On the last weekend in November biblical scholars from around the world were gathered in San Diego, USA, for the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. This is the largest conference for biblical scholars in the world, with around 5000 participants. Among them were 11 scholars from the VID research group, CollECT, of which nine presented their own research. Three of those who presented papers are PhD students at the Centre for Mission and Global Studies.
Make connections
– Why do you think it is a good idea for a PhD student to come to SBL?
– I would say to make connections and to get feedback on your work. So that is why I decided to present a paper here. I am looking forward to it, but I am also nervous because it is my first time, said Brury Eko Saputra, who is from Indonesia. He presented research connected to his ongoing PhD project on Paul's letter to the Corinthians.
Charlotte Sibayoini is also at SBL for the first time as a PhD student from South Africa.
– I am not presenting, but it was nice to come here and meet scholars. I study Bible and film, and I heard a presentation by a scholar whose work I have on my desk. It was nice to put a face to the work I am currently working on. This field is new to me, so it was good to get more information. Now when I go back to the articles, I know that I am engaging with the right scholars. So, for me it has been a nice learning curve.
Scholars from around the world
Another PhD student who presented at the conference is Medhat Yossef from Egypt.
– I decided to come to SBL to learn about new updates in my field. I think all the new ideas are presented here, so this is the best place to have updates. Then you can relate it to your own work. I presented a paper on the book of Isaiah. At this conference you meet scholars from around the world and you can discuss your project with them.
Variety of scholarship
Among the participants from VID was also Knut Holter. He has been coming to this conference since the 1990s, and still finds it worthwhile.
– I don’t know how many times I have been here, but to me it is a very important place to be because of the variety of scholarship that is presented here. I can go to the African biblical hermeneutics session, but also to sessions where more traditional biblical scholarship is presented. Everything is present here.
One of the sessions at the conference was a celebration of Knut Holter’s scholarship. At the African biblical hermeneutics session, the Festschrift that came out last year in celebration of Holter’s 65th birthday was presented. Colleagues from VID and around the world gave tribute to Holter’s scholarship on the Bible in Africa and the impact it has had on the field (picture below).
