14th Semi-annual SPAFER Lecture Series

SPAFER's 16th Mid-South Lecture Series
March 26-27, 2010

The Resurrection: Ancient and Modern

Featured speaker:
Dr. Bernard Brandon Scott
HalTaussig

Bernard Brandon Scott is a charter member of the Jesus Seminar,
which is a research project of the Westar Institute, a research and
educational institute dedicated to the advancement of religious literacy.
Through publications and research projects like the Jesus Seminar,
Westar has opened up a new kind of conversation about religion.
Westar is an honest, no-hold-barred exchange involving thousands of
scholars, clergy and other individuals who have critical questions
about the past, present and future of religion.

Bernard Brandon Scott obtained his doctorate at Vanderbilt University, and is currently Darbeth Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Phillips Theological Seminary, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

Bernard Brandon Scott is the author of several books, including Hear Then the Parable, one of the most important books on parables in this generation, and the editor of several more. A charter member of the Jesus Seminar, he is co-chair of the Bible in Ancient and Modern Media Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and a consultant to the American Bible Society experimental film translations. In recognition of that work, the American Bible Society Research Center awarded him a research grant for 1999–2000 to work on sound mapping, the study of sound as the communication environment of the ancient world.

To read more about Dr. Scott's academic credentials, including a list of his publications, go here.

To read reviews on Amazon of The Parables of Jesus, one of Dr. Scott's books, go here.

To download and view a one-page flyer of the event (pdf file) that can be printed or forwarded to interested parties, go here.

~Lecture One (Friday, March 26, 7:00 - 9:00 pm). Proclaiming Jesus Alive: The Earliest Stages

Resurrection did not happened, it emerged. Our earliest evidence of early Christian experience of the risen Jesus is in the letters of Paul and the Q-Gospel. These earliest pre-70 ad witnesses present a very different pictures than the later gospels of Luke and John. There is no point at which resurrection happened. This is the central paradox and insight we will investigate in this first session. Early Christians searched the Jewish tradition for models to make sense of their conviction that Jesus was still alive. We will pursue both the Jewish models and what experience might underlay the use of these models.

~ Lecture Two ~ Saturday March 279-10:30am An Empty Tomb: The Story in Mark's Gospel

The first gospel, Mark, written shortly after 70 ad presents a paradox. It ends with the women telling no one, going away afraid. Where does this story come from and what does it tell us about how early Christians formulated their experience of resurrection? . What is Mark trying to accomplish with his story and what form is he using to tell the story?

- Lecture Three- Saturday March 2711-12:30 Resurrection Images in Film: Modern Resurrection Stories

Some recent films exhibit a real interest in the theme of resurrection, although it may not look like traditional resurrection. We will view clips from three films, Jesus of Montreal, Stranger than Fiction, and Whale Rider and ask whether they present a viable modern version of the ancient view resurrection.