The Catholic Biblical Association of America announced earlier this month that Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish scholar specializing in Christian Scripture, had been elected as its first Jewish president. The announcement prompted antisemitic responses across social media platforms with large followings. Critics made various claims, including accusations that Levine is anti-Christian, attempting to alter Catholicism, and opposed to Christian beliefs. Some commentators questioned the appointment of a non-Catholic to lead the organization, while others incorporated anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist statements into their criticism.
Levine has maintained a decades-long career as an academic focused on improving understanding between Christian and Jewish communities. She has taught about the historical Jewish context of Jesus and his teachings, authored multiple books with Christian collaborators, and presented scholarly work to Pope Francis. The Catholic Biblical Association’s executive leadership responded to the backlash with a joint statement, noting that Levine was selected based on her scholarly excellence and contributions to Catholic-Jewish dialogue rather than her religious identity. Past presidents of the association and officials from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued supporting statements, with Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton congratulating Levine and citing the Vatican’s emphasis on interfaith understanding.
Levine, who practices Orthodox Judaism, has said she does not accept Christian teachings regarding Jesus’ divinity, though she regards him as an early rabbinic teacher. She stated that Christians and Jews share significant common ground in their traditions and can benefit from studying Scripture together. In a Facebook post, Levine addressed the criticism and noted that her historical scholarship demonstrates that examining Judaism favorably does not require presenting Jesus negatively. She identified multiple sources of antisemitic views, including family influence, internet content, conflation of Israeli policies with broader Jewish identity, and problematic religious teachings.
Levine is a professor emerita in New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University and currently teaches part-time at the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. As president, she indicated her goals include advancing biblical scholarship, supporting research and publications, speaking in parishes, and working with Catholic bishops to address potentially antisemitic content in educational and liturgical materials.
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