September 2007 (PDF) - Classical & Near Eastern Studies ...

Update on Sanctified Violence
Conference
Fall 2007
by Calvin Roetzel
In this past year I have tried to live by the adage of one of my professors:
we will read papers on the topics and primary materials discussed
"It is better to wear out than to rust out." At present, I at the Conference, and after the conference we will meet to hear
might like a bit more rust, but seriously it has been a great year. short individual presentations on selected papers. Thanks to a
The commentary on 2 Corinthians will be out within the month (7
years late, my fault), and in November a Festschrift that I co-edited
will appear to honor Jouette Bassler, an important Pauline
scholar, great friend, and a brilliant and funny conversation partner.
Most of the year, has been devoted to tasks related to the
Conference, "Sanctified Violence in Ancient Mediterranean
Religions" (Oct 6-8, CECC, St. Paul Campus). There were grants to
write, money
COPE grant the Conference will also allow persons from selected
religious communities and organizations (mosques, synagogues,
churches, institutes and centers) to sit in on this academic discussion
of one of the most important issues of the day. All of this simply
could not have been possible without the assistance of colleagues
in CNES who have volunteered to help, without the
patient and diligent effort of the office staff (Barbara Lehnhoff,
V i c t o r i a
to raise (and
Keller, and
not raise!),
A d a m
organization
to do, a related
Mielke) and
the organiza-
graduate
tional skills,
seminar to
soft touch,
t e a c h ,
" R e l i g i o u s
and positive
spirit of Kate
Violence in
G a l l a g h e r
the Roman
who is the
World," etc.
chief organizer
Because of
for the
my part in the
conference,
this conference
and Peter
I was
Haugen who
invited to
has done a
respond to
fantastic job
three papers
on publicity
at the Annual
and other
Meeting of
menial tasks.
the SBL on
Please check
"Paul and
the website
Cal Roetzel on a bridge crossing the Kok River located in the Northwest Region of Thailand.
V i o l e n c e , "
Kate has created:
and also due to this connection I was invited to participate in an
"International Conference on Religion and Culture" at Payap
University in Chiang Mai, Thailand in June. This fall I will teach
a one credit course for undergraduates that entitles them to attend
the Conference free. In addition to getting some of the goodies
usually reserved for graduate students, they will gain a sense of
the way scholarly discourse and exchange function as they see
scholars discuss papers they will have read. In this short seminar,
http://www.sanctifiedviolence.umn.edu. Finally, not enough
good can be said for other members of the planning committee:
Ra'anan Boustan (UCLA), Andy Gallia (UMN), and Alex Jassen
(UMN). Once the Conference was conceived Alex was the first to
volunteer to help. In case you miss the conference the Journal of
the American Academy of Religion editor has expessed an interested
in publishing a special issue of selected papers from the conference.
If you are in town, we would love for you to join us.
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