Full Report on Secret Gospel Conference

Update: Secret unveiled here.

Here and There around the internets

A couple of things worth noting:

a) The British Library online catalogue of illuminated Hebrew manuscripts is almost finished (as noted here, with a couple of images);

b) Claremont have posted images of (most of) the Nag Hammadi codices (and pretty good images at that, although so far I haven't found any of the whole codices and bindings yet) (HT: April DeConick);

c) Roger Pearse posts an interesting disussion of Persian Christian Manuscripts (including a link to a Russian PhD bu A. Pritula which has an English summary and an index of manuscripts) and another one here;

d) Rob Bradshaw posts a pdf of George I. Mavrodes on 'The Inspiration of the Autographs' EvQ 1969 (which is an interesting and critical discussion of this idea);

e) The recent conference of the Secret Gospel of Mark does not seem to have had a lot of blogging about it (but check out Timo Paananen's up-date and see Tony Burke's promise);

f) The programme for the International SBL in London is on-line here (lots of interesting papers; I haven't excerpted all the TC, perhaps someone else already has).

g) Papers have been accepted for SBL in San Francisco so perhaps we could compile some TC papers in the comments (don't be shy now).

h) Drew Longacre has collected a load of links to Hebrew biblical manuscripts with images online (brilliant: see the first comment below).

SBL GNT Acts 13:43

I'm compiling a list of errata to the SBL Greek New Testament. One of the oddest things I've found is the raised point after ἔπειθον in Acts 13:43. I cannot but assume this is a typo, though perhaps someone (Mike?) can persuade me otherwise. I'd be grateful to hear about other mistakes which people have found and I'll add them to my complete list (I've only read mid-way through Acts so far and so won't publish them all now.)

SBL Receives a NEH Grant to Build Interactive Website

Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) pressrelease:

SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE AWARDED FUNDS TO BUILD PUBLIC WEBSITE

ATLANTA -- We are pleased to announce that the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) was awarded a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to build an interactive website that invites general audiences to engage with biblical scholarship.

This is a rare opportunity for the SBL to speak to the continued importance of the Bible in modern culture and to communicate the value that biblical scholars bring to the study of the Bible and to the humanities.

The NEH review process includes peer review along with deliberation by the National Council on the Humanities. The award announcement described the grant recipients as highlighting the breadth of high-caliber humanities projects and research supported by the Endowment. “These projects represent some of the most innovative work happening in the humanities today,” said Jim Leach, Chairman of the NEH.

The site will begin production immediately, with a planned launch in 2013. Once completed, the site will become a powerful public platform for SBL members to speak directly to new audiences and to gain a stronger voice in the public square when questions arise about the Bible and its contexts.

“This is a huge opportunity for SBL to showcase the work of biblical scholars, educate and engage the public, and foster biblical scholarship,” said John Kutsko, executive director of SBL. “It also goes without saying that this award comes at a time of increasing pressure on the public support of the humanities at the state and federal levels. Thus, the award commitment is all the more significant in this context, and we are all the more grateful that the NEH has made us stewards of their support of scholarship, education, and the humanities.”

A strong team of SBL staff and members, led by Kent Richards, executive director emeritus, advised the project to its current status, and S2N Media developed the prototype site. For further information contact: Moira Bucciarelli, mbucciarelli@sblsite.org.

The Hook

I'm doing a bit of work on the "apostrophe" or "hook" between double consonants, which is interesting in its implications for the date of various manuscripts, such as P66 and the Koeln ms. of the "Unknown Gospel". There is a standard view trotted out that this is a third-century feature, but Comfort and Barrett have given a few examples of earlier (C2, one poss. C1) papyri with it. Does anyone know of any others?

Reviews of Philip Payne's Man and Woman, One in Christ

Two reviews of Philip Payne's monograph, Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009) refer to "the distigmai affair" on the ETC blog, as raised by Peter Head's SBL paper which I summarized here and here. (For Payne's "long series of response's on the blog, see here.)

The first is a review article by Thomas R. Schreiner, "Philip Payne on Familiar Ground," is published in Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood Volume 15 No. 1 (Spring 2010): 33-46. The journal is a biannual publication of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (ISSN: 1544-5143).

Read online here or PDF here.

The second is an on-line review by Jim Hamilton published 19 April on his blog, "For His Renown" here.

Another review by Craig Blomberg is found on-line here (with Payne's very long response in the comment section).