September 3, 2010

CBA joins Online Books

SBL welcomes The Catholic Biblical Association of America as a new publishing partner in the International Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Online Books project. Joseph Jensen, CBA Executive Secretary, advised SBL of the decision August 27. CBA has provided PDF files of their most recent publications and we will begin to make them available in September. SBL has received thanks and appreciation from many people who have benefited from this program, and we are indeed happy to continue and expand Online Books through the addition of works from other academic publishers.

International Meeting

Look for the Call for Papers for the 2011 London Meeting to be posted October 1.

Annual Meeting

The 2010 Annual Meeting Session Guide has been mailed to all SBL members.  It gives a glimpse of the sessions and papers that will be presented at the Atlanta meeting and enables you to set your schedule for the meeting and make your travel plans.  Updates will be made to the program throughout the fall until the publication of the Program Book.  Please refer to the online program for the latest program information.
If you have not registered for the Annual Meeting, there is still time.  You can register for the meeting, find housing, and sign up for tours conveniently online.  Be sure to register by September 30 before rates rise!  September 30 will be your last opportunity to save $50 off the regular registration rates.

Regional Meetings

Calls for Papers for 2011 Regional Meetings are in process. Some have already been announced and are posted on the SBL website. See a list of 2011 Regional Meetings and their locations here.

International Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Liaison Network

ICI is organizing a Liaison Network to promote awareness of the resources and opportunities made available through the ICI to scholars, teachers, and students. We have recently asked SBL members living in qualifying countries to become official ICI liaisons. Dr Nathaniel Levtow of the University of Montana, Missoula, (Nathaniel.Levtow@mso.umt.edu) has graciously offered to coordinate the efforts of the ICI Liaisons and has called for volunteers to act in this capacity. Over fifty people have already responded and volunteered their time to this endeavor. We invite others to join this initiative by contacting Dr. Levtow or SBL at sblservices@sbl-site.org.

Teaching the Bible Newsletter

After taking a summer break, the Teaching the Bible e-pub is back. See the September issue here.

ICI Mentoring Reminder

The academic year is beginning soon in many countries and it is a good time to make sure that students are aware of the mentoring opportunities available through the ICI. To view a list of scholars who have volunteered to be mentors, visit http://www.sbl-site.org/educational/ICIscholarList.aspx. And don’t forget, YOU can volunteer to be a mentor, too!

Bible Odyssey

This August SBL submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities a grant to build a website for the general public, called Bible Odyssey (the previous working title was World of the Bible). In the past year SBL and an advisory team used an NEH planning grant to develop the site concept and a prototype design. (Stop by our table at the Annual meeting for a preview.)

The site will be a useful undergraduate classroom tool and will offer SBL members a chance to hone their public communication skills. We will hear from NEH about funding in April 2011. Interested or have questions about the project? Email: Odyssey@sbl-site.org

Optional Profile Free Membership Drawing — July and August Winners!

Every month, we randomly select two members from the pool of those who have filled out the Optional Profile for a free one-year membership. July and August 2010 winners are:

• Max Rogland
• David G. Niklasson
• Samantha Joo
• Jesse Torres

As our privacy policy indicates, we will never divulge information from your profile to a third party. Thank you to all of you who have supplied this optional data. If you have not yet filled in the information (or you would like to update it), you may do so by logging into our website with your SBL Member # and going to the “my profile” tab, which will appear on the left hand side of the screen in the box where you logged in. While you are filling out the Optional Profile, please make sure all of your profile information is up to date!

Submit your events to Sharon Johnson.

September 2010
9/10-9/11	Biblical Women: Reading and Writing Women in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries Queen's University, Belfast. More Information
9/15- 9/17	Old Testament Society of South Africa – 53rd Annual Congress The Old Testament Society of South Africa will hold its annual congress at the North-West University (Vaal Triangle Campus). The theme for this year’s congress is “The Old Testament and Ethics”. Paper proposals are accepted until May 29, 2010. More information
9/20-9/21	Fixing, Transmitting and Preserving: Early Jewish and Rabbinic Literature in the History of Hebrew Bible International symposium held at the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (CCHS) in Madrid (Spain) More information
9/22-9/24	Conflict and Convergence: Jewish and Christian Approaches to the Psalms An international conference highlighting the diverse ways of studying the Psalms.The conference is associated with the Theology Faculty at the University of Oxford and the Society for Old Testament Study and is convened by Dr Susan Gillingham and Professor John Barton. The location will be at Worcester College, Oxford, England. More information
9/26- 9/28	Innsbrucker Deuteronomium-Tagung A congress on Deuteronomy presented by the Theological Faculty in Innsbruck, Austria More information
9/30- 10/2	“Corinth in Contrast: Studies in Inequality” Sponsored by: Institute for the Study of Antiquity & Christian Origins, Dept. of Religious Studies, and Dept. of Classics of the University of Texas at Austin The conference explores the stratified nature of social, political, economic, and religious spheres at Corinth, and how the resulting inequalities are reflected in literary texts and material remains. The analysis focuses on a specific population center (the Corinthia) over a given period of time (Hellenistic to Late Antique). More information
9/30-10/2	Infancy Gospels: Stories and Identities While the traditions concerning the birth of Jesus have always figured prominently in culture, art and Christian piety, the so-called ‘Infancy Gospels’ have been somewhat neglected in modern research, being viewed as they are as legendary or belonging to folk literature. The aim of this research seminar is to reconsider the canonical and apocryphal traditions on the infancy of Jesus, taking the themes of the identity embodied in the discourses and the multiple ways of reading the texts (historical, narrative, psychanalitic, feministic, artistic, liturgical readings, aso). This research programm will be hold in three sessions in Switzerland in autumn 2010. Session 1: University of Lausanne, 09/30/2010 - 10/02/2010, with Loveday Alexander, Philipp Alexander, Ra'anan Boustan, Claire Clivaz, Jörg Frey, Christophe Guignard, Sabrina Inowlocki Meister, Moises Mayordomo, Enrico Norelli, Francesca Pascendi, Anders Runesson, Jens Schröter Next two sessions are listed below, in November and December. Information on all three sessions: http://www3.unil.ch/wpmu/evenfance/
October 2010
10/13-10/15	Contesting Religious Identities, Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Through the development of cross-disciplinary debates and integrative approaches this conference is envisioned to articulate analyses and insights as well as new research questions and agendas for the subject area of religious identity.  The conference has its own website with a wealth of information. Questions on the programme can be directed to Professor Anne-Marie Korte or to Professor Bob Becking. Questions regarding housing an other logistics should be sent to Karin Hens.
10/21-10/22	The Jewish War against Rome (66-70/74): Interdisciplinary Perspectives A symposium at the Qumran Institute of the University of Groningen More information
10/23	Festschrift Conference honoring Reverend Professor Paul N. Tarazi, Little Falls, New Jersey, USA  For more information please see the flyer at (http://ocabs.org/TaraziFestschrift2010.pdf).
10/27	Workshop for Aspiring Academics, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh Registration is now open for the first Aspiring Academics workshop in Scotland, organised by the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies. The deadline for registration is September 30th 2010. Designed for research students in philosophy, theology, religious studies, biblical studies and history and philosophy of science, this workshop offers an opportunity for aspiring academics to gather and share information and advice, and to develop the skills necessary for a successful academic career in your discipline. See the webpage for more information
November 2010
11/1	Call for papers Deadline for the Association of Ancient Historians (AAH) Annual Meeting. The Thematic title of the 2011 meeting is “Adaptation in the Ancient World.” Papers are now solicited in the following areas of inquiry:Maritime interconnectivity in the Mediterranean (Chair, Elizabeth Green, Brock University); Greek and Roman Historiography (Chair, John Marincola, Florida State University); Ancient Political Theory (Chair, Ryan Balot, University of Toronto); Tyranny and Response (Chair, Sian Lewis, University of St. Andrews); New Directions in the History of War (Chair, Lee Brice, Western Illinois University); Swords and Sandals: The Ancient World in Modern Media (Chair, Rachael Goldman, CUNY); Religious Innovation and Empire (Chair, Robert von Thaden, Mercyhurst College); Women and Religion in Greece and Rome (Chair, Michelle Salzman, UCLA) Egypt (Chair, Carlis White, Slippery Rock University); The Ancient Near East (Chair, Cindy Nimchuk, Mercyhurst College); Open panel(s) for strong papers in other categories (Chairs, TBA) More Information
11/5-11/6	Infancy Gospels: Stories and Identities While the traditions concerning the birth of Jesus have always figured prominently in culture, art and Christian piety, the so-called ‘Infancy Gospels’ have been somewhat neglected in modern research, being viewed as they are as legendary or belonging to folk literature. The aim of this research seminar is to reconsider the canonical and apocryphal traditions on the infancy of Jesus, taking the themes of the identity embodied in the discourses and the multiple ways of reading the texts (historical, narrative, psychanalitic, feministic, artistic, liturgical readings, aso). This research programm will be hold in three sessions in Switzerland in autumn 2010. Session 2: University of Geneva, 11/05/2010 - 11/06/2010, with Frédéric Amsler, Jean-Claude Basset, Valentina Calzolari, Andreas Dettwiler, Adriana Destro et Mauro Pesce, Christian Grappe, François Rosset, Andrea Taschl-Erber A previous session was held in September 2010 and the final session is listed in December. Information on all three sessions: http://www3.unil.ch/wpmu/evenfance/
11/17-11/19	Symposium on the Johannine Epistles Hosted by the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta. The Symposium will feature major presentations by D. Moody Smith, Jr., Judith Lieu, John Painter, and Jan G. van der Watt and short papers by Paul Anderson, R. Alan Culpepper, Peter Rhea Jones, Craig Koester, Andreas Kostenberger, Gail R. O’Day, David Rensberger, Urban C. (Cam) von Wahlde, and others. Registration: $150 payable to McAfee School of Theology Hotels:Hampton Inn (Northlake) or Comfort Suites (North Lake) Program and Schedule (draft copy) For more information contact: Diane Frazier, 678 547-6470 or Frazier_d@mercer.edu
11/19- 11/23	SBL Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia
December 2010
12/3-12/4	Infancy Gospels: Stories and Identities While the traditions concerning the birth of Jesus have always figured prominently in culture, art and Christian piety, the so-called ‘Infancy Gospels’ have been somewhat neglected in modern research, being viewed as they are as legendary or belonging to folk literature. The aim of this research seminar is to reconsider the canonical and apocryphal traditions on the infancy of Jesus, taking the themes of the identity embodied in the discourses and the multiple ways of reading the texts (historical, narrative, psychanalitic, feministic, artistic, liturgical readings, aso). This research programm will be hold in three sessions in Switzerland in autumn 2010. Session 3: University of Fribourg, 12/03/2010 - 12/04/2010, with Simon Butticaz, Elian Cuvillier, Luc Devillers, Daniel Gerber, Ursula Ulrike Kaiser, Jean-Daniel Kaestli, Isabelle Saint-Martin, Sever J. Voicu, Benedict Viviano Information: claire.clivaz@unil.ch Previous sessions were held in September and November 2010. Information on all three sessions: http://www3.unil.ch/wpmu/evenfance/