There is a fee of €10 per person (€5 concessions).
Wendy North is an Honorary Research Fellow in Theology at the University of Durham, where she is currently teaching a course on John’s Gospel.
Her first degree was in Divinity and Music at Newcastle University, where she also gained a teaching qualification. Thereafter she moved to Hull, where she acquired post-graduate qualifications in the Theology Department there, and also taught courses for the Department. She gained her PhD at the University of Wales, Bangor, during that time. In 1999, she and her husband Lionel moved to Darlington where they continue their research interests and maintain strong links with the Durham Theology Department. Wendy’s publications include articles and essays in the area of Johannine studies and also a book, entitled The Lazarus Story in the Johannine Tradition (Sheffield Academic Press, 2001). This paper, she hopes, will become the kernel of a major study on John and the Synoptics.
The IBA have introduced a new date for the Annual Meeting-this year to be held on the 18th and 19th February in All Hallow's College, Dublin:
The Schedule is: Friday 18 February 2011
4:00 – 6:00pm Emerging Scholars Forum
7:30 p.m. Conference Registration
8:00 p.m. Public Lecture
Professor Robert Hayward
The paper will introduce the Aramaic Translations of the Hebrew Bible known as the Targumim. It will offer a brief survey of modern research on the Targumim, and will consider the type of literature they represent, their relationship to other Rabbinic Literature, and their dates of composition. Some final comments will be addressed to the light they may shed on Jewish-Christian relations in the early days of the Church.
Coffee and Tea will be served after this lecture.
Saturday 19 February 2011
9:00 a.m. Conference Registration
9:30 a.m. Dr. Jessie Rogers
Filling in the gaps: ‘Faithful’ readings of the Book of Job
This paper explores two interpretations of the book of Job, one ancient and one modern: the Testament of Job and C.G. Jung’s Answer to Job. The first is not a commentary on the biblical Job nor, strictly speaking, a straightforward interpretation of it. It is a folkloristic adaptation and expansion of the story in the Testament genre. The result of this adaptation of the Job story is to present the reader with a picture of God and of Job which is faithful to pietistic conventions precisely because it deviates so radically from the biblical story. Jung’s Answer to Job is a reading which is ‘faithful’ in precisely the opposite sense. Jung offers an interpretation which is often regarded as theologically scandalous.
10:45 a.m. Coffee, Tea and Biscuits
11:15 a.m. Professor Robert Hayward
The paper will examine the ways in which the different Aramaic translations of Genesis interpret the creation of the first human beings and their presence in the Garden of Eden. The responsibilities of the first human pair and their activities within the Garden, as the Targumim interpreted them, will be compared with other Rabbinic interpretations of the same passages of Scripture.
12:30 p.m. Wine reception
1p.m. Lunch
2:30 p.m. Dr Jonathan Kearney
The Torah of Israel in the Tongue of Ishmael: Saadia Gaon and his Arabic translation of the Pentateuch
Although contemporary political tensions between Israel and the Arab-Islamic world present an image of almost total estrangement, it was not always so. Jews and Muslims have a long, shared history. A very real example of this history is offered by the once-thriving Judaeo-Arabic culture. The foundational document of Judaeo-Arabic culture is the Tafsīr of Saadia Gaon (882–942) – a translation of the Pentateuch into Arabic. This paper seeks to use Saadia’s Tafsīr as a key to exploring the fascinating world of Judaeo-Arabic culture.
3:45 p.m. Annual General Meeting
Professor Robert Hayward is a Professor of Theology and Religious Studies in Durham University and his interests include Aramaic Targums, Jews and Church Fathers, Post-biblical Judaism,Talmud and Midrash.
Dr Jessie Rogers teaches in Mary Immacualte College, Limerick.Jessie originally hails from Cape Town, South Africa, where she lectured in Biblical Studies at Cornerstone Christian College before joining Mary Immaculate College , Department of Theology & Religious Studies in September 2007. Jessie is also based at the Dominican Biblical Centre in Limerick where she researches intertextuality in 1 Corinthians and teaches on their Pastoral Scripture Programme.
Dr Jonathan Kearneyis a lecturer in Jewish and Islamic studies in St Patrick's College, Maynooth and survived personally tutoring me in Calssical Arabic for a year. That should be kudos enough!
Email me for any more info and looking forward to seeing you there!
At the IBA recently, there was a bit of a mad scramble to pick up books to review for PIBA (Proceedings of the IBA) and I got to choose between a large (it made Raymond E. Brown's work look like a pamphlet) hardback on something obscure on a Gospel or a pink suede Bible. Can you guess what I chose to write my 1000 words on? I now have a shiny new Bible to add to my collection-which I spoke about recently to my sixth year class. Well at least now I know how to make their jaws hang open....how can you not be cool with a bible collection? Though if by collection you mean a few hundred packed in boxes and piled in various different shelves and corners then I am your curator :)
The Fire Bible: Student Edition (FBSE) is a study bible, designed specifically for university students. The FBSE is based on the original notes in the Full Life Study Bible which was revised as the Life in the Spirit Study Bible and is published in this English edition by Hendrickson and Life Publishers. It is marketed as being the “first true Pentecostal Bible for students” which “ignites a generation in the Word of God”.
While most Christian denominations have several editions and translations of the Bible that are deemed to be “official” or that are recommended for use in Liturgy or private study, there are very few Pentecostal Bibles in existence. The Full Life Study Bible was started in the early 1980s as an individual missionary project by the late missionary Don Stamps (1938-1991). While serving in Brazil, he recognized a great need among pastors and lay workers for a study Bible written from a Pentecostal perspective. The Full Life Study Bible was written for those who would study the text in depth and made the assumption that the reader had some previous biblical knowledge. This edition is now out of print as the Life in Spirit Study Bible was published by Zondervan. This edition had very few changes from the original version. The FBSE reviewed here was published in April 2010 by Hendrickson and Life Publishers and is based on the New International Version of the Bible. The notes and format of the Full Life Study Bible have been edited with students in mind. If the two editions are compared, the FBSE is at pains to explain theological terms clearly and fully. No assumption is made of any prior knowledge of the Bible or Pentecostal theology. The language level is deliberately aimed at high school students and those in college or university. However, it is very different to Bibles that are normally written for teenagers and young adults, such as the Teen Study Bible (Zondervan, 1999) which is written in language that is directly aimed at “hip and cool” teenagers.
The style of the FBSE stays away from a more devotional format and instead tracks what the editors see as twenty major theological themes throughout the biblical text. Each book of the Bible is given a thorough introduction. For example, with the book of Psalms, there is an outline of the book with notes on the divisions, including authorship, the predominant Divine Name, frequent topics in the text and the resemblance to the Pentateuch. The background to the text is given in some detail, including a good introduction to the technicalities of the Hebrew poetry within the text. The purpose of the psalms is discussed, though here the commentary does some disservice to a Jewish understanding of the Psalms, describing them as “Holy Spirit-inspired prayers and praises”. The introduction surveys the 150 psalms with a focus on the different genres of psalms and notes the special features of the poetry, in the style of “need to know facts”. Each introduction to a book from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament has a section on “New Testament Fulfillment”, in this case focusing on the prophetic psalms and how the psalms are used in the New Testament. There is also a section on dividing up the psalms to read them in conjunction with the rest of the Old Testament in one year, with 44 days given to the psalms. Ample space is allocated for note and personal reflections on the text. The biblical text (NIV) is given at the top of the page with roughly half the page given over to notes and commentary on the text. Various terms in the text are explained in notes and there is commentary on each verse.
The FBSE is marked as a key resource for Campus Missionaries, who are Christian students who accept responsibility to preach the Pentecostal message of “forgiveness and new life through faith in Jesus” and at various stages in the commentary on biblical texts, a link is given to where the text is useful in one of the five commitments of Campus mission (Serve, Give, Pray, Live and Love).
There are over eighty “key issue” articles such as “Creation”, “Divine Healing”, “Assurance to Salvation” and “Food Sacrificed to Idols”. There are 45 easy-to-read charts, illustrations and maps and clearly laid out indexes (both subject and themes). There is a concordance for finding biblical verse more easily by looking up key words. The detailed glossary (p 2265) provides practical definitions to terms used in the bible itself and in the study notes. In keeping with the focus on making the text accessible to a younger audience, twelve key themes are marked out throughout the text using symbols (e.g. a dove for “Baptized in/Filled with the Holy spirit”, and a bolt of lightning for “victory over Satan and demons”. One of the most useful and indeed fun lists is a chart of weights and measures that are used in the Bible (p 1953), converted into modern American and metric equivalents.
The FBSE is also well made, with good quality paper and a solid binding that will withstand the rigours of daily study and use. The font is small (7 font) though the style, layout and heavy black font means that it is not as difficult to read as some versions The cover is sturdy and well designed for the target audience, though all may not find the pink and grey suede soft cover (flexisoft) of my review copy to their taste, a variety of colours are available.
I was rather chuffed at the recent IBA conference that Biblenerd was mentioned in Pat Rodgers's introductory speech for Larry Hurtado (I am sure Prof Hurtado was not terribly impressed, but we bibliobloggers take publicity wherever we can! On foot of this publicity, I had several people ask for the address of the blog (welcome to all who actually visited!) and a request from Pat and some members to put some material up on the site that they wished to be shared on the Internet-and hopefully be of interest to lots of people.
The first instalment is three PowerPoint presentations made by Sr. Céline Mangan OP on The Bible and Ecology, which I have uploaded to YouTube and posted here for anyone who might like them.
If any other members of the IBA want me to post anything, please let me know-I would only be too delighted to help. Below are the first three of six presentations.
And have a look at the All Hallows website for more details.
If you need any more information just email me and looking forward to seeing you there!
For those of you who have inquired about the beautiful graphics we used on our fliers and posters, the painting, "The Prodigal" was created by Daniel Bonnell and the layout of both were designed by Amanda Dillon
After the committee meeting of the IBA last night, we've finalised the rescheduled Annual Conference that was cancelled due to the spoutings of Eyjafjallajökull. Larry Hurtado and Eddie Adams will be presenting their papers on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th October 2010 (Le cúnamh Dé). We’re already well on schedule with very exciting presenters for the Annual Conference in February 2011 and our Belfast Meeting in November 2010 which I’ll let you know as soon as all is finalised.
So get writing in the diaries and join our Facebook group if you haven't already!
And have a look at the All Hallows website for more details.
If you need any more information just email me and looking forward to seeing you there!
For those of you who have inquired about the beautiful graphics we used on our fliers and posters, the painting, "The Prodigal" was created by Daniel Bonnell and the layout of both were designed by Amanda Dillon
