Early Jewish Christian Relations

Call For Papers: We plan three sessions, and invite proposals for the first two. Session 1: Recent years have seen multiple appraisals and reappraisals of the relationship(s) between Judaism and Christianity in antiquity. Recent scholarship has provided multiple models to think with—some complementary, and some competing. Thirty years after this program unit was inaugurated, this session invites papers that assess the state of the field, suggest points of contact and points of departure, and elicit conversations about future directions for the study of early Jewish Christian relations. Session 2: Ancient Polemics and Modern Manifestos. Modern manifestos--the kind often left behind by those who perpetrate acts of terrorism or hate crimes--sometimes bear striking resemblances to ancient polemical or heresiological writings, such as those by Justin Martyr, John Chrysostom, or Irenaeus. We invite papers exploring the similarities and differences between ancient and modern manifestos, and the kinds of arguments they employ. How do differentiating from others, demonization of others, deployment of scriptural texts, appeals to purity, and metaphorical violence function across ancient and modern texts? Is there value in the comparison? Session 3: Joint Session with the International Catacomb Society. From a modern perspective, these underground burial complexes appear as stages on which to perform religious and ethnic affiliations using iconography, inscriptions, and rituals. Some catacomb shrines combine motifs traditionally associated with biblical narratives and Roman mythology. Others reflect greater homogeneity. This panel seeks papers that explore what can be learned about Jewish and Christian relations from the material and literary remains of catacomb burial practices and sites. Did burial rituals and funerary remains provide loci for Jews and Christians to compete, cooperate, and/or clash? How should scholars interpret finds whose associations are ambiguous or polysemic?

Program Unit Chairs

Propose a Paper for this Program Unit

Questions About Membership?

• Call 866-727-9955 Toll Free in the US
• Call 404-727-9498 Outside the US
• Fax us at 404-727-2419
• Email us at sblservices@sbl-site.org