Dr Matthew A. Collins is Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism at the University of Chester. He completed his PhD in 2006 at the University of Bristol, where he also taught in the fields of Biblical Studies and ancient Judaism, first as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (2003–2006) and then as a Visiting Lecturer (2006–2007). His doctoral work examined the reception of Hebrew scripture in the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls and the development of sectarian terminology, viewed against a wider sociological context of labelling practices. In 2007 he moved to Berlin in order to take up a post co-managing the international and interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception (EBR) project, which examines the cultural and religious influence, impact, and reception of the biblical texts throughout history. After four years living in Berlin, he returned to the UK and joined the department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester in October 2011.

He is co-chair of ‘The Biblical World and its Reception’ seminar for the European Association of Biblical Studies (EABS), has served on the Publications Sub-Committee for The Society for Old Testament Study (SOTS), and is series editor for the book series ‘Scriptural Traces: Critical Perspectives on the Reception and Influence of the Bible’ (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark).