journal of the field. ''JBL'' is published quarterly and incl ...
''. He became the General Editor for the
Anchor Yale Bible Series
The Anchor Bible Series, which consists of a commentary series, a Bible dictionary, and a reference library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture which was begun in 1956, with the publication of individual volumes in the commentary series. O ...
in 2008.
Collins is married to Prof.
Adela Yarbro Collins
Adela Yarbro Collins (born 1945) is an American author and academic, who has served as the Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on the New Testament, especially the Gospel ...
, Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School since 2000, with whom he has co-authored ''King and Messiah as Son of God'' (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008).