Jesus Seminar Scholars to Discuss the Origins of Christianity

Jesus Seminar Spring Meeting in Salem begins on the 30th of March and runs through the 2nd of April.

Learn more by visiting: www.westarinstitute.org

(SALEM, Ore.) - Scholars of the Jesus Seminar will meet in Salem, Oregon at the Salem Conference Center to discuss the origins of Christianity.

Special features of this meeting will include:

• A conversation with renowned feminist biblical scholar, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
• A day-long workshop by L. Michael White, recently featured on the PBS Frontline documentary, From Jesus to Christ
• A team of archaeologists who will use the latest tools of history and archaeology to uncover the realities of Roman Corinth, a very early site of nascent Christian activity
• An evening with film-maker Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Robocop, Showgirls) discussing his new book, Jesus of Nazareth, and future plans to make a new Jesus movie

The event runs from 30 March to 2 April 2011.

On Wednesday (9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.), in a workshop entitled “Paul and the Corinthians: Relocating the Letters in Time, Place, and Culture”, L. Michael White, R.N. Smith Professor in Classics and Christian Origins and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins at the University of Texas in Austin, will walk through the basics of dating Paul’s letters, explore how and where Paul traveled, how he wrote the letters, and examine the historical and cultural context of Corinth itself. The workshop will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn more about how scholars interpret Paul and his letters, and in turn about some of the most important issues in Christian origins today. His workshop will set the stage for the Jesus Seminar on Christian Origins, which meets Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. In these sessions, Seminar scholars will begin their investigation of nascent Christianity in Corinth with a survey of the archaeology of ancient Corinth.

On Thursday (9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.), in a workshop entitled “What can Feminism do for the Jesus Seminar”, Shelly Matthews, Dorothy and B. H. Peace, Jr. Associate Professor of Religion at Furman University, will explore the possible common goals of the Jesus Seminar and feminist scholarship, as well as points of tension. Her workshop will set the stage for a Friday night (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) interview with Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. Schüssler Fiorenza’s 1983 book In Memory of Her transformed the perspectives by which we now view a whole list of issues and problems in the study of Christian origins. Over the course of her career, she has amassed a body of work that is unmatched in its breadth of interest and its singleness of purpose: to bring new frontiers of feminist theory to the field of biblical scholarship. Following the interview, on Saturday morning, the Jesus Seminar will engage her in a conversation about her work and its significance (9:00 a.m.–noon).

For more than twenty years, Paul Verhoeven, acclaimed filmmaker (Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Robocop, Showgirls) and Fellow of the Jesus Seminar has been planning a movie about the historical Jesus. As a result, he decided to begin by writing a book expressing his understanding of the Jesus he had discovered during his years of working with the Seminar. The result is Jesus of Nazareth, published in Dutch in 2008 and in English in 2010. In panel discussion (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m.) veteran scholars of the Jesus Seminar will analyze Verhoeven’s book and interrogate its author.

All sessions are open to the general public. More information on the meeting, including registration information, can be found at www.westarinstitute.org, or by calling 503-375-5323. Student discounts are available. All events will be held at the Salem Conference Center. Special rates are available for meeting participants at the adjacent Phoenix Grand Hotel.