معرفی
Professor Ben Outhwaite serves as Head of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library, a position he has held since 2006 following seven years as a Genizah researcher. His academic career is centered on the linguistic and historical analysis of Hebrew manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah collection.
His educational background includes a B.A. in Hebrew Studies, M.Phil. in Medieval Hebrew literature, and Ph.D. from Christ's College, Cambridge. Supervised by Professor Geoffrey Khan, his doctoral thesis examined the grammatical description of Hebrew letters in the Genizah.
Professor Outhwaite's research focuses on Hebrew language transmission during the Middle Ages, encompassing Biblical Hebrew vocalization traditions, medieval Hebrew as a communication medium, the form and function of medieval Hebrew Bibles, and the documentary history of communities depositing manuscripts into the Cairo Genizah. His work bridges linguistic analysis with historical context to illuminate Jewish life under Islamic rule.
His publication trends reveal consistent contributions to Genizah scholarship, with recent work emphasizing economic history (Nile water pricing), religious polemics, manuscript transmission, and cross-cultural Jewish communities. The articles demonstrate deep engagement with documentary fragments while expanding into broader historical and linguistic contexts.
Research funding has been secured from prestigious institutions including the AHRC, British Academy, Wellcome Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. He serves as series editor for Brill’s ‘Cambridge Genizah Studies’ and has contributed to major exhibitions like ‘Discarded History: the Genizah of Medieval Cairo’.
The Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit operates within Cambridge University Library, maintaining one of the world's most significant collections of Hebrew and Jewish manuscripts. The unit collaborates internationally on digitization projects and hosts the annual Genizah Lecture, Fragment of the Month features, and scholarly symposia.
