PhD candidate Moral Compass Centre God(s) and Morality in the Ancient Near East

The Moral Compass Centre (MCC) of the Protestant Theological University (PThU) has a vacancy for a PhD candidate for the project  

God(s) and Morality in the Ancient Near East including the Hebrew Bible (1 fte, 4 years, or 0,8 fte, 5 years). 

About the Position

In contemporary multi-cultural and multi-religious societies, different moral convictions often clash. People appeal to various authoritative sources. Many have come to believe that morality is subjective and that it is impossible to convince others of the correctness of their own moral insights. At the same time, there is the notion that people can base their morality on a universal principle. Many believers refer to revelation for their moral guidance. How can moral understanding and moral dialogue take place amidst such a diversity of voices? Is there perhaps a universally shared moral compass, or does every person have his or her own, personal conscience? 

These questions have deep historical roots, among others in the cultures of the ancient Near East, where the Bible also originated. Some biblical texts give the impression that the morality of the people of Israel is very different from that of other nations, while other passages suggest a universal morality. The question of how specific these different biblical views on morality are compared to those of surrounding cultures still occupies many people today. For instance, at the end of the last century, the Egyptologist Jan Assmann formulated the challenging thesis that in the ancient Near East the rise of monotheism brought intolerance towards dissenters, and that this offers a partial explanation for why contemporary monotheistic religions also have an intolerant character. 

However, this connection between the concept of God and morality has not been extensively studied by Old Testament scholars and systematic theologians. This doctoral project aims to contribute to this research focus by comparing moral texts from the ancient Near East, including the Old Testament, with particular attention to the concept of God/gods that is implicitly or explicitly present in them. Subsequently, the question is what relevance these views have for the present, in which there can be an appeal to divine revelation or to universal human reason, or instead to subjective assumptions. 

Possible lines of research

Within this broader framework, candidates can develop specific lines of research. We offer some suggestions here, but the candidate can also come up with a different approach: 

• In texts from the ancient Near East, is morality attributed to the gods/God, for example by linking morality to the will or exemplary character of the gods/God?  
• If the reasons for a particular moral perspective refer to qualities of the gods/God, what ideas about the gods/God can be observed in this context?  
• In these ancient texts, is morality explicitly grounded in underlying principles, for example in the idea that the weak must be protected or that there should be no favouritism based on social status?  
• In these ancient texts, is one’s own morality seen as characteristic of one’s own group and contrasted with the inadequate morality of others, such as other religious groups or one’s own ancestors? 
• What similarities and differences exist between the concrete rules of specific communities in the ancient Near East, including the Old Testament, and how can those differences be explained? Are there different, implicit principles underlying them?  
• In what respects does Old Testament morality differ from the morality found in the rest of the ancient Near Eastern material? What explanations are possible for these differences? 

In short, this project promotes a critical dialogue between sources from the ancient Near East, including the Old Testament, and contemporary philosophical and theological perspectives on understanding morality as subjective, revealed, transcendent, or universal. In this way, the research contributes to theological reflections on the Good and the question of how moral conversation is possible in times of moral subjectivism and polarization. 

About the Moral Compass Centre 

From 1 September 2026, the research of the Moral Compass Project will continue in the form of a research centre, the Moral Compass Centre (MCC). This centre will focus on research into the contemporary significance of theological approaches to the good life and living together. Our times are characterised by a great diversity of views on the good, on how one should live and live together. This can be confusing, paralyzing, or lead to the absolutization of one’s own perspective. However, the language of the good also carries theological weight. It articulates the experience of the good as something greater than what humans can conceive or achieve, and as something that appeals to people. In the Jewish and Christian traditions, these experiences are reflected in views of the good as divine or transcendent, in the form of God’s will or law, or God’s coming Kingdom. The researchers at this centre study the transcendent character of the good in Jewish and Christian sources with a view to its significance for contemporary living together. They contribute their own expertise from systematic theology, ethics, philosophy, (art) history, biblical studies, and Jewish studies. The research has four main lines: 1) conceptions of God implied in the appeal of the good, 2) the place of the appeal of the good in the self-understanding of groups, 3) the tradition of the seven deadly sins as a critique of the human capacity to give shape to the appeal of the good, and 4) the power of the appeal of the good when war looms. The project proposed here is part of the first line and uniquely integrates perspectives from ancient Near Eastern texts, including the Old Testament, with those from theology and philosophy/ethics. 

All MCC researchers meet monthly to discuss their research in light of their shared thematic focus. They regularly organize public events and academic seminars in collaboration with researchers from other institutions, and deliver lectures and training sessions related to fundamental theological and ethical issues. 

What do we ask for? 

• a master’s degree in Theology, Religious Studies, Semitic Studies, Philosophy, or a related field; 
• good knowledge of Hebrew and preferably also Akkadian and Greek, with demonstrable experience in studying primary sources in these languages; knowledge of other ancient Near Eastern languages (such as Aramaic, Ugaritic and Egyptian) as far as they are relevant to the further development of the project; 
• experience in research at the intersection of Biblical Studies or Ancient History, on the one hand, and Philosophy or Systematic Theology, on the other, or a demonstrable ability to develop such interdisciplinary research; 
• ability to collaborate and make connections between one’s own research and that of other researchers within the Moral Compass Centre, both within and outside the Protestant Theological University; 
• excellent command of spoken and written English; 
• command of spoken and written Dutch is an advantage; non-Dutch speakers are expected to move to the Netherlands and learn Dutch. 

What do we offer? 

The Protestant Theological University offers good employment conditions with a focus on flexibility and (personal) development. You will receive a temporary employment contract for a duration of up to four years for 1 FTE or up to five years for 0.8 FTE. Start date: 1 September 2026 

The salary starts at €2,872 gross per month based on a full-time position (scale P [PhD candidates] Dutch Universities Collective Labor Agreement). Vacation allowance is 8% and the year-end bonus is 8.3%. There are plenty of training opportunities for personal and professional development. 

Learn more 

For more information about our organisation, see www.pthu.nl. 

For questions about the position, you can contact the daily supervisor and co-promoter of the project, dr. Paul Sanders, psanders@pthu.nl. 

For questions about the Moral Compass Centre in general, you can contact the director of the MCC, Prof. Dr. Petruschka Schaafsma, epschaafsma@pthu.nl. 

Apply 

You can email written applications to sollicitatie@pthu.nl or upload them via the Apply button up to and including 31 May 2026. If you apply via this web portal, you can upload a maximum of two documents. In that case, you can combine your CV and attachments into a single document.

Applications should include the following documents: 

• a motivation letter 
• a curriculum vitae 
• a copy of the master’s thesis or an equivalent publication 
• a brief outline (maximum two A4 pages) of how you would develop this project in line with the description above 

Note: There is currently another job opening for a PhD candidate within the MCC; see [link]. If you are interested in both projects, please indicate this in your cover letter and explain your preference. For that project, please write the brief proposal mentioned above. 

Written applications can be sent no later than 31 May to Paul Sanders, psanders@pthu.nl sollicitatie@pthu.nl

Interviews are tentatively scheduled for week 24.