Peter Schäfer,
the Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Judaic Studies at Princeton, has
been selected by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as one of four winners
of its Distinguished Achievement Awards.
The three-year awards, amounting to as much as $1.5 million each, are
intended to honor scholars who have made significant contributions to
humanistic inquiry.
Widely considered among the foremost scholars of Judaism in late
Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, Schäfer has had a major impact,
not only on specialists in Judaic studies, but also on a much broader
range of scholars in humanistic and religious fields, including early
Christianity, mysticism, Renaissance literature and numerous other
subjects, according to the Mellon Foundation.
"A meticulous scholar, he exemplifies traditional erudition of the
highest order in tandem with openness to new questions and approaches,"
the news release announcing the award stated. "His works have covered
both the central corpus of rabbinic literature, and significant but
less-well-known works of Jewish mystical literature and related
subjects produced in the same period. In addition to the great
influence of his analytical and historical studies, Schäfer has brought
his scholarly energy and vision to the creation of key resources for
the field in scholarly editions of major primary source texts and
related tools for critical study."
Schäfer is credited with fostering a revival of Judaic studies in
Germany and, through his students who now occupy important academic
posts in many countries, throughout Europe.
Also a professor of religion at Princeton and currently the director of the Program in Judaic Studies, Schäfer has been a faculty member at the University since 1998.
The Mellon Foundation's Distinguished Achievement Awards -- in contrast
to other notable academic award programs that benefit individual
scholars exclusively -- are designed to recognize the interdependence
of scholars and their institutions. While this grant program honors the
achievements of individuals, the grants themselves support specific
institutional programs of activities that will enhance both research
and teaching. In general, the awards underwrite a portion of
recipients' salaries and their research expenses, while also providing
support for colleagues and students engaged in collaboration with the
awardees.
