The Enoch Seminar thanks Dr. Isaac Oliver for his many years of service as the RES book review editor. While Dr. Oliver will remain a vital member of the Enoch Seminar, he has resigned the editorship to pursue other interests. We are pleased to announce that Joshua Scott will replace him as editor. If interested in reviewing books for RES, please email Joshua at scottjos@umich.edu.
Book Review Panel:
Paul's Three Paths to Salvation
(Online)
DATE: 30 September 2021
TIME: 3-5 pm EDT/New York
What did Paul, as an apocalyptic Jew and follower of Jesus, think about the concept of Salvation? Paul did not convert nor break with his inherited traditions but was part of the lively diversity of Second Temple Judaism. Boccaccini’s Paul's Three Paths to Salvation (Eerdmans, 2020) is an attempt to reconcile the many facets of Paul’s complex Jewish identity while reclaiming him from accusations of intolerance. Boccaccini’s work in reestablishing Paul as a messenger of God’s mercy to sinners is an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about Paul’s place in the contemporary pluralistic world.
This review panel includes an introduction by the author (Gabriele Boccaccini), review presentations by Lisa Bowens (Princeton Theological Seminary), Isaac Oliver (Bradley University), Matthew Novenson (University of Edinburgh), Cecilia Wassen (Uppsala University), and Emma Wasserman (Rutgers University), followed by an open dialogue among participants.
For more information, contact the event secretary, Joshua Scott.
Conference on Christianity and Science Fiction
The Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies (MCECS), in partnership with the Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan, will host a four-day virtual conference (11-13 October 2021) exploring the symbiotic relationship between Christianity and Science Fiction. The meeting is chaired by James McGrath, Deborah Forger, Joshua Scott, Gabriele Boccaccini, and Jason von Ehrenkrook.
The keynote speaker for this event is author Maurice Broaddus, whose novels include the urban fantasy trilogy, The Knights of Breton Court, the steampunk novel, Pimp My Airship, and the middle grade detective novel series, The Usual Suspects. Other speakers include Rudy Busto (University of California, Santa Barbara), Maria Doerfler (Yale University), Jason Eberl (St. Louis University), Juli Gittinger (Georgia College and State University), Amanda MacInnis Hackney (University of Toronto), Paul Levinson (Fordham University), Laura Lieber (Duke University), Gavin McDowell (PhD École Pratique des Hautes Études), Gabriel McKee (New York University), Kelly Jean Murphy (Central Michigan University), Roger Sneed (Furman University).
For more information, including presentation titles and speaker bios, see the conference webpage. To register for this event, click this weblink.
Was Paul an Apocalyptic Jew?
Chairs: Gabriele Boccaccini; Lisa Bowens; Emma Wasserman; Loren Stuckenbruck
Dates: 25-27 October 2021
Location: Online
Paul of Tarsus was born, lived and died a Jew. Raised as a Pharisee, he then joined the early Jesus movement, a first-century Jewish apocalyptic and messianic group. Paul became one of the most vocal leaders of the new movement and promoted its expansion among the gentiles. The conference, organized by the Enoch Seminar and the Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies, aims to move Pauline research to a further stage, beyond reclaiming Paul to Second Temple Judaism and proving that “he was not Lutheran.” By taking Paul’s Jewishness as a shared starting point, the conference explores the figure of Paul within Second Temple Judaism in a line of continuity with the Jewish apocalyptic tradition (and the Enochic tradition in particular), not as an apostate of Judaism but as part of the vibrant Jewish diversity of the time.
In the style of the Enoch Seminar Colloquia, the conference will not be aimed at a general audience, but will instead bring together a group of selected specialists. It will be a workshop with discussion sessions introduced by oral presentations by specialists, more than a series of papers. The goal is to gather all major specialists working in the field and have plenty of time for discussion.
See the conference webpage for a tentative schedule of workshops. For more information, email the conference secretary, Joshua Scott.
*Image: The Conversion of St. Paul, Luca Giordano (1690)
Colloquium: Luke and Acts with(in)
Second Temple Judaism
Chairs: Gabriele Boccaccini and Isaac Oliver
Dates: 19 November 2021
Location: SBL Meeting in San Antonio, TX
The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are nearly always attributed to a single gentile author writing for a gentile audience. Many studies thus concentrate on how Luke and Acts as gentile Christian texts relate to Hellenistic culture or the Roman Empire. Attention to Luke and/or Acts in relation to Judaism is often limited and tends to focus on either the author’s familiarity with Jewish scripture and tradition or the author’s perspective on Torah obedience for gentile followers of Jesus. Even then, scholars assume that “Luke,” as one of the first writers to designate Jesus’ followers as “Christian” (Acts 11:26; 26:28), situates Christianity outside of Judaism. This Enoch Seminar colloquium will interact with recent publications of scholars who situate Luke/-Acts squarely with(in) Judaism. Papers by the authors will be distributed beforehand to invited respondents who will share their remarks during the panel, which will then be followed by open discussion.
In compliance with the European Regulation no. 679/2016 (GDPR) and the new regulations on data protection that came into force on 25 May 2018, we inform you that your personal data will be used exclusively for sending communications relating to the activities of the Enoch Seminar. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the editor at jason.vonehrenkrook@umb.edu.
