The Centre for the Bible and Spirituality Hosts an International Symposium of World Experts
Read the Symposium Report
In February 2009 Lloyd had a very fruitful meeting in Stellenbosch with Professor Pieter de Villiers of the University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein who is in charge of their Masters programme on Biblical Spirituality which is the only such programme in the world currently. As a result of the exchange of ideas at this meeting and subsequent conversations over the course of last year (including a visit to the Centre by Pieter in October), the work of the Centre has been acknowledged as world leading by colleagues in the field and we were consequently invited to host a ‘World Experts’ Symposium’. This symposium is taking place from 4-6 May at Glenfall House in Cheltenham with invited experts from UFS, the University of Natal and the University of South Africa (Unisa) together with speakers from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. In addition, the three biblical scholars who are members of the Centre (Andrew Lincoln, Gordon McConville and Lloyd Pietersen) have been invited to give papers. The two keynote papers are being given by Andrew Lincoln and Kees Waaijman of Nijmegen who is the author of the magisterial, 968 page work, Spirituality: Forms, Foundations, Methods (Leuven: Peeters, 2002).
We are delighted to have secured a grant of £1,500 from the Bible Society towards the costs of the symposium. The Bible Society will be sending two observers. The full programme is as follows:
4 May
| 4pm |
Arrival |
| 6.30pm |
Dinner |
| 7.45 - 8pm |
Formal welcome & opening (Shelley Saguaro) |
| 8pm - 9.30pm |
Andrew Lincoln (Gloucestershire): ‘Spirituality in a Secular Age: The Potential Contribution of Charles Taylor to Thinking about the Bible and Spirituality’ |
5 May
| 9.15 - 10.15am |
Huub Welzen (Nijmegen): Contours of Biblical Spirituality as a Discipline. |
| 10.15 - 11.15am |
Pieter de Villiers (UFS): ‘The Resurrection in the Light of Biblical Spirituality’ |
| 11.15am - 11.45am |
Coffee |
| 11.45am - 12.45pm |
Gordon McConville (Gloucestershire): ‘Happiness in the Psalms’ |
| 12.45 - 2pm |
Lunch |
| 2pm - 3pm |
Celia Kourie (Unisa): ‘A Mystical Reading of Paul’ |
| 3pm - 3.30pm |
Plenary discussion on the way forward (Business Meeting 1) |
| 3.30pm - 4pm |
Tea |
| 4pm - 5pm |
Francois Tolmie (UFS): ‘The Spirituality of the Letter to the Galatians’ |
| 5pm - 6pm |
Lloyd Pietersen (Gloucestershire): ‘Spirituality as “Good Christian Citizenship” in the Pastoral Epistles?’ |
| 6.30pm |
Dinner |
| 8pm - 9pm |
Kees Waaijman (Nijmegen): ‘Biblical Spirituality –A “Different” Reading’ |
| 9pm - 9.30pm |
Plenary discussion on the way forward (Business Meeting 2) |
6 May
| 9.15 - 10.15am |
Paul Decock (Natal): ‘Origen of Alexandria as Guide to a Spiritual Reading of the Scriptures for today?’ |
| 10.15 - 11.15am |
Jos Huls (Nijmegen): ‘Conrad's Allegorical Reading of 1 Samuel 14. An Analysis of a Sermon of Conrad of Saint Georges on the Worthy Reception of the Holy Sacrament’ |
| 11.15 - 11.45am |
Coffee |
| 11.45am - 12.45pm |
Plenary discussion of a Biblical passage (Luke 1:26-38). Introduction (20 minutes)—Huub Welzen (Nijmegen): ‘Exegetical Analyses and Spiritual Readings of the Story of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38)’ |
| 12.45 - 2pm |
Lunch |
| 2pm - 3pm |
Plenary discussion of exegetical passage (continued) |
| 3pm - 4.30pm |
Plenary discussion on the way forward (Business Meeting 3) |
| 4.30 - 4.45pm |
Vote of thanks (Andrew Lincoln) |
| 4.45pm |
Tea and Departure |
It is anticipated that proceedings of the symposium will be published as an edited volume with Lloyd and Pieter de Villiers as joint editors. Furthermore, the plenary discussions will consider future collaborative work on a series of ground-breaking volumes in the field of the Bible and Spirituality |