SBL Room?

I’ve got a friend of a friend looking for a room to share with a couple of other people for SBL to help keep costs down.  If you are looking for someone to add or would be willing to have someone else, give me a shout out in the comments and I’ll pass along your information.  Thanks!

 

SBL Online Program Book Available

FYI, this November’s SBL online program booklet is now available.

 

Clint Arnold named new Dean of Talbot School of Theology

I was thrilled to learn some weeks ago that following the retirement of Dr. Dennis Dirks, who served as Dean of Talbot School of Theology for an impressive 20 years, Talbot has named as Dirks’ replacement the school’s own Clint Arnold, a Professor of NT. As one of Dr. Arnold’s former students, I believe he is eminently qualified for the position. Not only has he spent the vast majority of his adult life at Biola/Talbot (Biola, B.A., ’80; Talbot, M.Div. ’83; on faculty since ’87), but he possesses the enthusiasm for and experience in both the church and academy to direct Talbot into the next chapter of the school’s ministry. So, congrats to Dr. Arnold!

I thought it also interesting that Talbot’s choice for the position is a NT scholar. I normally don’t pay much attention to administrative decisions like this, but several NT scholars have been appointed to seminary dean positions in recent years. In addition to Arnold at Talbot, Richard Hays at Duke Divinity School and Margaret Mitchell at the University of Chicago Divinity School were also appointed to the dean of their respective institutions in the past two years. NT scholar Harold Attridge has served as Dean of Yale Divnity School for some years, and according to the YDS website, NT scholar Gregory Stirling, current Dean of Notre Dame Graduate School, will be appointed as the new YDS dean in October. So what does all of this mean? Is there something about being a NT scholar that translates well into administration? Maybe…

 

How Book Prices Have Changed! Or Have They?

I was just reading an old book review on a collection of published papyri (P.Mert. vol. 1) written in the middle of the last century and was surprised by what, in the mind of the reviewer, was considered back then to be such an expensive book that it was basically out of the price range even of specialists (in this case, papyrologists). The reviewer, Naphtali Lewis (1911-2005), said this in Classical Weekly, 44 (1951), 152-153, here 152:

Since its price places it beyond the reach of many or most of those who work with papyri, it is to be hoped that copies of this most useful publication will be found in all our large university libraries.

Now, this is a fairly common statement to find in a review on an over-priced volume, but what was the cost of the book? £12! After the initial shock, however, I quickly realized that the effects of inflation over the past half century should probably be taken into consideration. I did some research therefore and found out that £12 in 1950 was worth about $34, which today would be equivalent to about $283! So, I guess Lewis was right: while scholars today don’t normally make a huge amount of money (relative to other educated professionals anyway), the volume itself would certainly have been a bit out of my budget and probably that of most scholars. But that’s why we do book reviews, right Dr. Lewis?!

 

The Bible: Culture, Community and Society Conference

My friend Angus Paddison down at the University of Winchester raised this interesting conference to my attention, so I’m passing it along to you as well:

The Bible: Culture, Community and Society
July 11th – 13th 2011
University of Winchester, Centre for the Study of Theology and Religion

In what ways is the Bible an authority?
How is the Bible to be read in ‘public’?
How does the Bible shape Christian living?

An international conference to explore these questions with the following keynote speakers:

Richard Bell	David Fergusson	Zoë Bennett
Neil Messer	Andrew Bradstock	Angus Paddison
Ellen Davis	Ben Quash	Gavin D’Costa

Open to all: residential and non-residential rates available.

Proposals for short papers from scholars and research students are welcome.

For programme, booking forms and call for papers please visit www.winchester.ac.uk/bibleconference
or email Angus.Paddison@winchester.ac.uk

 

Blogging Break

My astute readers will already realize that I’m on a blogging break due to our first family trip back to the US in 4 years.  I’ve only had intermitent internet access and are running around like crazy seeing people in AR, TX, OR, WA, and CA.  I’ll resume regularly scheduled broadcasts in September.

[a la the 1980's, imagine the star spangeled banner is playing in the background as I sign off for the evening.]

 

Funny Photo Friday

This isn’t really a photo, but it is still funny.

 

New Blog

A friend of mine from Durham, Frederik Mulder, has recently started a new blog: Resurrection Hope. His expertise, as you can tell from the title, is all things resurrection. The interesting aspect of his work is the intersection between Paul and his later interpreters (mostly second century so far). You’ll obviously see the connection between our interests. I’m sure we will enjoy reading his blog as his studies progress even further.

 

Responses to a Paper: Q & A

I figure it’s always important to have your stash of preselected responses to questions at the end of your paper, especially ones that stall or buy you time to think.  Here are a few that I’ve heard or used.  Let us know your favorites, too.

• Are you asking me?
• Well, I’m rubber and your glue…
• I haven’t thought of that.
• [pretend like you didn't hear them]
• [per Nijay] I don’t know, but let me venture a guess
• Very interesting….
• [wimper silently]
• Can you clarify what you mean by that?
• As anybody can see in this text…

Others?

 

Durham NT Research Seminar – Michaelmas 2009

12 October, Prof Francis Watson: “Rethinking Gospel Origins”

19 October, Dr Jutta Leonhardt-Balzer: “Philo and the Septuagint”

26 October, Dr Lutz Doering: tbc

2 November, Prof John Riches: “What is ‘precritical interpretation’?”

9 November, Dr Tony Cummins: “Gospel Narrative and Cultural Criticism: Reading the Gospel of John in a Secular World”

16 November, Prof Larry Hurtado: “Jesus and God in the New Testament”

23 November, No Seminar

30 November, Dr Wendy Sproston: tbc

7 December, Dr Stephen Barton: “Eschatology and the Emotions in Early
Christianity”

14 December, Dr Bill Telford: “Mark’s Portrait of Jesus”