The seventy-third General Meeting of the Society took place at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, during 7–10 August, under the presidency of Prof. Jean Zumstein (Switzerland). There were about 250 participants, of which 202 were members. The chair of the Local Organizing Committee was Prof. Christos Karakolis. On the first evening, the Society was welcomed at a reception in the Olive Garden Rooftop Restaurant of the Titania Hotel, Athens.
The Academic Programme
The President delivered his Presidential Address entitled ‘Mémoire, histoire et fiction dans la littérature johannique’ at the opening plenary session of the Society. Main Papers were presented by Profs. Helen Bond (UK), ‘A Fitting End? Self-Denial and a Slave's Death in Mark's Life of Jesus’; Daniel Gerber (France), ‘Écouter la première lettre de Paul aux Corinthiens aujourd'hui: quelques impressions, questions et hypothèses’; Eve-Marie Becker (Denmark), ‘Das introspektive Ich des Paulus nach Philipper 1–3: Ein Entwurf’; and Harold Attridge (USA), ‘Ambiguous Signs, an Anonymous Character; Unanswerable Riddles: The Role of the Unknown in Johannine Epistemology’.
In a Quaestiones Disputatae session the question ‘Does Study of Memory Contribute to a Better Understanding of the Jesus Tradition?’ was explored by the following disputants: Profs. Adela Collins (USA)/Judith Lieu (UK), Paul Foster (UK), Sandra Huebenthal (Germany) and Alan Kirk (USA); Moderator: William Loader (Australia).
Twelve short papers were presented in two sessions of simultaneous papers. First session: Bärbel Bosenius (Germany), ‘Aussage gegen Aussage: „ … ἡ θυγάτηρ σου ἀπέθανεν” (Mk 5,35b), versus „ … τὸ παιδίον οὐκ ἀπέθανεν ἀλλὰ καθεύδει” (Mk 5,39c): Überlegungen zur Perspektivenstruktur der Episode’; Clifton Black (USA), ‘Mark: John's Photographic Negative’; Bernadette Brooten (USA), ‘Conflicting New Testament Interpretations: The Synod of Gangra (ca. 343) vs the Eustathians’; Ann Jervis (Canada), ‘Did Paul Think in terms of Two Ages?’; Margaret Mitchell (USA), ‘Origen on Christ, the Law and the Jewish People: Evidence from the Newly Discovered Greek Homilies on the Psalms’; Lars Rydbeck (Sweden), ‘Philosophical Conversion: Experiences of Being Reborn in Pre-Christian Greek Times’. Second session: Paul Anderson (USA), ‘The John, Jesus and History Project and a Fourth Quest for Jesus’; James Kelhoffer (Sweden), ‘How Did Second Clement Originally End? A Study of 2 Clement 19–20’; Dennis MacDonald (USA), ‘Imitation of Greek Poetry in Judith and its Significance for the Gospels and Acts’; Elizabeth Struthers Malbon (USA), ‘Placing Bethsaida: From Mark to Matthew and Luke to John’; Petr Mareček (Czech Republic), ‘Stephen and Saul of Tarsus in Acts 7.54–8.3’; Larry Welborn (USA), ‘How “Democratic” Was the Pauline ekklēsia? With Special Reference to the Christ Groups in Roman Corinth’. There was an additional presentation by Daniel Wallace (USA), ‘Bringing out Treasures New and Old: Digitising New Testament Manuscripts at the National Library of Greece’.
Seventeen seminars, with the following topics and presenters, met three times each during the General Meeting:
1. Constructions of the Histories of Early Christianity (convenors: Cilliers Breytenbach and Clare Rothschild). (a) Adela Yarbro Collins (USA – in absentia), ‘The Reception of 1 Corinthians 7 in the Second and Third Centuries’; respondent: Christiane Zimmerman (Germany); and Clare Rothschild (USA), ‘Ethiopianising the Devil: ὁ μελάς in Barnabas 4’; (b) Cilliers Breytenbach (Germany), ‘Athenagoras and the Early History of Attic Christianity’; respondent: James Kelhoffer (Sweden); (c) Francis Watson (UK), ‘An Ambiguous Legacy: The Epistula Apostolorum and its Editors’; respondent: Simon Gathercole (UK).
2. The Greek of the New Testament (convenors: Paul Danove, Jesús Peláez and James Voelz). (a) Paul Danove (USA), ‘The Grammaticalisation of Communication by New Testament Verbs and Nouns’; (b) Bradley McLean (Canada), ‘The Semiology of Louw and Nida's Greek–English Lexicon and the Semiotic Theory of Louis Hjelmslev’; (c) Kyriakoula Papademetriou (Greece), ‘On the New Testament Use of ἵνα as a Conjunction Introducing Substantive Clauses: A Possible Latinism’.
3. Inhalte und Probleme einer neutestamentlichen Theologie (convenors: Christof Landmesser and Mark Seifrid). (a) Richard Hays (USA – in absentia), ‘“The Redeemer of Israel”: Scriptural Reception as Key to Luke's Christology’; (b) Dieter Sänger (Germany), ‘Dialogische Kanonizität: Altes Testament und Neues Testament – eine kontrastive kanonische Einheit’; (c) Mark Seifrid (USA), ‘Listening to the Law: Hagar, Sarah and the Story of Scripture’.
4. The Johannine Writings (convenors: Jörg Frey, Margareta Gruber and Christos Karakolis). (a) Michael Labahn (Germany), ‘Zeichen, Glaube und Unglaube nach Johannes 12,37ff.’; respondent: Cosmin Prikop (Romania); (b) Andreas Dettwiler (Switzerland), ‘Bedeutung und Funktion des Semeia-Begriffs im Johannesevangelium anhand von Johannes 20,30–1’; respondent: Laura Tack (guest, Belgium); (c) R. Alan Culpepper (USA), ‘Ecclesiological Imagery in John 21.1–14 and the Johannine Semeia’; respondent: Christine Jacobi (guest, Germany).
5. The Development of Early Christian Ethics within its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts (convenors: Matthias Konradt and William Loader). (a) David Downs (USA), ‘Physical Weakness, Illness and Death in 1 Corinthians 11.30: The Ethics of Overeating and Deprivation in Pauline and Early Christianity’; respondent: Matthias Konradt (Germany); (b) Richard Burridge (UK), ‘Poverty and Wealth in Luke-Acts’; respondent: David Moessner (USA); (c) John Collins (USA – in absentia), ‘Social Ethics in Apocalyptic Perspective: The Case of the Epistle of Enoch’; respondent: Markus Bockmuehl (UK).
6. The Mission and Expansion of Earliest Christianity (convenors: Eugene Eung-Chun Park, Paul Trebilco and Gosnell Yorke). (a) Peter-Ben Smit (Netherlands), ‘Marginal Masculinities and Early Christian Mission’; (b) Terence L. Donaldson (Canada), ‘Ethnē (“Gentiles”) as an Ascribed Identity: What Did Non-Jewish Christ-Believers Make of It?’; respondent: Gosnell Yorke (Zambia); (c) Paul Trebilco (New Zealand), ‘Salvation, Gift and Mission in 1 John: Unconditioned, but not Unconditional’.
7. Hebrews (convenors: Christian Eberhart and Wolfgang Kraus). (a) James Thompson (USA), ‘Eschatology in Hebrews: Working Title’; respondent: Gert Steyn (Germany); (b) Gabriella Gelardini (Switzerland), ‘Eschatologie im Hebräerbrief: Arbeitstitel’; respondent: Edwin Broadhead (USA); (c) Elena Belenkaja (guest, Germany), ‘Räumliche und zeitliche Aspekte der Eschatologie im Hebräerbrief’; respondent: John Ekem (Ghana).
8. Social History and the New Testament (convenors: Hermut Löhr, Markus Öhler and Anders Runesson). (a) Anders Runesson (Norway), ‘Space, Ritual and Politics in (the Reconstruction of) the Ancient Synagogue: An Exploration of the Historical Archive’; (b) Laura Nasrallah (USA), ‘Letter-Writing as Technology: New Testament, Epigraphy and Empire’; (c) John Kloppenborg (Canada), ‘Social Networks and the Diffusion of Ancient Elective Cults’.
9. Early Jewish Theologies and the New Testament (convenors: Jens Herzer and Gerbern Oegema). (a) Gerbern Oegema (Canada), ‘Some Considerations about Comparing Ethics in Early Judaism and in the New Testament’; (b) William Loader (Australia), ‘The Intermarriage Issue in Early Jewish Theologies and the New Testament’; (c) Lutz Doering (Germany), ‘“And Who is My Neighbour?” Revisiting the Love Commandment and the Golden Rule in Ancient Judaism’.
10. Reconsidering Literarkritik of the Pauline Letters and its Impact on their Interpretation (convenors: Eve-Marie Becker and Reimund Bieringer). (a) Peter Arzt-Grabner (Austria), ‘Der Kompilationsprozess aus Sicht der Dokumentarischen Papyrologie’; (b) Paul Duff (USA), ‘Tracking Titus and Chronicling the Collection: 2 Corinthians 8 and 9’; (c) Paul Holloway (USA), ‘Verum gaudium res severa est: Reflections on the Hermeneutics of Literarkritik’.
11. Papyrology, Epigraphy and the New Testament (convenors: Peter Arzt-Grabner and John Kloppenborg). (a) Lincoln Blumell (USA), ‘The New Testament Text of Didymus the Blind: A Reconsideration of the Tura Papyri and their Text-Critical Value’; respondent: Giovanni Bazzana (USA); (b) Alanna Nobbs (Australia), ‘What's in a Name? Papyrus Evidence for Christian Female Onomastic Practice in Egypt to the Sixth Century’; respondent: Angela Standhartinger (Germany); (c) John Kloppenborg (Canada), ‘Social Networks and the Diffusion of Ancient Elective Cults’.
12. Reading Paul's Letters in Context: Theological and Social-Scientific Approaches (convenors: William Campbell and Judith Gundry). (a) Christopher Stanley (USA), ‘Paul the Cosmopolitan: A Post-Colonial Analysis’; (b) Kathy Ehrensperger (Germany), ‘The politeuma in the Heavens and the Construction of Collective Identity in Philippians’; (c) Robert Brawley, Anders Runesson and Ekkehard Stegemann, Panel review of W. S. Campbell, The Nations in the Divine Economy (Lexington: Fortress, 2018).
13. New Testament Textual Criticism (convenors: Claire Clivaz, Ulrich Schmid and Tommy Wasserman). (a) Jennifer Knust (USA), ‘New Testament Textual Criticism as Exegesis: Test Cases from the Gospel of John’; respondent: Claire Clivaz (Switzerland); (b) Klaus Wachtel (Germany), ‘An Interactive Textual Commentary on Acts’; respondent: Michael Holmes (USA); (c) Juan Hernández (USA), ‘The Exegesis and Textual History of the Apocalypse in Light of Recent Advances’; respondent: Tommy Wasserman (Sweden).
14. Memory, Narrative and Christology in the Synoptic Gospels (convenors: Samuel Byrskog, Stephen Hultgren and Jens Schröter). (a) Alan Kirk (USA), ‘Bios Elements in the Double Tradition’; (b) Torsten Jantsch (Germany), ‘Jerusalem as “Realm of Memory” (lieu de mémoire) in Luke-Acts’; (c) Samuel Byrskog (Sweden), ‘A Hermeneutics of Memory: Some Suggestions for Future Research’.
15. Philo and Early Christianity (convenors: Per Jarle Bekken and Greg Sterling). (a) Per Jarle Bekken (Norway), ‘Philo and Paul in Jewish Negotiations on Abraham: Fresh Observations on Common Exegetical Traditions and Motifs’; respondent: A. Andrew Das (USA); (b) Ilaria Ramelli (USA): ‘Philo and Paul on Soteriology and Eschatology’; respondent: Gregory E. Sterling (USA); (c) Volker Rabens (Germany): ‘Philo and Paul: A Comparison of their Respective Pneumatologies’; respondent: Per Jarle Bekken (Norway).
16. Acta Politica: The Book of Acts and the Political Culture of the Roman Empire (convenors: Knut Backhaus, Carl Holladay and Daniel Marguerat). (a) Loveday Alexander (UK), ‘Ekklēsia and Empire: Social Networks and the Shape of the Church in Acts’; respondent: Carl Holladay (USA); (b) Daniel Marguerat (Switzerland), ‘Les Actes, construction d'une mémoire sociale / Acts as a Construction of Social Memory’; respondent: Knut Backhaus (Germany); (c) Lukas Bormann (Germany), ‘From Centre to Periphery: Jerusalem in Luke-Acts / Vom Zentrum zur Peripherie: Jerusalem im lukanischen Schrifttum’; respondent: Peter-Ben Smit (Netherlands).
17. Resurrection: New Methods and Approaches (convenors: Shelly Matthews and Daniel Smith). (a) Outi Lehtipuu (Finland), ‘Resurrection, Polemics and Identity’; respondent: Judith Lieu (UK); (b) Shelly Matthews (USA), ‘Resurrection, Politics and Justice’; respondent: Yii-Jan Lin (guest, USA); (c) Daniel Smith (Canada), ‘The Resurrection of Jesus: Questions, Comparators, Approaches’; respondent: Lidija Novakovic (USA).
The Business Meetings
At the two Business Meetings of the Society, members formally elected Prof. John Kloppenborg (Canada) to the post of President for the 74th General Meeting in Marburg, Germany in 2019 (until which time he assumes the office of President-Elect). The Committee intimated the nomination of Prof. Margaret Mitchell (USA) to the post of President at the 75th General Meeting in Rome, Italy in 2020. She becomes Presidential Nominee until the 2019 General Meeting in Marburg, when her nomination will be put to the vote by the Society.
Profs. Judith Gundry (USA) and Tobias Nicklas (Germany) retired from the Committee at the conclusion of the General Meeting in Athens. Prof. Knut Backhaus (Germany) was elected as a replacement and will serve on the Committee for a period of three years. A further replacement will be nominated at the General Meeting in Marburg.
The Society received the Treasurer's Report and formally accepted the statement of accounts as presented by the Treasurer, Prof. Kathy Ehrensperger (Germany). Members were reminded that the collection of membership fees was being processed electronically by CUP. Members were encouraged to register and make payments online. Prof. Ehrensperger finishes her term as Treasurer at the end of 2018 and was warmly thanked for her valuable contribution to the Society. Prof. Paul Foster (UK) was elected to succeed her as Treasurer from 2019, for a period of five years.
The Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives, Prof. William R. G. Loader (Australia), reported on the work of the various liaison committees (the Eastern European Liaison Committee, the African Liaison Committee, the Asia Pacific Liaison Committee and the Latin America Caribbean Liaison Committee). The main goals of the international initiatives of the Society remain to promote the scholarly study of the New Testament in all parts of the world, to expand the Society's footprint internationally, and to increase its membership in regions where it is underrepresented. Important elements of this international work include authorising funding to provide sponsorships to assist members and approved guests from the Liaison Committees’ regions to participate in the General Meeting, and to assist with the running of an annual pre-conference. Prof. Loader finishes his term as Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives at the end of 2018. He was elected to serve a second term of five years from 2019.
The Editor of New Testament Studies, Prof. Francis Watson (UK), reported that 124 articles had been submitted to the Journal over the past year; 25 of these had been accepted for publication. Loveday Alexander (UK), Lutz Doering (Germany), Bernardo Estrada (Italy), Judith Hartenstein (Germany), Bruce Longenecker (USA) and Peter-Ben Smit (Netherlands) were due to retire from the Board at the end of 2018. To replace these members, the Editorial Board nominated, and the Society elected, pending appointment by the Press, the following members to serve in their place, for the period January 2019 – December 2021: Christoph Heil (Austria), Matthew Novenson (UK), Mikeal Parsons (USA), Catrin Williams (UK), Arie Zwiep (Netherlands). The Society was reminded that Dr. Simon Gathercole (UK) had been elected to succeed Prof. Watson as Editor of the Journal, from January 2019. Prof. Watson was warmly thanked for his service to the Society over the past five years.
The Editor of the Monograph Series, Prof. Edward Adams (UK), reported that three monographs had been published since the previous General Meeting, two volumes were in production, and four further projects had been, or were about to be, contracted.
The Society received with regret news of the deaths of the following: Profs. Tjitze Baarda (August 2017 – President in Montreal 2001); Dafydd Davies (December 2017); Andrie du Toit (July 2018 – President in Lund 2008); Joachim Gnilka (January 2018); John Hinnells (May 2018); Richard Jeske (July 2018); William Morrice (March 2017); David Peabody (June 2018); James Perkin (December 2017); Wolfgang Schrage (October 2017); Gerhard Sellin (September 2017); Douglas Templeton (August 2017); Alexander [Sandy] Wedderburn (March 2018). Members observed a minute's silence in memory of these scholars.
The following thirty-four New Testament scholars were elected to the Society: Dr Bartosz Adamczewski, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University Warsaw (Poland); Prof. Soham Al-Suadi, University of Rostock (Germany); Dr Alicia Batten, University of Waterloo (Canada); Dr Mary Ann Beavis, University of Saskatchewan (Canada); Prof. Francesco Bianchini, Pontificia Università Urbaniana (Italy); Dr D. Jeffrey Bingham, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (USA); Dr Thomas Blanton, IV, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (USA); Prof. Gary M. Burge, Calvin Theological Seminary (USA); Dr Simon Butticaz, University of Lausanne (Switzerland); Dr Constantine R. Campbell, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (USA); Dr Stephen Chester, North Park University (USA); Dr Michael Cover, Marquette University (USA); Dr Brandon D. Crowe, Westminster Theological Seminary (USA); Dr Michal Beth Dinkler, Yale University Divinity School (USA); Prof. Predrag Dragutinovic, University of Belgrade (Serbia); Prof. Eva Ebel, Institut Unterstrass of the University of Education of Zurich (Switzerland); Dr Wolfgang Grünstäudl, University of Wuppertal (Germany); Dr Anni Hentschel, Wolfgang-Von-Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main (Germany); Dr Martina Janßen, University of Göttingen (Germany); Prof. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow, University of Oslo (Norway); Dr Steven John Kraftchick, Emory University (USA); Dr Michael J. Kruger, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC (USA); Dr Francisco Lozada, Jr., Brite Divinity School (USA); Prof. Teresa Morgan, University of Oxford (UK); Prof. B. J. Oropeza, Azusa Pacific University (USA); Prof. Benjamin Schliesser, University of Bern (Switzerland); Dr Scott Shauf, Gardner-Webb University (USA); Dr Hyeon Woo Shin, Chongsin University, Seoul (South Korea); Dr Christopher W. Skinner, Loyola University (USA); Prof. Michael Sommer, Universität Halle-Wittenberg (Germany); Dr Alexey Somov, Institute for Bible Translation (Russia); Dr Osvaldo Vena, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary (USA); Dr Cecilia Wassén, Uppsala University (Sweden); Prof. Mark Wilson, Stellenbosch University (South Africa).
Prof. Carl Holladay (Past President) summarised the preliminary findings of the 2018 Working Group, which had been analysing the 2017 Members Questionnaire on the Future and Shape of the Society. Delegates were invited to offer further feedback, and the President announced that the current state of the consultation will also be communicated to members of the Society in the November Newsletter, with a continuing invitation to contribute viewpoints. The consultation will be finalised during the General Meeting in Marburg (2019).
Social Events
On the final night there was a Farewell Dinner at the Zafeiro Experience. There were optional excursions on the Saturday to various places of cultural, historic and local interest.
Future General Meetings
The Society will hold its annual General Meeting in Marburg, Germany in 2019, in Rome, Italy in 2020, and in Melbourne, Australia in 2021.
1.1.2019
