Featured Voice: Noelle Johnson

I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Notre Dame, where I study primarily Hebrew Bible/ancient Judaism. My focus has been on ancient scribal practices and interpretive techniques, as well as the role of calendrical science in ancient exegesis. These interests grow out of my broad interest in the interaction of the theological with the technical and the scientific—in my undergraduate degree, I studied theology and physics, and still enjoy conversations of all types about the relationship between faith and reason. My interest in ancient interpretive techniques also undergirds a secondary area of investigation—connections between Origen and the rabbis. 

• What project, publication, or question is most animating your work right now?

My dissertation, After the Death of the Two Sons of Aaron: Revisiting the Days of Millu’im and the Temple Scroll, is my current project. I bring together many texts about Tabernacle/Temple purifications and priestly ordinations and analyze how they relate to ancient calendrical debates—especially different approaches to the proper date for the new year. I want to call attention to an area of discourse—the proper rituals and timing for purification ceremonies and priestly ordinations throughout the generations—that was a hot topic among ancient interpreters but whose importance for understanding the development of the Jewish festival calendar and the redaction of the Pentateuch is often overlooked. I argue that late Biblical and post-biblical interpreters rightly sensed the differences between the ceremonies of Moses and Solomon and sought to draw connections between their liturgical practices and theological subject matter. 

• What has your involvement in the CBA meant for your scholarship, teaching, or professional community?

Being involved in the CBA has been one of Jesus’ greatest blessings to me. In 2023 I had the opportunity to present my paper on Sukkot, the days of millu’im, and the Book of Jubilees—which I did not know at the time would be related to my future dissertation—as a CBA Verbum Emerging Scholars Fellow. The enthusiasm and feedback I received at this presentation was deeply influential in leading me to pick this topic! I am so grateful to many members of the CBA who supported me subsequently and for the friendship and camaraderie to be found at the annual meetings. The CBA Dissertation Fellowship also supported me during the 2025-2026 academic year as I researched and spent time at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. 

• What is one passion, interest, or practice outside your academic work that you would like others to know about?

I never thought that I would study as many languages as I have been led to through my graduate work. But now, learning languages has become a hobby. I enjoy watching foreign language television, listening to podcasts and music, watching YouTube videos, and traveling to work on my skills. I love the unique people that I meet on my adventures and the cultural insights that I gain in the process.