Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting Review
Scholars throughout the world study the Bible. They walk the halls of divinity schools, college campuses, and seminaries. Some scholars profess the Christian faith while others do not. Once a year, they come together to present, discuss, and defend their work. Five faculty and three students attended the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) over fall break in Boston, Massachusetts. SBL formed in 1880 to promote the study of Biblical literature, exchange of perspectives, and support the growth and development of students, teachers, and scholars. This fraternal organization refers to itself as the “guild†or “academy.†While membership simply is paying the yearly dues, recognition within its scholarly circle comes through association and formal presentation of papers. The character and quality of the presentations at the annual meeting vary. Altogether, they resemble our Symposia. Some papers pursue exegesis with historical grammatical method while others pursue the critical methods of recent centuries. Some speak of philosophical constructs of space, time, and form. Patristic scholars present the view of ancient Christians. More radical presenters include the feminist, gnostic, skeptic, and homosexual. Before attending, one professor quipped in sarcasm, “I hope you lose your faith.†Many presenters study the Bible purely from a literary view. Others intend to destroy the authenticity of the book in authorship, historical grounding, or content. Yet, even more affirmed the Scriptures, some as divine in origin. The conference carried a surprisingly Christian tone of reverence towards the study of Scripture. The meeting of five thousand attendees enjoyed presentations and were given opportunity to respond with questions. SBL offers unit of sessions depending on your particular field of study, such as the classic fields of Old Testament, New Testament, Hermeneutics, text criticism, Synoptic Gospels, Pentateuch, Pauline Epistles; as well more adjunct fields of Wisdom literature, warfare, slavery, Ugaritic, rhetoric, linguistics, archeology. While the intent of the annual meeting is inherently scholarly, the building of fraternity serves as a key component. For current scholars, there is the opportunity to engage both in an academic and a friendly way with contemporaries over wine and hors d'oeuvres. Current graduate students interact with those in their field. Prospective students receive “face time†with potential programs and doctoral fathers. Even the casual student of the Scriptures can engage with current scholarship and meet those whom he has read. Notable names in attendance include Richard B. Hayes, Bishop N.T. Wright, Robert Wilken, Robert Jensen, Christopher Seitz, Peter J. Leithart, David Steinmetz, and Richard Bauckham. The guild or academy recognizes a shift in secular studies of the Bible. For their next annual meeting in New Orleans in November 2009, they will be offering more sessions on hermeneutics, the history of interpretation, and theology. This year’s meeting was marked by an ecumenical desire of collaboration and an openness to discuss theology and so faith. The attendees encourage any student who wishes to increase his awareness of the broader scholarship or is considering further postgraduate study to attend the annual meeting in the fall. (Written for publication in our student paper "Cornerstone")
