zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
StephenGoranson
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zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by StephenGoranson »

A preliminary description--without, yet, specific titles or abstracts or detailed schedule--may interest some here (me, because of some of the participants):

"The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus is a conference and larger project run by James Crossley and Chris Keith. The conference will be both virtual (11 July) and hybrid (15–16 July), with the in-person event happening at the Higgins Art Gallery & Museum/Panacea Museum, Bedford.

The organisers argue that the quest for the historical Jesus has stagnated in the twenty-first century. Nevertheless, the Next Quest project accepts two recent developments in the field. It accepts that the criteria of authenticity and other attempts to get "behind" the Gospel texts have been largely unsuccessful. It accepts that celebrated debates about Jesus's Jewishness have largely updated older anti-Jewish tendencies in historical Jesus scholarship. Building on these developments, the Next Quest is a statement about where historical Jesus studies can go from here, and essentially an answer to the question, "What's next?"

For participants, the overarching aim of this project is that the Next Quest for the historical Jesus will be characterized by innovative approaches to established topics and innovative approaches to topics ignored in previous quests, or at least by their most prominent representatives. This is not, then, a claim to unparalleled newness. Indeed, the organisers and participants stress that the Next Quest will bring to the fore older (and recent) scholarship that was marginalised and overlooked in previous quests for the historical Jesus.

The Next Quest for the historical Jesus will move beyond searching for an uninterpreted reality “behind” the texts and hypothesize the historical Jesus by means of the cultural and historical processes by which particular images of Jesus were produced and transmitted. With this in mind, participants will look at a number of areas which have potential to revitalise mainstream historical Jesus studies, including (among many others): the social history of scholarship, reception histories, “religion” as a human phenomenon, networks, fame and aura, ancient media, scribalism and memory, the world of slavery, class conflict in pre-modern societies, materialist conceptions of history, violence and trauma, the body, omissions and silences, and how early ideas about Jesus interacted with ancient constructions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. And, in line with CenSAMM’s aims, the project will look at the cross-cultural phenomenon of millenarianism and think about how millenarianism has functioned in pre-modern agrarian societies.

The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus will foundationally be a curious quest, a broader quest, a wide-open quest, and one that explicitly links Jesus studies to innovative approaches to Christian origins and the Humanities generally—and brings it up-to-date as a subfield within them both.

Conference participants include: Giovanni Bazzana, James Crossley, Tucker Ferda, Paula Fredriksen, Deane Galbraith, Mark Goodacre, Meghan Henning, Nathan Johnson, Brandon Massey, Chris Keith, John Kloppenborg, Halvor Moxnes, Robert Myles, Gideon Wongi Park, Janelle Peters, Taylor Petrey, Adele Reinhartz, Rafael Rodriguez, Sarah Rollens, Nathan Shedd, Mitzi Smith, Joan Taylor, Matthew Thiessen, Robyn Walsh, Matthew Whitlock, Sean Winter, Stephen Young

ZOOM REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE

Part I (virtual only): 11 July, 12noon–5.30pm (UK time), https://tinyurl.com/szruyth9
Part II (hybrid): 15–16 July, 10am–5pm (UK time), https://tinyurl.com/5x2jj75c
Upcoming events both livestreamed on the Enoch Seminar’s Facebook page.

The conference is sponsored by CenSAMM, the Enoch Seminar, and Eerdmans Publishing.
Giuseppe
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by Giuseppe »

StephenGoranson wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:16 am and the Humanities generally
:lol:
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mlinssen
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by mlinssen »

Apart from the usual suspects there are quite a few unusual ones there as well. I'll dig in on the 11th and see what it's like
StephenGoranson
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by StephenGoranson »

Some readers may consider that the conference announcement edges into florid prose, but, as in the OP intro, my prospective view that portions may be worth hearing is based on the prior work of, at least, some of the participants.
Thor
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by Thor »

StephenGoranson wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:16 am A preliminary description--without, yet, specific titles or abstracts or detailed schedule--may interest some here (me, because of some of the With this in mind, participants will look at a number of areas which have potential to revitalise mainstream historical Jesus studies, including (among many others): the social history of scholarship, reception histories, “religion” as a human phenomenon, networks, fame and aura, ancient media, scribalism and memory, the world of slavery, class conflict in pre-modern societies, materialist conceptions of history, violence and trauma, the body, omissions and silences, and how early ideas about Jesus interacted with ancient constructions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. And, in line with .’s aims, the project will look at the cross-cultural phenomenon of millenarianism and think about how millenarianism has functioned in pre-modern agrarian societies.
So they are basically not searching for a historical Jesus, but instead will have a chat about the historical world of that time :eh:
After looking over some of the participants I expect to see discussions like ;

-Jesus, the founder of a proto-progressive movement. earliest concepts of the pronouns They/Them, as he was the trinity,

If they hope to revitalize mainstream historical Jesus studies, fragmenting the community into present day conflicting ideological camps in academia is surely not the way to go. Although I hope I am wrong. I hope something interesting is presented.

Does anyone know something really interesting the participants are working on, or if they have prior interesting work that is worth while?
Kunigunde Kreuzerin
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by Kunigunde Kreuzerin »

Thor wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 4:14 amIf they hope to revitalize mainstream historical Jesus studies, fragmenting the community into present day conflicting ideological camps in academia is surely not the way to go. Although I hope I am wrong. I hope something interesting is presented.

Does anyone know something really interesting the participants are working on, or if they have prior interesting work that is worth while?
About 10 years ago, scholars like Keith thought they could ground a new approach using memory theory. Although some have jumped on the train, it has become quiet again. Of course, the question arises: what should and can we still do?

Imho the answer is very simple. The problem for these scholars is not the historical Jesus, but the scientific legitimacy of speaking about him. So just forget it and tell exciting and intelligent stories about Jesus. His fans will be grateful.
StephenGoranson
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by StephenGoranson »

Thor: "Does anyone know something really interesting the participants are working on, or if they have prior interesting work that is worth while?"

me (SG): Again: "....as in the OP intro, my prospective view that portions may be worth hearing is based on the prior work of, at least, some of the participants."
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mlinssen
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by mlinssen »

StephenGoranson wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:07 am Thor: "Does anyone know something really interesting the participants are working on, or if they have prior interesting work that is worth while?"

me (SG): Again: "....as in the OP intro, my prospective view that portions may be worth hearing is based on the prior work of, at least, some of the participants."
You're being awfully precise and informative Stephen!
Thor
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by Thor »

Yea. My interest is purely a hobby. I simply love all ancient literature. This is a site I use for sources, and to enjoy some interesting discussions from time to time. Sometimes just to have a laugh reading discussions between smart men on silly subjects, and how they devolve into a literal 4chan thread.

In other words... Show me the way. If someone have deeper insight into participants and their work that you find interesting, share it please :)
schillingklaus
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Re: zoom conf. "Next Quest for the Historical Jesus"

Post by schillingklaus »

Is Ehrman not invited? Does he not get paid enough?
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