Currently, he is the Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Harvard University.
The focus of Cohen's research is the boundary between Jews and gentiles and between Judaism and its surrounding culture.
Cohen has received several honors for his work, including an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary and various fellowships.
[2] Cohen has published many essays, co-authored many books, and written a number of books individually, including: Josephus in Galilee and Rome: His Vita and Development As a Historian (1979),[3] From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (1988),[4] The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties (2001),[5] Why Aren't Jewish Women Circumcised?
: Gender and Covenant in Judaism (2005),[6] and The Significance of Yavneh and Other Essays in Jewish Hellenism (2010).