Bible, Empire and Reception History Conference
On November 18-19, 2015, Columbia Theological Seminary will host a unique conference exploring the production and use of the Bible in various historical contexts of empire. It will consider the use of postcolonial criticism in interpreting biblical texts and its implications in modern contexts.The conference with be live streamed at http://livestream.com/ctsnet/berh.
“We deliberately scheduled the conference before the gathering of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and the American Academy of Religion (AAR) to be held in Atlanta,” said Raj Nadella, assistant professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. “Originally, we hoped to have one or two well-known scholars interact with a small group of about 50 participants. As it turns out, more than half of the participants will be top scholars taking turns as panelists responding to the speakers!”
The Bible, Empire, and Reception History Conference will consist of four sessions, each focusing on a particular geographical or historical set of contexts:9:00-12:30, Wednesday, November 18
Session # 1. The Bible and Ancient Empires
Keynote Speakers: Carol A. Newsom and Richard Horsley
Respondents: Warren Carter and Annette Yoshiko Reed
Panelists: Christine Yoder (Presider), Stephen Moore, Brent Strawn, Eric Baretto2:00-5:30, Wednesday, November 18
Session # 2. The Bible and the Americas
Keynote Speakers: Yvonne Sherwood and Jaime Lara
Respondents: Fernando Segovia and Rhondda Robinson Thomas
Panelists: Brennan Breed (Presider), Ana Maria Travassos Valdez, Dianne Stewart, Gregory Cuéllar9:00-12:30, Thursday, November 19
Session # 3. The Bible, South and East Asia
Keynote Speakers: Kwok Pui-Lan and Mitri Raheb
Respondents: Tat-Siong Benny Liew and Mrinalini Sebastian
Panelists: Raj Nadella (Presider), David Joy, William Yoo2:00-5:30, Thursday, November 19
Session # 4. The Bible and Africa
Keynote Speakers: Musa Dube and Hendrik Bosman
Respondents: Dora Mbuwayesango and Sarojini Nadar
Panelists: John Azumah (Presider), Temba Mafico, Safwat Marzouk, Madipoane Masenya