OCTOBER 25-26, 2018
This colloquium celebrates the contributions of STM鈥檚 Scripture faculty to Catholic biblical scholarship, and the publication of the听Paulist Biblical Commentary听(Paulist Press, 2018), a single-volume commentary written to be accessible to a wide range of readers and pastoral ministers. Dean Stegman and听 colloquium presenters are contributors to and coeditors of the commentary;听 STM faculty respondents are also contributors to the volume.
Scripture in the Life of the Church (Keynote)听-听Luke Timothy Johnson,听Robert W. Woodruff Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Christian Origins, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
The texts that have come to be known as Scripture are the product of a sensus ecclesiae, or a sense among the body of the church that the canonized writings reflect an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit鈥檚 influence.听 The Bible鈥檚 collection has provided a source of continuity throughout the history of the Church.听 How can we renew our engagement with the Scriptures as a source of vitality for the Church of the future?
The Old Testament in the Christian Bible (Session 1)听-听Presenter:听Richard J. Clifford, S.J.,听Respondent:听Michael Simone, S.J.,听Moderator:听听Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.
The Old Testament serves as more than mere background to the New, but is a constant reference point for the theology and narrative emerging in the Christian Scriptures. The entire canon is unified by a principle of returning to remember origins, as a way of getting clarity on God鈥檚 working in the world. An example of this is in the Exodus with its liberation, covenant, and blessing repeated in the ministry of Jesus par excellence. The process of re-lecture, reading the traditional text in emerging contexts, in action as well as intellectually, continues in the Church today.
The Bible and Justice (Session 2)听-听Presenter:听Carol Dempsey, O.P.,听Respondent:听Andrew R. Davis,听Moderator:听听Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.
When considering the issue of scripture and justice, the Bible鈥檚 relevance is found in a dialectic approach, engaging with it as a product of the contexts it has emerged from, as well as the demands of our own context. This means both understanding how the biblical text and it鈥檚 concern for justice can inform contemporary issues of justice as well as the Bible鈥檚 contributions to the injustices we are facing today. Rather than a sterile abstraction, the biblical concept of justice demands concrete actions and systems. Scripture also models for us the need to engage with difficult questions, even pertaining to God鈥檚 justice.
Prayer Texts in the Bible (Session 3)听-听Presenter:听Eileen Schuller, O.S.U.,听Respondent:听Matthew Monnig, S.J.,听Moderator:听Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.
This lecture explores some of the 70-year history of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship, with particular focus on psalms and other prayer texts.听 In an effort to understand the prayer life of Jews in the time of Jesus, reading the Qumran texts revealed that there听was a rich and ongoing tradition of composing new, psalms, prayers, and other poetic texts that were modeled on the biblical Psalms.听 The content and structure of these texts, including small portable copies, manifest a diversity of uses and liturgical practices.
The Bible in the Church鈥檚 Liturgy (Session 4)听听-听Presenter:听Ronald D. Witherup, P.S.S., Respondent:听Brian Dunkle, S.J., Moderator:听Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.
Since the Reformation there has been a perceived tension between Scripture and Sacrament, but in reality the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist belong together.听 Instead the liturgy is the privileged context for hearing the inspired Word, many of the Vatican II reforms focused on making the Mass more scriptural.听 Thus the Word and Eucharist together engage the participants in prayer and an encounter with Christ.听 If the liturgy can be made more scriptural, can reading the Bible then be made more liturgical?