Prof. Alan Brill is a leading scholar in interfaith theology, Jewish thought, mysticism, Kabbalah, and comparative theology. He currently holds the Cooperman/Ross Endowed Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, where his work focuses on theological engagement across religious traditions and the intellectual foundations of religious pluralism.
He is the author of numerous influential books, including Judaism and Other Religions: Models of Understanding(Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) and Judaism and World Religions: Christianity, Islam, and Eastern Religions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). His Fulbright Senior Scholar Award enabled research and graduate-level teaching at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, resulting in the acclaimed volume Rabbi on the Ganges: A Jewish-Hindu Encounter (Lexington Books, 2019).
Prof. Brill has also held the Dorset Visiting Fellowship at Oxford University, with extended residencies at Yarnton Manor, and has served as a visiting professor at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, and the Vancouver School of Theology, Canada. He was a keynote speaker at the R-20 Conference in Bali, held in conjunction with the G-20 Summit, at the invitation of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization.
His forthcoming works include A Jewish Trinity: Contemporary Christian Theology through Jewish Eyes (Fortress Press, 2025), a book on Jewish theology and religious diversity (Fortress Press, 2027), and a comparative study of Kabbalistic and Tantric visualizations. His most recent scholarly contribution includes editing Living Time (Koren, 2024), a translated volume of the teachings of Rabbi Shagar.
Prof. Brill earned his B.A., M.A., and Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University and his Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University. He delivered the prestigious Gannon Lecture at Fordham University in 2008 and served as the invited Jewish representative at the Boston Theological Institute in 2011. His extensive body of articles explores the interface between classical Jewish thinkers, philosophy, and broader cultural traditions.
Areas of Specialization
- Interfaith Relations and Theology of Religious Pluralism
- Kabbalah, Hasidut, and Jewish Mysticism
- Contemporary Jewish Thought
- Jewish Theology: Method, Prayer, Revelation, and Ethics
Selected Courses Taught
Comparative Theology; Jewish Ethics; Judaism and Other Religions; Prayer and Revelation; Introduction to Kabbalah; Introduction to Hasidism; Hasidic Stories; Maimonides; Medieval and Modern Jewish Thought; Philosophical Reflections on the Holocaust; Land of Israel in the Three Faiths.