For the first time, a Jewish woman will serve as president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America

(ZENIT News / Baltimore, 08.15.2026).- The election of Amy-Jill Levine as president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America is more than an academic milestone. It is also a telling sign of how far Catholic-Jewish relations have evolved since the Second Vatican Council and of the growing conviction among many biblical scholars that understanding Jesus more deeply requires understanding the Jewish world in which He lived.

At its annual assembly in Baltimore on July 20, the association confirmed Levine as its president for 2026-2027, making her the first Jewish scholar ever to lead the organization in its ninety-year history. Founded in 1936 by American Catholic biblical scholars, the association originally focused on the translation and study of Scripture for Catholic audiences. Over time, however, it developed into an international scholarly network that today includes more than 1,070 members worldwide, among them Catholics, Protestants, and Jewish academics.

For Levine herself, the election was unexpected. A leading New Testament scholar and specialist in Jewish-Christian relations, she admitted that when she first learned she was being considered for the post, she wondered whether someone was playing a joke on her. Instead, the nomination became a historic moment, reflecting not only her academic reputation but also nearly four decades of service within the association.

Her rise to the presidency is rooted in a career dedicated to helping Christians read the New Testament through the lens of its original Jewish context. A professor at the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and professor emerita at Vanderbilt University, Levine is widely known for influential works such as The Misunderstood Jew, The Bible With and Without Jesus, and The Jewish Annotated New Testament. In 2019, she became the first Jewish scholar invited to teach New Testament studies at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute, an institution long regarded as one of the Catholic Church’s most prestigious centers for biblical scholarship.

Yet her election is not merely a celebration of academic achievement. It also highlights a question that continues to shape contemporary Catholic biblical interpretation: how can Christians faithfully proclaim the Gospel while avoiding interpretations that unintentionally foster negative stereotypes about Judaism?

Levine has indicated that one of her primary goals during her presidency will be addressing readings of Scripture that can reinforce anti-Jewish attitudes. She argues that many priests, catechists, and Bible teachers still rely heavily on commentaries encountered decades ago in seminary, despite important advances in scholarship concerning the Jewish background of Jesus, the Pharisees, and the early Christian movement.

Her concern is not doctrinal but historical. Levine repeatedly emphasizes that her work does not seek to challenge Catholic beliefs about Christ. Rather, she believes that taking Jesus’ Jewish identity seriously allows Christians to understand him more fully. In her view, a richer knowledge of first-century Judaism deepens rather than diminishes Christian theology.

This perspective has found increasing resonance within the Catholic Church over the last sixty years. Before the Second Vatican Council, some biblical interpretations and popular preaching could unintentionally portray Judaism primarily through the lens of conflict narratives found in the Gospels. Since then, official Catholic teaching has consistently encouraged a more accurate understanding of the Jewish roots of Christianity and rejected the idea of collective Jewish responsibility for the death of Christ.

Levine’s election therefore reflects not an abrupt change but the continuation of a long process of rapprochement between Catholics and Jews.

One challenge she hopes to address is the gap between academic research and parish life. The most sophisticated biblical scholarship often remains confined to universities and specialized journals, while pastors and catechists may not always have ready access to recent findings. Levine has repeatedly argued that contemporary biblical insights should be more widely available to clergy, teachers, and those responsible for faith formation.

She has also expressed concern about a newer phenomenon: the growing use of artificial intelligence in sermon preparation. While acknowledging the usefulness of technology, she warns that AI systems can reproduce cultural stereotypes and inherited biases if users rely on them uncritically. In her view, sound biblical interpretation still requires careful scholarship, historical knowledge, and human judgment.

The respect Levine enjoys within Catholic circles is evident not only from her election but also from her relationship with Pope Francis. During one of her meetings with the late pontiff, she and fellow scholar Marc Zvi Brettler presented him with a copy of The Jewish Annotated New Testament, a volume designed to help readers understand the New Testament within its Jewish cultural and historical setting. Levine later recalled that Francis warmly encouraged their work and recognized its importance for Christian-Jewish understanding.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this story is that many of those celebrating Levine’s election insist that it is not primarily about her being Jewish. Colleagues point instead to decades of collaboration, friendship, committee service, editorial work, and intellectual leadership within the association. During this year’s gathering, fellow scholars honored her with a commemorative volume recognizing her contributions to biblical studies, a gesture that reflected both professional admiration and personal affection.

Levine herself has described her place within the Catholic scholarly world as that of «a guest in the house,» albeit a nearly permanent one. It is an image that captures the significance of her election. A Jewish scholar now leads one of the most important Catholic biblical organizations in the world, not because theological differences have disappeared, but because serious scholarship, mutual respect, and decades of dialogue have built a level of trust unimaginable a century ago.

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