Kwame Anthony Appiah on Scripture and Practice – Reith Lectures 2016

The first of the Reith Lectures 2016, “Mistaken Identities”, was delivered by Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Appiah argues that when considering religion we overestimate the importance of scripture and underestimate the importance of practice.

He begins with the complexities of his own background, as the son of an English Anglican mother and a Ghanaian Methodist father. He turns to the idea that religious faith is based around unchanging and unchangeable holy scriptures. He argues that over the millennia religious practice has been quite as important as religious writings. He provides examples from Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Buddhist texts to show that they are often contradictory and have been interpreted in different ways at different times, for example on the position of women and men in Islam. He argues that fundamentalists are a particularly extreme example of this mistaken scriptural determinism.

The lecture is recorded in front of audience at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The series is presented and chaired by Sue Lawley. Future lectures will examine identity in the contexts of country, colour and culture.

The lecture is available to hear online, and to read in transcript.

h/t: Francesca Stavrakopoulou

C.K. Barrett: “The Bible in Theology and Preaching”

Professor C.K. Barrett (1917-2011) delivers a lecture at Asbury Theological Seminary on April 23, 1998, on the topic, “The Bible in Theology and Preaching”. After an introduction by his student Professor Ben Witherington III (12:08), Charles Kingsley Barrett’s lecture begins at 15:12.

 

Jon D. Levenson on the Akedah / Sacrifice of Isaac

Professor Jon D. Levenson (Harvard Divinity School) delivered three talks on the Akedah, or sacrifice of Isaac, in Genesis 22, as part of the Orange County Community Scholars Program (OCCSP).

The talks are available in m4a audio format:

Midrash: What Bothered the Rabbis In Genesis 22 (July 8, 2008)

The Afterlife of the Story In Judaism (With A Glance At Christianity & Islam, Too) (July 9, 2008)

The Artistry of Genesis 22 (July 11, 2008)

Karl Barth and the Gospels: The 2015 Annual Karl Barth Conference

The 2015 Annual Karl Barth Conference took place on June 21-24, 2015 at Princeton Theological Seminary. Participants discuss the reception history of the Gospels in the theological speculations of Karl Barth, and contribute to the further reception history of theological interpretation of the Gospels.

Sunday, June 21

Opening Lecture, Jürgen Moltmann—“Predestination: Karl Barth’s Doctrine of the Election of Grace” (Miller Chapel)

with Q&A session

Monday, June 22

Eric Gregory—“‘The Gospel within the commandment’: Karl Barth on the Parable of the Good Samaritan” followed by a panel discussion with Eric Gregory, Jürgen Moltmann, and Daniel L. Migliore (Auditorium);
Willie Jennings—“A Rich Disciple? Karl Barth on the Rich Young Ruler” (Auditorium)

Conclusion of Willie Jennings’ paper

Paul Dafydd Jones—“The Riddle of Gethsemane” (Auditorium)

Karlfried Froehlich—“Karl Barth and the Isenheim Altarpiece” (Auditorium)

Tuesday, June 23

Bruce L. McCormack—“The Passion of God Himself: the Cry of Dereliction in Barth’s Theology” (Auditorium)

Beverly Gaventa—“Reading Karl Barth’s Reading of the Road to Emmaus” (Auditorium)

Richard Bauckham—“Karl Barth’s Interpretation of the Prologue to John’s Gospel” (Auditorium)

Paula Fredricksen: Paul and Augustine on the Redemption of the Jews

On University of California Television, Professor Paula Fredricksen compares the views of Paul and Augustine on the divine redemption of Jews. The 2009 lecture was sponsored by the Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies. Fredricksen discusses some of the content of her book Augustine and the Jews: A Christian Defense of Jews and Judaism (Yale University Press, 2009).

Paula Fredriksen, author and Aurelio Professor of Scripture, Boston University sheds new light on the origins of anti-Semitism and opens a path toward better understanding between two of the world’s great religions. She focuses in particular on the vast change from Paul to Augustine in the Christian message of Jewish redemption.

Beyond Belief: Eve

This edition of BBC Radio 4’s Beyond Belief looks at the presentation of Eve in both the Bible and its reception featuring Katie Edwards and Maureen Kendler. They are also joined by the apologist Amy Orr Ewing.

In the trailer for the final run of Desperate Housewives, viewers are seduced into watching the series with a variety of tantalising images. Four beautiful women in provocative poses, attracting the longing gazes of their easily led men. Snake like belts draped sinuously around their waists are provocatively removed or loosened. And there’s an apple, red and luscious, newly plucked from a tree. A 21st century television hit makes its appeal by drawing on an ancient biblical character which it assumes will resonate with the viewer.

Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the Biblical figure Eve, and what has been made of her down the centuries are Katie Edwards, lecturer in Biblical Studies at Sheffield University; Amy Orr Ewing, Director of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics; and Maureen Kendler, head of Educational Programming at the London School of Jewish Studies.

Katie Edwards offers the angle from the perspective of critical biblical scholarship, including the use of Eve in advertising. Maureen Kendler looks at close readings of the biblical texts and provides ancient contextualisation, including how Eve compares and contrasts with Lilith.

Ernie Rea: If Eve, the original Eve, were to come into this room now, what would you say to her?

Edwards: “Blimey”, because I don’t think she ever existed in the first place

Rea: I suppose, “Put some clothes on”

Jon D. Levenson on Teaching the Binding of Isaac

‘Teaching the Binding of Isaac: Balancing Bible and Midrash’ is a lecture by Jon D. Levenson delivered at Villanova University (8 September, 2008)

Excerpt from James M. Robinson Lecture on Nag Hammadi (2009)

The following video is an excerpt from James M. Robinson lecture from 2009 courtesy of the Westar Institute/Jesus Seminar.

How were the Nag Hammadi discovered? James M. Robinson explains the history behind Coptic culture, scrolls, papyrus and ancient writing, as they relate to the Nag Hammadi discovery.
James M. Robinson (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Director Emeritus of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity and Professor of Religion Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University. He is best known for his work on the Nag Hammadi Codices and as the General Editor of The Nag Hammadi Library in English (1977)
This lecture was originally presented at the Westar Institute Fall 2009 Meeting, “The Nag Hammadi Library.”

George B. Caird Lectures (1979-82)

Courtesy of Jeffrey B. Gibson and additional work by Matthew D. Montonini and Mark Goodacre “sixty-one of George B. Caird’s lectures on New Testament Theology were recorded from 1979-1982, at Oxford University, where Caird served as the Dean Ireland’s Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture until his untimely passing in 1984.” They are available as audio and links are given on Montonini’s blog, New Testament Perspectives. Caird’s lectures cover issues such as New Testament theology, Pauline theology, Romans, and the Synoptic Problem.

James Kugel at Pardes Institute on ‘Has Modern Scholarship Killed the Bible’?

The third annual Hershdorfer-Kantrowitz-Brettler Lecture Series at Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in 2012 was presented by James Kugel on the topic of ‘Has Modern Biblical Scholarship Killed the Bible?’

Lecture 1 (January 4, 2012): ‘The Very Beginnings of Biblical Interpretation’

Lecture 2 (January 11, 2012): ‘The Book of Jubilees: the Oldest Commentary on the Book of Genesis’

Lecture 3 (January 18, 2012): ‘The Rise of Modern Biblical Scholarship’

Lecture 4 (January 25, 2012): ‘Has Modern Biblical Scholarship Killed the Bible?’

Why Study? University of Nottingham Video Series

The Why Study Theology and Religious Studies? series from the University of Nottingham contains various contributions from biblical studies. These include:

Why Study the Didache? with Tom O’Loughlin

Why Study Early Christianity? with Tom O’Loughlin

Why Study Orality? with Tom O’Loughlin

Why Study the Protoevangelium of James? with Tom O’Loughlin

Why Study Rabbinic Judaism? with Holger Zellentin

Why Study Rudolf Bultmann? with Henri Gagey

Why Study Paul’s Letter to the Romans? with Richard Bell

Why Study the Death of Jesus in Paul? with Richard Bell

Why Study St Paul and Israel? with Richard Bell

Why Study the Hebrew Bible? with Carly Crouch

Why Study Prophecy? with Carly Crouch

Why Study Biblical Warfare? with Carly Crouch

Why Study Jesus Christ? with Roland Deines

Why Study the Pharisees? with Roland Deines

Why Study James of Jerusalem? with Roland Deines

Why Study the Old Testament alongside the New? with Margaret Barker

Why Study Hebrew? with Peter Watts

In Our Time: Online and Podcasts (BBC Radio 4)

In Our Time is a BBC Radio 4 programme on the history of ideas and is presented by Melvyn Bragg. Its range of episodes are classified under the headings ‘Religion’, ‘History’, ‘Culture’, ‘Philosophy’, and ‘Science’. The format consists of Bragg asking questions to, and leading a discussion with, a panel of academics. There are over 600 episodes – either for listening online and/or download – and the full archive is available here. There are numerous episodes covering topics in biblical studies and relevant areas:

Prophecy (13 June, 2013)

Gnosticism (2 May, 2013)

King Solomon (7 June, 2012)

Judas Maccabeus (24 November, 2011)

The Dawn of the Iron Age (24 March, 2011)

The City [Part 1] (25 March 2010)

The Augustan Age (11 June 2009)

St Paul (28 May, 2009)

Miracles (25 September, 2008)

The Greek Myths (13 March, 2008)

Hell (21 December, 2006)

Heaven (22 December, 2005)

Archaeology and Imperialism (14 April 2005)

Angels (24 March, 2005)

Zoroastrianism (11 November, 2004)

Babylon (3 June 2004)

The Fall (8 April, 2004)

The Alphabet (18 December, 2003)

The Devil (11 December, 2003)

The Apocalypse (17 July, 2003)

The Lindisfarne Gospels (20 February, 2003)

The Soul (6 June 2002)

In addition to the episodes listed above, there are episodes on a range of topics and individuals which will be directly relevant to certain areas of biblical studies research (e.g. Plato, Pliny, Roman satire, Wyclif, Erasmus, Milton, historiography, cultural memory).