Lunch at ETS!

It's that time of year again. We've been emailing behind the scenes about an SBL blog dinner and have yet to come up with a solution, but rest assured, we're working on it. That being said, we know that some people come to ETS and not SBL, and we want to have an opportunity to get together with this crowd, too.

May I propose that we all walk to some place nearby for lunch on Wednesday, 19 November after the TC/Canon section on Christology in the Apocryphal Gospels that morning (according to the ETS app: Copley Place - Fourth Floor: Hyannis). We'll plan on leaving at 11:45 AM, so be there and plan accordingly. On the map, I saw a Raising Cane's and a Shake Shack nearby. I'm sure there are other good places as well, and having our lunch on Wednesday will give us the day before to walk around and get some good ideas for where to go. Legend has it that the Wizard of Byz might even make an appearance.

ETC Blog Lunch at ETS

ETS and SBL are nearly upon us. Normally we have a dinner at SBL (I am not in charge of that, and I am waiting to hear more about if/when we can do that this year), and the past few times ETS has met, Peter Gurry has organized an ETC lunch at ETS.

Unfortunately for us all, my co-conspirator won't be at ETS this year, so y'all are left with me. I am really, really bad at picking things like restaurants for this. I would LOVE it if one of our readers would step in and help make it happen. I'll take the first step and propose a time and date.

For anybody who is at ETS and is interested in textual criticism, let's have lunch together on Wednesday, 17 November at 12:45. Let's meet outside the bookstore (because let's be honest, that's the one place that all of us are going to know how to find), and then hopefully someone who knows the area better than me and knows what places are open/what restrictions there are can suggest a good place for us to eat. Feel free to research beforehand and come with ideas.

I'll be there. Who will join me?

ETC blog lunch at ETS and a list of ETS TC sessions

For a few years, we've been having an informal lunch at ETS to get together and talk about manuscripts with a group of people who might not be staying for SBL. The ETS lunch is much less formal than the ETC Blog Dinner at SBL. We usually gather around lunch time, walk over to somewhere that has fast food and get something cheap and easy.

Lunch!

Peter Gurry is usually the one who organizes an ETC lunch, but because he won't be there this year it has (unfortunately) fallen to me. One problem is that I didn't go to ETS/SBL when they were in San Diego a few years ago, and Google Maps isn't being particularly helpful to me for finding a good place for a group to eat quickly and cheaply. Since I have no idea what would be a good solution there, here is what I propose:

1. Please don't suggest places in the comments—save recommendations for when we're there. If you suggest things in the comments, then I have to look them up on the map and see if they work, and without being there and being able to see the layout of everything, it just isn't good for how my brain works. Thank you for understanding.

2. We meet outside the room: Third Floor – Mission Beach BC at 11:50 AM on Thursday, 21 Nov. after this paper, which is in that room: John J. H. Lee (McMaster Divinity College) The Earth and Its Works Will be Disclosed, or Not? – A Text-Critical Analysis of 2 Pet 3:10. I figure many of us will be there at that time already.

3. We can quickly decide where to go from there.

Let us know in the comments if you plan to be there so we can look out for you.
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I tried to find the sessions relevant to textual criticism and canon formation and list them here. Please do mention any that I missed in the comments. Locations are as given in the ETS online program book.

Wednesday, 20 Nov.
9:00 AM-12:10 PM New Testament Synoptic Gospels I Lobby Level – Marina Room
9:50 AM—10:30 AM Sarah Harris (Carey Baptist College) The Lukan Major Textual Variants included in the THGNT

Wednesday, 20 Nov.
2:00 PM-5:10 PM Septuagint Studies Second Floor – Gaslamp D
2:00 PM—2:40 PM Aaron W. White (First Presbyterian Church, South Charleston, Ohio) More Than A Counselor: A Possible Origin of the Longer Reading in Codex Alexadrinus Is. 9:5b
2:50 PM—3:30 PM Darlene M. Seal (McMaster Divinity College) Prophetic Dialogue: Shepherd Allusions in Old Greek Zech 9–14 and Their Role in the Discourse
3:40 PM—4:20 PM August H Konkel (McMaster Divinity College) Septuagint Text Criticism to Show Theological Development and New Testament Interpretation

Thursday, 21 Nov.
8:30 AM-11:40 AM New Testament Canon, Textual Criticism, & Apocryphal Literature Third Floor – Mission Beach BC
8:30 AM—9:10 AM Chris S. Stevens (McMaster Divinity College) Paul as Publisher of His Corpus and What That Means for Canon Formation
9:20 AM—10:00 AM Sylvie Raquel (Trinity International University) To Forgive or Not To Forgive? A reevaluation of Luke 23:34a.
10:10 AM—10:50 AM Benjamin Laird (Liberty University) The Early Canonical Reception of Hebrews in Western Christianity
11:00 AM—11:40 AM John J. H. Lee (McMaster Divinity College) The Earth and Its Works Will be Disclosed, or Not? – A Text-Critical Analysis of 2 Pet 3:10

[ETC blog lunch lunch here.]

Thursday, 21 Nov.
3:00 PM-6:10 PM New Testament Canon, Textual Criticism, & Apocryphal Literature Para-textual Features of Early Christian Manuscripts Third Floor – Mission Beach BC
3:00 PM—3:40 PM Dirk Jongkind (Tyndale House, Cambridge) Marking Scripture in New Testament Manuscripts
3:50 PM—4:30 PM Stanley E. Porter (McMaster Divinity College) The New Philology and Its Implications for Contemporary Manuscript Study
4:40 PM—5:20 PM Elijah Hixson (Tyndale House, Cambridge) Scribal Awareness of Textual Variants
5:30 PM—6:10 PM Charles E. Hill (Reformed Theological Seminary) The Capitulatio Vaticana The First Numbered Chapter System for the Bible

Thursday, 21 Nov.
8:00 PM–9:00 PM ETS Presidential Address Second Floor – Seaport ABCDE
Michael J. Kruger (Reformed Theological Seminary) 2 Peter 3:2, the Apostolate, and a Bi-Covenantal Canon

Friday, 22 Nov.
1:00 PM-4:10 PM New Testament Backgrounds, Canon, and Textual Criticism Third Floor – Hillcrest A
2:40 PM—3:20 PM Daniel L. McConaughy (California State University Northridge) Syriac Witnesses to Acts Fifteen from Patristic Citations and Biblical and Lectionary MSS
3:30 PM—4:10 PM Jonathan C. Borland (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) In the Presence of Two or Three (Greek) Witnesses: A Look at Par. Nat. Gr. 194/Gregory-Aland 304

Third Annual ETC Lunch at ETS

In Cambridge they used to say that it only takes three years of doing something before you’ve started a new tradition. I don’t know if that’s true, but this year we are going to host our third annual ETC lunch at ETS in Denver, Colorado. Yes, we are planning to do the more famous SBL dinner as well, but we’re still working on details for that. Stay tuned. But, for those who can’t attend SBL, this lunch is a way to informally connect around two of the best things on God’s green earth: textual criticism and American fast food (you heard me right, Brits!).

Yummy

This year, we will plan to meet on Thursday, November 15 at 11:15am. That’s right after the business meeting. Let’s plan to meet in the lobby of the Sheraton where the conference is being held. From there we’ll walk to the Chipotle at 1600 California St. If you’re late to the lobby, just meet us there. There is also a Taco Bell and a Jason’s Deli nearby if high-calorie, overstuffed burritos are not your thing.

Please, do me a favor and leave a note in the comments if you plan to come. That gives us some idea of how many to look for. Hope to see you there!

Second Annual ETC Lunch at ETS

Last year we started a new tradition with an ETC lunch at ETS (Evangelical Theological Society). It was good fun so I thought we should do it again. This is especially for those who can’t attend SBL and our famed annual dinner. It’s a good time to eat cheap American fast food and discuss textual criticism—what could be better?

This year we will plan to meet on Friday, November 17th at 11:15 am in the lobby of the Rhode Island Convention Center. From there we will head over to the Providence Place food court. Sadly, there is no Whataburger there. But, as a slight consolation, Pete Head should be joining us this time around. After lunch you can make your way over to Omni Providence room I for our special session on TC and Evangelical apologetics and hear from three of the five ETC Petes. All are welcome!

Foodcourt at Providence Place

Do leave a comment if you plan to come so that you won’t get left behind (and I don’t mean in the dispensationalist sense).

First Annual ETC Lunch at ETS

Next week is the annual ETS and SBL conferences in San Antonio. If you have never been to the annual ETC blog dinner at SBL, this is your year to come. I think you’ll find that folks are welcoming and friendly. It’s a great time.

Glory

But I also know that some people, including some blog contributors, only attend ETS and so don’t get to participate in the dinner. So this year I thought we should try something new: the first annual ETC lunch at ETS. Sadly, there won’t be any speeches, but we can still enjoy some good food and good conversation.

The plan is to meet up in the Grand Hyatt lobby after the ETC business meeting on Thursday, November 17th around 11:15 am. At 11:30, we’ll head down Commerce St. to find some place to eat—probably Whataburger because it has been too long since I had their delicious, cheap beef.

I know that Maurice Robinson and I will be there and possibly a few other blog contributors if they can make it. If you want to come, do me a favor by leaving a comment saying you’re interested or shoot me an email. That will give me some idea of how many to expect See you then!

Update

Be sure to ask the folks at the Zondervan booth about my new book Four Views on Four Views Books. I contributed all four views so it should give a great overview of all the major positions among Evangelicals on the topic.

Update 2

I should have noted that Dan Wallace’s presidential address is Wednesday night at 8:00 pm and should be of particular interest to readers: “Medieval Manuscripts and Modern Evangelicals: Lessons from the Past, Guidance for the Future.”