Yes I'm still here!

Grovelling apologies for being away for so long but I’ve been rather swamped since the festive season. I thought I was being terribly clever by spending the time I was house-bound from various snow storms getting all my lectures ready for 2011 but try as I might these things do have a habit of coming all of a once! I went to the Society for Old Testament Study (SOTS) conference in the lovely Durham for the first time and for some reason that became all the more insane the longer I was at the conference I gave a paper at the conference.

Collingwood College, Durham where the conference was held

At the swankiest conference of bible nerds you could possibly imagine-SOTS is one of those “exclusive” societies that you need a PhD to get into which made me rather fearful for a) the possibility that people would speak in Hebrew to each other (the two members who nominate you must vouch for your competency in Hebrew) and b) the possibility of an abundance of tweed. While there was a little tweed in evidence (to be honest I would have been disappointed if there hadn’t been any) it was the friendliest, most welcoming group of people I have met in a long time. What this has to say about bible nerds if you rid them of the NT riff-raff element is time for another post! It also struck me that no one asked for my business card-something that you find quite a lot at SBL-sometimes you think that the Annual Meeting is a competition to hand out as much cards as possible. Anyone whose email address I needed I wrote (Shock!) with a pen (Gasp!) in my notebook (Swoon!) and we had a good snigger at the fact we weren’t all cool and trendy like the SBL types.

I also got to meet the all-hallowed biblioblogger Jim West who thankfully documented and photographed much of the proceedings (you can go and have a look at his picture of me and Joe Blenkinsopp-that’ll be my Christmas card for next year!). Search his site for the tag "SOTS" for the full run through-well worth reading! I picked up some books to review for the SOTS Book List which I’ll post about later and one “for myself”- A Reassessment of Biblical Elohim by Joel S. Burnett which I’d been hunting out for a while.

My paper “What’s in a Name? The Names of God in Interfaith Dialogue” went without (much) rotten fruit throwing. It was a bit of a personal achievement for me (cue Oprah moment) as I’d finally decided (academically at least) to come out of the bible closet as it were and admit that, I, Máire Byrne, am a biblical theologian and it’s about time I stopped trying to be like the kool kids (the archaeologists and the linguists, etc) and stuck to what I’m trained in, and most importantly be helpful to my students. Nobody laughed or pointed at the Catholic trying to study the Bible so all in all a bit of a success!
Just when I thought I could get some peace when I got home, I had the copy-edited manuscript form my book to look over (in a week!) and get back to the publishers. Fingers crossed the book, based on my postdoc, The Names of God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: A Basis for Interfaith Dialogue. My SOTS paper was based on this which is basically using systematic theology (or comparative theology) to do some good in the world! But more on that anon and now back to some biblenerdery…

New SBL Annual Meeting Policies-Picking on Students?

Interesting debates happening on the blogosphere on the new rule changes from the SBL. Rumbling's over on Chris Brady's blog show you the reaction to the new policies:

New Policies for 2011
At its October meeting, the SBL Council motioned and approved the following policies affecting the SBL Annual Meeting. These policies were announced at the Annual Business Meeting on November 21 and take effect immediately. Please keep them in mind as you organize sessions.
1. A person is limited to participate in no more than two regular program sessions as a presenter, panelist, or respondent. Please note that this policy pertains to program unit, special, and Affiliate sessions. It does not pertain to committee appearances or presiding.

2. All students without a doctoral degree are required to submit to the Program Unit Chair the full text of the paper they will read. The paper will be submitted at the time of proposal. Student proposers will submit the paper they intend to read, not a full-length paper for distribution in written format. In other words, papers should be limited to 2,000 – 2,500 words.

3. The number of sessions students can participate in will be limited to one. This policy pertains to all forms of participation: presider, panelist, presenter, respondent, etc.

These three policies were passed unanimously.

Over on Facebook reaction to the letter sent by John F. Kutsko Executive Director of the SBL is very interesting and worth having a look at (including my rant!)

Dear Student Member:

The particular opportunities and challenges facing student members deserve focused attention. The Society of Biblical Literature is committed to this focused attention, and we will redouble efforts to develop programs and policies that provide students more opportunities and enable their interests to be represented in SBL governance. It is with this effort in mind that we are providing explanations of two policies recently adopted by Council regarding student participation in the Society’s Annual Meeting.

All students without a doctoral degree are required to submit to the Program Unit Chair the full text of the paper they will read. The paper will be submitted at the time of proposal. Student proposers will submit the paper they intend to read, not a full-length article intended for written distribution.

The number of sessions students can participate in will be limited to one. This policy pertains to participation as panelist, presenter, and respondent.

Policies limiting an individual’s participation on the program have been in effect for much of the Annual Meeting’s recent history, and they are common among peer ACLS organizations. For a variety of reasons, in an increasingly pressurized academic market,SBL is reinstating these policies. Moreover, limitations apply not just to student members but to participants in general, and Council’s recent policy statement included actions concerning all members as well as Affiliate organizations.
Every member of Council was once in your position – a student member eager to contribute to the field and to engage with senior scholars. That remains a primary purpose of the Annual Meeting, and we encourage you to attend, submit a paper, and engage with colleagues. In addition, Council recognizes that the future of the field is in your hands, and that new ideas, fresh perspectives, and brilliant research are age-blind. Our student members push the profession forward and sustain it, not only through intellectual innovation but also exactitude, care, and hard work. We all know that there is much at stake for student members and that, as a result, you consistently produce work of a high caliber. These policies were made in part to mitigate those high stakes and to ensure that student presentations fit into a larger goal of fostering a diverse, moderated, and fair career path into academic life.

First: at every Annual Meeting we now schedule over 1,700 participants in ten timeslots. For the same reason that Council limits full members to two participations, students have the opportunity to participate once as panelist, presenter, or respondent at the Annual Meeting. We are opening up the field to more student participants, and so more new voices. This allows for a more diverse SBL and Annual Meeting and provides more opportunity for student member participation.

Second: a traditional “guild” offers a pathway into its profession through a series of stages. For student members of SBL, that pathway is to submit and deliver a paper at a Regional Meeting, collect feedback from peers, and then to seek participation in the Annual Meeting after a process of mentoring, discussion, and informal peer review. The Annual Meeting does not replace Regional Meetings; indeed, the latter are an integral and rich testing ground for new ideas.
Third: because the stakes are so high for students and with the goal of modeling best practices for the field, Council agreed that a full-length paper submission is to the advantage of students and serves as preparation for that much-maligned academic master or mistress – the deadline. Limiting student members to one participation will facilitate their focus on one quality presentation in the midst of demanding thesis or dissertation work. It is also felt that the policies will increase the “currency” of student presentations at the Annual Meeting, making the notation of such presentation on a CV more valuable.

These policies will ensure more diverse representation of student work at the Annual Meeting, cultivate career path helps already in place for SBL student members, and model best practices that can serve as an example for all our members. Of course, all members should pursue the highest quality presentation, and student members present superb papers year to year, just as do independent scholars and tenured faculty. The intent behind these decisions, as I hope I have made clear, is to give students greater opportunity to achieve and display their important contributions to the field.
Students’ success at the meetings and in their careers, indeed, is Council’s main concern. As a Society, we will continue to develop and revise policies together, with the broadest interests in mind and in order to foster the future of biblical scholarship.

Sincerely,
John F. Kutsko
Executive Director
Society of Biblical Literature

Elsewhere in blogland: Pat McCullough himself,  Near Emmaus and doubtless more to follow.

My post:
What struck me is that when I'm an international member (I'm Irish) and I don't attend "regional meetings"-I try to get to as many of the annual and international meetings as I can-I don't understand how the SBL can say " traditional “guild” offers a pathway into its profession through a series of stages. For student members of SBL, that pathway is to submit and deliver a paper at a Regional Meeting, collect feedback from peers, and then to seek participation in the Annual Meeting after a process of mentoring, discussion, and informal peer review." what about those who can't? Do they class the international meeting as "regional"? What path do they see the SBL giving international students (Who pay the same membership fee as anyone else)?


I don't mind the rule change so much as the quite deliberate picking on students. I've seen manys the bad paper at an SBL conference and the vast majority were from "elder statespeople". Getting a PhD parchment and leaving college does not a good presenter make....

SBL Greek New Testament

The Society of Biblical Literature, in association with Logos Bible Software,  has made a critically edited Greek New Testament available free to download. It's things like this that cheer a biblenerd up! The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), which is freely available in electronic form and for purchase as a print edition.

I'm all about ease of use and making my research simpler so when they use phrases such as "both students, teachers, clergy, and interested laypersons can use the SBLGNT in their study and writings without having to input the Greek text letter by letter" I'm hooked :) I've just downloaded it so I haven't tested it out entirely but I will keep you posted. Have a look at the fatastic BetterBible blog for more detailed info.

And for those of you who have been living under a non-biblical rock, check out the SBL Greek Font.

Biblical Brouhaha-Bruce Waltke and Creationism Debate

I've been following the discussion on the Internet closely over the resignation of the reknowned biblical scholar, Bruce Waltke from the the Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and thought I should put together some links to keep you up to speed.

Essentially, the "brouhaha" as described by Waltke in his letter to colleagues which is now on the SBL website resulted from a video posted on the Biologos website (now removed though a transcript is available here) in which he endorsed evolution. Now I haven't seen the video but considering the uproar in the blogosphere (just google "bruce waltke video" to see for yourself) it would seem that it has been heavily edited and taken rather out of context. Biologos' mission statement is "The BioLogos Foundation explores, promotes and celebrates the integration of science and Christian faith" which would seem a solid enough endeavour and their own blog is quick to highlight their side of the argument and it's worth quoting Dr Waltke's "clarification" that was given to the site:

Dr. Bruce Waltke’s Statement of Clarification:

“I had not seen the video before it was distributed. Having seen it, I realize its deficiency and wish to put my comments in a fuller theological context:

1.Adam and Eve are historical figures from whom all humans are descended; they are uniquely created in the image of God and as such are not in continuum with animals.
2.Adam is the federal and historical head of the fallen human race just as Jesus Christ is the federal and historical head of the Church.

3.I am not a scientist, but I have familiarized myself with attempts to harmonize Genesis 1-3 with science, and I believe that creation by the process of evolution is a tenable Biblical position, and, as represented by BioLogos, the best Christian apologetic to defend Genesis 1-3 against its critics.

4.I apologize for giving the impression that others who seek to harmonize the two differently are not credible. I honor all who contend for the Christian faith.

5.Evolution as a process must be clearly distinguished from evolutionism as a philosophy. The latter is incompatible with orthodox Christian theology.

6.Science is fallible and subject to revision. As a human and social enterprise, science will always be in flux. My first commitment is to the infallibility (as to its authority) and inerrancy (as to its Source) of Scripture.
7.God could have created the Garden of Eden with apparent age or miraculously, even as Christ instantly turned water into wine, but the statement that God “caused the trees to grow” argues against these notions.

8.I believe that the Triune God is Maker and Sustainer of heaven and earth and that biblical Adam is the historical head of the human race.
9.Theological comments made here are mostly a digest of my chapters on Genesis 1-3 in An Old Testament Theology (Zondervan, 2007).”

Yup. There you have it. Adam and Eve. Historical Figures. Fuller Theological Context. Historical Head of the Human Race. I'm salivating at the thoughts of the handout I'm going to make for my students for my course on the Pentateuch next year in Milltown.

Have a look at some websites that bring the arguments together including John Hobbins' brilliant roundup over on the Ancient Hebrew Poetry blog.

Blogs:
Christian Post
Everyday Christian
Get Religion
Science Blog (Got so excited they used exclamation marks)
ChristianityToday
 
Newspapers:
The Washington Times
Folsom Telegraph (Californian newspaper, clearly not in favour of Evangelical Protestants)
USA Today

Websites:
Science Now

 

And I'm also going to try for a class trip to go to the Creation Museum in Kentucky

This walk through history is the centerpiece of the Creation Museum and features amazing scientific and biblical answers for the world we live in today. Witness the true time line of the universe unfold through the 7 C’s of History—illuminating God’s redemptive plan throughout history.

Not much on the shop though, I was hoping for a tshirt...

Welcome to my World

I'm attempting to be all productive in the form filling side of my career this week but couldn't resist taking some time away from signing things in triplicate to share this picture I found on the SBL website:

There's no caption with it but a sneak at the properties of the picture show that this is a general pic from "a session" at the Annual Meeting held in New Orleans. The picture is therefore a generic (look at the fun you can have at our meetings! Sign up below!) one taken for marketing purposes.

Now class-anyone have any comments? Apart from the fact that everyone looks a little pained and the guy in the front and centre is wearing one of those trendy Dead Sea Scrolls ties (be afraid! You can get a bow tie too but that's a post for another day...oh ok then)

Unless you've lost the power of observation you should have noted that there is indeed only one female in the picture-front and centre mind you and not the most enthralled expression on her face but she is there! So welcome to my world. And I'd be willing to bet money on the fact she's not a lay women either.

The reason that this probably caught my eye (I'm kind of used to it by this stage) is that I've been invited to propose a contribution (probably a short paper) that I could give at the SBL Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession sponsored "Survivor" session for the Annual Meeting in 2011 in San Francisco. The topic of this session is teaching in conservative institutions. The thought of being a "survivor" at the age of 30 and only 3 years after getting my doctorate seems a tad premature but I'm excited at the idea of sharing my experiences and getting feedback from the huge amounts of female members of the SBL who attend these sessions. Rumour has it that only 23% of the SBL membership are female and when you attend the Women's Breakfast at the Annual meeting (so so worth getting out of bed for a 7.30am start!) and listen to our shared experiences you realise how tough it is for women t o get a break in the academic side of Biblical Studies. I'll keep you posted.