KHK Visiting Research Fellow 2013
Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Studies, Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris, France

Paul B. Fenton is Professor of Hebrew and Co-Director of the Department of Arabic and Hebrew Studies at the Université Paris-Sorbonne. After Rabbinical studies, he majored in Semitics at Strasbourg University and St. Joseph Univerity in Beirut, going on to complete his PhD in Mediaeval Jewish philosophy and Judaeo-Arabic literature under Georges Vajda (Sorbonne, 1976). From 1978-1983, he was Research Assistant at the University of Cambridge, prior to his appointment as Assistant Professor of Hebrew at Lyons University (1983-1991) and then Full Professor of Hebrew at Strasbourg University (1992-1997). 

He has been a visiting professor at various academic institutions including the Hebrew University, Jerusalem (1997-2004) and Yeshivah University, New York (1990, 2001, 2006, 2008), 2010. Recently, he was Research Fellow at the Centre de recherche français de Jérusalem (CNRS) (2010-2012).

Paul Fentons field of research covers the interaction of Jewish and Islamic cultures, especially in the areas of mysticism, philosophy and music. He is also considered an authority  on Medieval Hebrew and Arabic manuscripts. During his time in Bochum, he will work on a comprehensive history of religious contacts between Jewish and Muslim mysticism. 

Education

• Ph.D., Jewish Culture in the Islamic Context, Paris-Sorbonne, Paris, France, 1976
• M.A., Semitic Studies, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France, 1972
• B.A., Semitic Studies, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France

KHK-Fellowship

Duration: April 2013 to March 2014
Project: A History of Religious Contacts between Jewish and Muslim Mysticism throughout the Ages: Spiritual Concepts and Ritual Practices