Benedikt Hensel

Prof. Dr. Benedikt Hensel is a full Professor for Old Testament at the University of Oldenburg, where he serves as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences since 2025. He co-directs the Institute for Protestant Theology and Religious Education and leads the Digital Biblical Archaeology Oldenburg initiative.

• Research Focus: Interdisciplinary study of Israelite and ancient Jewish history, digital cultural heritage technologies in Levantine archaeology, and theological interpretation of Hebrew Bible texts.
• Projects: Hazor Digital (since 2024), Resettlement of Ruins and Memories (Gerda Henkel-funded), and Transjordan and Southern Levant Archaeology (since 2019).

His recent publications analyze:

• Iron Age cultural memory formation in the Southern Levant
• Edomite-Israelite relations through archaeological and textual evidence
• Digital reconstruction of biblical sites like Hazor
• Yahwistic diversity in Persian period Judah and Samaria
• Theological implications of migration narratives in the Hebrew Bible

Scientific Awards:

• 2018 Armin Schmitt Prize for Biblical Text Research

Student Supervision: Currently advising PhD candidates on topics ranging from Idumean trade networks to post-exilic identity formation in biblical texts.