Michael Langlois

On the occasion of the “Bible, Heritage of Mankind” exhibition, recently inaugurated at the UNESCO, I answered Bernard Coyault’s questions on the textual history of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) and the comparison of ancient biblical manuscripts and versions (the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Old Greek version called Septuagint, and so on).

This filmed interview is an integral part of the exhibition and, as such, will be viewed by all visitors interested in the Bible, its history, and its transmission. Here is the video: Read the rest of this entry »

For the first time in its history, the National Library of France will host an exhibition on the Dead Sea Scrolls! This unprecedented event will take place on April 13 – July 11, 2010, and has been entitled Qumran: Uncovering the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hang on!

The National Library asked me to serve as their Scientific Advisor for this exhibition, which I accepted with great pleasure. Moreover, I will share with Laurent Héricher (oriental manuscripts curator) the Direction of Publication related to this exhibition. More on that later…

Please visit the National Library’s website for more information (such as opening hours, price, access…).

Spring semester has begun at the University of Strasbourg! Beginning tomorrow (January 26, 2010), I’m teaching an Advanced Hebrew class designed for students already familiar with Biblical Hebrew morphology.

By studying various texts from the Hebrew Bible, we will underline the specifics of Biblical Hebrew syntax and develop a methodology of structural analysis. These are fundamental tools in the exegete’s toolbox!

The latest edition of the Introduction to the Old Testament features a new section on the Eastern Churches’ Old Testament, with a general introduction followed by individual presentations of the main books included in the oriental canons.

I was asked to write this section, in which I proposed to include the following books: 3–4 Maccabees, 3–4 Esdras, Jubilees, Enoch, and the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs.

Here is a list of my contributions in PDF format:

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At the editor’s request, I wrote in Le Muséon a critical review of Jean-Claude Haelewyck’s Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages (Safran, 2006).

The unusual length of this recension (16 pages!) is due to the numerous problems encountered at the reading of this volume. J.-C. Haelewyck is aware of these problems and answered me with these nice words: “I wish all authors to receive such critique. You go into details while always remaining nice and constructive.”

Here is the article in PDF format:
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