Gary A. Rendsburg

Blanche and Irving Laurie Distinguished Professor in Jewish History; Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Rutgers.

Verified on an official Rutgers pageHistory faculty profile Jewish Studies faculty profile Research with Rutgers profile

Gary A. Rendsburg is Rutgers’ Blanche and Irving Laurie Distinguished Professor in Jewish History, with research spanning biblical literature, ancient Israel, Hebrew language, and Jewish history.

Teaching snapshot

4.80of 5

Teaching effectiveness

49 course evaluations

▲ 0.35 vs department (4.45)

View SIRS history

Ask

Courses taught
5
506:271, 563:201
Teaching Fall 2026
Not listed
Check the schedule closer to registration
Course evaluations
49
Course quality 4.79 / 5
Research
1 area
Has undergraduate research ties

What their class is like

From Rutgers course evaluations (SIRS). The marker on each bar shows the department average.

Teaching effectiveness4.80

49 evaluations

Overall course quality4.79

49 evaluations

Courses they teach

5 courses in the Rutgers schedule, first seen Spring 2025.

506:271
Jewish History I: Ancient and Medieval
History - General/Comparative
Assessments
One RMP reviewer described participation (10%) and three take-home tests.
What students say
The reviewer described the material as substantial and engaging and emphasized taking detailed notes.
563:201
Jewish History I: Ancient and Medieval
Jewish Studies
563:206
Introduction to the Bible II: Prophets and Poetry
Jewish Studies
685:208
Jewish History: Ancient and Medieval
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
840:206
Introduction to the Bible II:Prophets & Poetry
Religion

Research

What they work on, and where undergraduates can get involved.

Research areas include biblical literature, ancient Israel, the historical development of Hebrew, ancient Egypt-Israel relations, the Dead Sea Scrolls, post-Biblical Judaism, and medieval Hebrew manuscripts.

Undergraduate research

• The Book of Samuel in the Cairo Geniza
• The Textual Features of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary 17th-Century Torah Scroll

Browse openings →

Recent work

Recent listed publications include “Diglossia in Ancient Hebrew” (2025) and “Notes on the Hebrew Names of the Planets, as Transmitted by Epiphanius of Salamis” (2024).

Background

Education and career, from official sources.

He earned a Ph.D. from New York University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

What students say

Public student discussion, summarized. Read it alongside the evaluations above.

RateMyProfessors · 4.6 / 5 from 36 ratings (matched by name only)

Difficulty 2.8 / 5 · 100% would take again. This match uses the name alone, so it may describe someone else with the same name.

Sources

(11)· checked 2026-10-18

ScheduleScarlet Sync schedule data
StudentsRutgers SIRS
ResearchScarlet Sync research opportunities
StudentsRateMyProfessors (name match)
OfficialRutgers History faculty profile: Gary A. Rendsburg
OfficialRutgers Jewish Studies faculty profile and courses taught
OfficialRutgers Jewish Studies profile and publications
StudentsRate My Professors: Gary Rendsburg
StudentsReddit: Ancient Egypt course discussion
ResearchResearch with Rutgers profile: Gary Rendsburg
OfficialGary A. Rendsburg CV, July 2025

Summaries are written by Scarlet Sync from the sources above and checked by an independent review before they appear here.

Professor Wiki

Gary A. Rendsburg

Blanche and Irving Laurie Distinguished Professor in Jewish History; Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Rutgers.

Verified on an official Rutgers pageHistory faculty profile Jewish Studies faculty profile Research with Rutgers profile

Gary A. Rendsburg is Rutgers’ Blanche and Irving Laurie Distinguished Professor in Jewish History, with research spanning biblical literature, ancient Israel, Hebrew language, and Jewish history.

Teaching snapshot

4.80of 5

Teaching effectiveness

49 course evaluations

▲ 0.35 vs department (4.45)

View SIRS history

Ask

Courses taught
5
506:271, 563:201
Teaching Fall 2026
Not listed
Check the schedule closer to registration
Course evaluations
49
Course quality 4.79 / 5
Research
1 area
Has undergraduate research ties

What their class is like

From Rutgers course evaluations (SIRS). The marker on each bar shows the department average.

Teaching effectiveness4.80

49 evaluations

Overall course quality4.79

49 evaluations

Courses they teach

5 courses in the Rutgers schedule, first seen Spring 2025.

506:271
Jewish History I: Ancient and Medieval
History - General/Comparative
Assessments
One RMP reviewer described participation (10%) and three take-home tests.
What students say
The reviewer described the material as substantial and engaging and emphasized taking detailed notes.
563:201
Jewish History I: Ancient and Medieval
Jewish Studies
563:206
Introduction to the Bible II: Prophets and Poetry
Jewish Studies
685:208
Jewish History: Ancient and Medieval
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
840:206
Introduction to the Bible II:Prophets & Poetry
Religion

Research

What they work on, and where undergraduates can get involved.

Research areas include biblical literature, ancient Israel, the historical development of Hebrew, ancient Egypt-Israel relations, the Dead Sea Scrolls, post-Biblical Judaism, and medieval Hebrew manuscripts.

Undergraduate research

• The Book of Samuel in the Cairo Geniza
• The Textual Features of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary 17th-Century Torah Scroll

Browse openings →

Recent work

Recent listed publications include “Diglossia in Ancient Hebrew” (2025) and “Notes on the Hebrew Names of the Planets, as Transmitted by Epiphanius of Salamis” (2024).

Background

Education and career, from official sources.

He earned a Ph.D. from New York University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

What students say

Public student discussion, summarized. Read it alongside the evaluations above.

RateMyProfessors · 4.6 / 5 from 36 ratings (matched by name only)

Difficulty 2.8 / 5 · 100% would take again. This match uses the name alone, so it may describe someone else with the same name.

Sources

(11)· checked 2026-10-18

ScheduleScarlet Sync schedule data
StudentsRutgers SIRS
ResearchScarlet Sync research opportunities
StudentsRateMyProfessors (name match)
OfficialRutgers History faculty profile: Gary A. Rendsburg
OfficialRutgers Jewish Studies faculty profile and courses taught
OfficialRutgers Jewish Studies profile and publications
StudentsRate My Professors: Gary Rendsburg
StudentsReddit: Ancient Egypt course discussion
ResearchResearch with Rutgers profile: Gary Rendsburg
OfficialGary A. Rendsburg CV, July 2025

Summaries are written by Scarlet Sync from the sources above and checked by an independent review before they appear here.