New Testament Scholar Bernard Brandon Scott in Birmingham

SPAFER Fall Lecture Series

October 14th & 15th, 2016

Location:

Shades Valley Lutheran Church
720 Shades Creek Pkwy
Birmingham, AL 35209

7 PM Friday Night

Five Quick and Dirty Rules for Interpreting Paul

For the past twenty years a slow rumbling has been building up among New Testament scholars that is only now beginning to make its effects felt to a more general public. A new Paul is beginning to emerge, a Paul who differs from the Paul of Augustine and Luther. In this presentation we will explore five rules that I think should guide an interpretation of Paul.

9 AM Saturday morning

Showdown in Antioch

In Galatians 2:12-13 Paul reports a dramatic confrontation between himself and Cephas about Jewish Christians and gentile Christians eating together. The significance of this conflict for understanding Paul has often been overlooked. We will explore why this is one of the traumatic events in Paul’s life.

11 AM Saturday Morning

Does Paul Make Sense?

After we have grasped what Paul was about, we must ask, “Does he make any sense?” What might we make of Paul today? Does he offer us any leverage in understanding our contemporary situation?

Register online or at the door:

Friday & Saturday Oct. 14-15, 2016 - $30.00

Friday Only Oct. 14 - $20.00

Saturday Only October 15 - $20.00

Online registration at http://spafer.org/index.php/lectures/our-next-speaker

A Word about Brandon Scott

SPAFER has been privileged to have Bernard Brandon Scott on three previous occasions. In fact, he was the very first Jesus Seminar scholar brought to Birmingham, and it was that initial effort that launched the SPAFER organization. Looking back in our files, I found some comments by attendees at Scott’s lecture here in 2009:

“After the seminars I realized how little I understood of my religion, and how shallow my education in Christianity really was. To understand a first century document, one must first understand the first century.”

"The SPAFER Weekend with Bernard Brandon Scott on the parables of Jesus was the most informative of all the SPAFER speakers I have heard. “

“Scott's lectures were interesting and stimulating ... His lecture style held the audiences' attention which is a remarkable talent.”

“We can re-schedule Dr. Scott anytime, because he has much to say that is important for today's seekers."

Brandon Scott has brought us lectures on the parables of Jesus (2009) and the resurrection accounts of Jesus (2010). Each time he gave us a fresh look at the times in which Jesus lived and gave us ideas for applying his message to today’s world. We certainly look forward to what he will be telling us in our SPAFER Lecture Series about what New Testament scholars are currently saying about Paul.

Bernard Brandon Scott is the author and editor of many books, including The Real Paul: Recovering His Radical Challenge and The Trouble with Resurrection. A charter member of the Jesus Seminar, he is chair of Westar’s newly established Christianity Seminar. He served as chair of the Bible in Ancient and Modern Media Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, as well as a member of several SBL Seminars including the Parable Seminar and Historical Jesus Seminar. He holds an A.B. from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, an M.A. from Miami University, and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

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