Amy-Jill Levine, a New Testament scholar, has had a lifelong fascination with all things Catholic, and has devoted her life’s work to understanding Jesus as a first-century Jew. Recently, she received a unique honor: She was named president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, the first Jewish scholar to hold the title. Levine joined the organization soon after she earned her Ph.D. from Duke University 42 years ago, and has been an active participant in the organization’s committees since that time. In announcing her election to the one-year post, the association’s statement said Levine was “recognized and deeply appreciated for her work in Jewish-Christian relations.” It also mentioned that she was the first Jewish scholar to teach New Testament at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (2019), and that she had three audiences with Pope Francis.