HTI Alumni

Field of Study: Biblical Studies

José E. Balcells Gallarreta is Profesor Conferenciante at the Escuela de Teología of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico. Prior to this, he taught at several universities in California and Puerto Rico. Balcells graduated from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California where he completed a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in texts of Second Temple Judaism and the archaeology of the Ancient Near East of the Persian period. Currently, he is writing a book titled, Do You Know Him?: The Making of a Disciple which will be published in English and Spanish. Recently, he was part of The New Jerome Biblical Commentary published by Bloomsbury Publishing where he contributed his article “Old Testament Archaeology.” Part of his investigations have focused on the integration of archaeology with  biblical studies. One of the most important projects in this area was the publication of the book, Household and Family Religion in Persian-Period Judah: An Archaeological Approach which was published by SBL Press in the collection Ancient Near East Monograph Series. Balcells completed a Master of Arts in Biblical Languages at the Jesuit School of Theology of Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. During his master’s he also studied Second Temple Judaism and literature from this period. His interest in Early Judaism led him to complete a Certificate in Jewish Studies at the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies in Berkeley, California. He has participated in archaeological excavations in Tel Akko and Tel Azekah, Israel. He also has been involved with other projects related to the archaeology of the ancient Near East. Professional memberships include: American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), Asociación Bíblica Española (ABE), and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).

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