Rabbi Dr. Vered Hillel

Rabbi Dr. Vered Hillel is a Prof. of Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity. She currently serves as the Academic Dean of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute. Her areas of interest are Messianic Jewish Theology, Second Temple Judaism and Literature, as well as the Backgrounds to Early Christianity and Jewish/Christian Relations. She and her husband are the co-founders of Aleinu, a Messianic Jewish organization devoted to Jewish life renewed in Yeshua.

Education:

2004-2009                   Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus     Jerusalem, Israel

Ph.D.                           

Topic: “Structure, Source and Composition of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Advisor: Prof. Michael Stone

 

2011-2014                   Messianic Jewish Theological Institute              USA

Master of Arts in Messianic Jewish Theology

 

1999-2003                   Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus     Jerusalem, Israel

Master of Arts in Comparative Religions

“Naphtali as a Proto-Joseph in the Testament of Naphtali in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Advisor: Prof. Michael Stone

 

1996 - 1999                 University of the Holy Land           Jerusalem, Israel

Master of Arts in New Testament and the Backgrounds to Early Christianity

“The Use of Greek by Jews in Eretz Israel During the Second Temple Period”

Advisor: Dr. Stephen Pfann

 

1994 - 1996                 ICI University                                        Dallas, Texas

Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Theology

 

Publications:

"Why Not Naphtali." Things Revealed (FS in honor of M.E. Stone). Leiden: Brill, 2004, 279-288.

“Naphtali a Proto-Joseph in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,” JSP 16, 3 (2007), 171-201.

Noah and His Books. M.E. Stone, V. Hillel and A. Amihai, eds. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010.

"Demonstrable Instances of the Use of Sources in the Pseudepigrapha." Dead Sea Scrolls. Texts and Context. Leiden: Brill, 2010, 325-338.

With M.E. Stone, Armenian Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: Editio Minor and Commentary. Hebrew University Armenian Studies 9. Leuven: Peeters, 2012.

“Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.” Encyclopedia of Ancient History, Roger Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige Champion, Andrew Erskine and Sabine Huebner, eds. Wiley-Blackwell, Online, Wiley Online Library, 2012.

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: Source, Structure and Composition. Lewiston, NY and Queenston, On.: Edwin Mellon Press, 2013.

Text Manager, Tree of Life Tanakh: Ketuvim. Messianic Jewish Family Bible, 2014.

“To Do or Not to Do: Were Early Jewish Believers in Jesus Torah Observant.” Mishkan, Online publication, Summer 2015 (http://caspari.com/new/about/what-is-caspari-center).

“A Messianic-Jewish View of Divorce and Remarriage.” Kesher 29, 2015.

“Aramaic Levi Document.” Companion to the Dead Sea Scrolls, T&T Clark, Forthcoming Nov. 2016.

 “Messianism in Jewish Literature Beyond the Bible,” Kesher 30, in memory of Dr. Ellen Goldsmith, 2017.

 “Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs” in Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, T&T Clark, 2017.

“Testaments” in Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, T&T Clark, 2017.

“The Gospel of Mark and the Parables of Enoch: Siblings, Acquaintances or No Relation”. Conference Proceedings 7th Enoch Seminar, Camaldoli, 2013,  2016.

 

Congregational and Organizational Development

Co-founder and leader of Aleinu, a Messianic Jewish organization devoted to Jewish life renewed in Yeshua. We seek to integrate Yeshua into traditional Jewish forms and modern day practices, making the radical and scandalous claim that Yeshua is the true center of Jewish life, just as Israel constitutes the true center of Yeshua’s ecclesia. We endeavor to work hand-in-hand with others to: 1) cultivate Messianic Judaism from within the Jewish People in respectful conversation with Christianity; 2) establish the bi-lateral ecclesia as a tangible prolepsis of the eschaton; and 3) bridge the gap between the American and Israeli Messianic Jewish communities. I am currently on the leadership team of Adonai Shama in Israel.

 

On the MJRC:

All streams of Judaism have standardized observances that define them and in order for Messianic Judaism to be considered “Judaism” we too must have our own self-definition, therefore  standardized observances. 

Messianic Jewish leaders should join the MJRC because it is an opportunity to discuss and reason together about some of the challenges facing all Rabbis and congregations, as well as to have a voice and contribution in the development of standardizing observances, which in turn will help build a more unified and mature Messianic Judaism.