Russell Arnold

Russ Arnold, Ph.D. is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Regis University in Denver, CO. He teaches courses in Interfaith Studies, Biblical Studies, and Jewish Studies. He came to the study of religion in college in an attempt to understand why and how Jews and Christians read the shared texts of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, but come to understand them very differently. He earned his doctorate from UCLA in Hebrew Language and Literature, focusing on the Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Early Judaism. His first book, The Social Role of Liturgy in the Religion of the Qumran Community, focused on the ritual and liturgical practice of the community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls in the context of 2^nd Temple Judaism and early Christianity. Since moving to Regis, he has been active in interfaith dialogue and building strong relationships between Regis and local Muslim and Jewish communities. His teaching focuses on building the skills and capacities needed to achieve religious and worldview pluralism on our campuses and in our communities. He serves on the leadership team for the recently launched Association for Interreligious/Interfaith Studies (AIIS).