Biblical Studies and Interpretation
Biblical Studies and Interpretation is a research topic within Religious studies. Science Explorer counts 46k research works in it since 1950. 11.4% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers focuses on biblical studies, ancient Judaism, early Christianity, and Christian theology. It explores topics such as biblical monotheism, Jewish society, Christian identity in the ancient world, the Hebrew Bible, early Christian literature, Iron Age chronology, theology, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Biblical Monotheism
- Jewish Society
- Christian Identity
- Ancient Judaism
- Hebrew Bible
- Early Christianity
- Iron Age Chronology
- Theology
- Dead Sea Scrolls
- Religious Interpretation
- Research works
- 46k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 5.2k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 11.4% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +1% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Biblical Studies and Interpretation research?
By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (1.7k and 520 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 1.7k works
- 2 United Kingdom 520 works
- 3 South Africa 324 works
- 4 Germany 283 works
- 5 Indonesia 240 works
- 6 Israel 230 works
- 7 France 176 works
- 8 Brazil 164 works
- 9 Canada 164 works
- 10 Poland 152 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Biblical Studies and Interpretation research?
By volume in 2022–2025, University of Cambridge publishes the most Biblical Studies and Interpretation research, followed by University of Pretoria and University of South Africa.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 University of Cambridge United Kingdom 91 works
- 2 University of Pretoria South Africa 75 works
- 3 University of South Africa South Africa 61 works
- 4 University of the Free State South Africa 55 works
- 5 Bar-Ilan University Israel 55 works
- 6 University of Oxford United Kingdom 46 works
- 7 Hebrew University of Jerusalem Israel 46 works
- 8 North-West University South Africa 45 works
- 9 Stellenbosch University South Africa 43 works
- 10 Biblical Theological Seminary United States 40 works
Who are the leading researchers in Biblical Studies and Interpretation?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Biblical Studies and Interpretation include S. Stern, F. C. Porter and Peter Richardson.
- 1 S. Stern 4k citations
- 2 F. C. Porter 3.8k citations
- 3 Peter Richardson 2.1k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Biblical Studies and Interpretation research done?
The largest centres of Biblical Studies and Interpretation research in 2022–2025 are Pretoria (South Africa), Cambridge (United Kingdom), Jerusalem (Israel) and New York (United States). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Hatfield and Wilmore.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Pretoria South Africa 139 works
- 2 Cambridge United Kingdom 94 works
- 3 Jerusalem Israel 85 works
- 4 New York United States 77 works
- 5 London United Kingdom 73 works
- 6 Paris France 61 works
- 7 Oxford United Kingdom 59 works
- 8 Ramat Gan Israel 56 works
- 9 Bloemfontein South Africa 55 works
- 10 Chicago United States 55 works
Where it is the local speciality
- HatfieldUS · 40.4 works659×
- WilmoreUS · 24.7 works508×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Biblical Studies and Interpretation than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Biblical Studies and Interpretation?
Among universities, judged by research, North-West University, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and University of South Africa score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North-West University South Africa | 76.6 | 38.7% | 29.3× | 45 | -29.1% |
| 2 | John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Poland | 73.1 | 28.0% | 32.8× | 30 | +190.3% |
| 3 | University of South Africa South Africa | 69.3 | 26.6% | 25.5× | 60 | -9.0% |
| 4 | University of Zurich Switzerland | 69.3 | 13.8% | 9.9× | 28 | +179.8% |
| 5 | University of the Free State South Africa | 67.3 | 23.1% | 42.5× | 55 | -8.9% |
| 6 | Jakarta Theological Seminary Indonesia | 66.7 | 18.3% | 62.0× | 38 | +184.2% |
| 7 | University of Pretoria South Africa | 65.6 | 18.2% | 32.5× | 75 | -19.7% |
| 8 | University of Cambridge United Kingdom | 64.5 | 7.3% | 15.6× | 91 | +30.5% |
| 9 | University of Nigeria Nigeria | 64.4 | 16.9% | 11.3× | 16 | +228.6% |
| 10 | Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya Indonesia | 63.0 | 23.7% | 25.2× | 38 | — |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Biblical Studies and Interpretation research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 1% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2020. The fastest-growing topics are Biblical Studies and Interpretation.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.