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Meeting Program Units

2016 Annual Meeting

San Antonio, TX

Meeting Begins11/19/2016
Meeting Ends11/22/2016

Call for Papers Opens: 12/16/2015
Call for Papers Closes: 3/1/2016

Requirements for Participation

Bible, Myth, and Myth Theory


Program Unit Type: Section
Accepting Papers? Yes

Call For Papers: Welcoming submissions for two thematic and one open session. 1)"Theogony and Anthropogony in the Bible and Beyond," will focus on mythic treatments of the origins and status of gods and humans in ANE and Greco-Roman literatures, including HB, NT, and non-canonical Judean texts. What notions do mythic explanations of the origins of divinity and humanity share? What distinguishes humans from gods? When and for whom (heroes, kings, ancestors) is this boundary permeable and with what implications? What sorts of literary dialogues obtain between biblical depictions of God and ANE theogonies? We encourage incorporation of a variety of data, including archaeological, visual, and textual. 2)“Jesus as Myth”: Despite lack of theorization, the concept “myth” has been important among classic historical-critical treatments of the gospels and other NT literature (e.g. Strauss, Bultmann, etc). Recent scholarship, on the contrary, often prefers approaches to understanding Jesus that emphasize the value of the gospels as historical sources for reconstructing Jesus’ social situation, even if subjecting them to highly skeptical historical inquiry. We invite papers that articulate and apply to Jesus critical theories of myth, in conversation with contemporary historical or literary-critical approaches. Such papers might redraw lines between fiction and history/biography in gospel scholarship or propose new ways of interpreting particular pericopes. They might use “myth” as an organizing concept for suggesting meaningful parallels between NT and other ancient writings, or for understanding the generic contours of the gospels and other NT writings about Christ. 3)Open call: We welcome proposals on myth and myth theory in both HB and NT biblical studies, including Greco-Roman and ANE contexts. We encourage participants from diverse specializations—including ANE literature and Greco-Roman religions—and a range of methodologies: textual and literary criticism, archeology, anthropology, etc.

Program Unit Chairs

Austin Busch
Debra S. Ballentine

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