Happy Halloween!

 

SBL Conference iPhone App!

The first-time ever iPhone App for the SBL Annual Meeting is now available in the iPhone App store. To access and download the free application, click here. I’ve been testing the app a bit, and it appears to have onboard the program, a list of presenters, maps, and a module for creating your own schedule. My first impression is that this is a good piece of work and well worth getting. Comments welcome…

Psalm 1 by Earnest Graham

One of the possible lectionary psalm readings for this morning is Psalm 1. Earnest Graham is sharing his graphic-art presentation of the text (click the pages to enlarge). Earnest writes, “This is the first in a series of comic translations of the Psalms that I have started to work on. The Psalms speak to all of life's experiences, and as I enter this project, I look forward to illustrating how God is present to us in the length and width and breadth of life- in the ancient world and today.” Be sure to visit Earnest’s website at www.earnestillustrations.com

The iPhone in Space (Video)

Overview of iOS5 for iPhone

Here is a neet, short overview (from AppAdvice) of the new operating system for the iPhone, available free from Apple:

Neat Llink:

Catherine Elson writes articles for a website dedicated to providing students with the information and tools needed in order to pursue a Masters in Divinity. Recently, she has a post on 25 free online resources for biblical studies. To check it out, click here.

The Seminary’s New Heating and Cooling Plant

Over the summer, much of the VTS campus was dug up to run underground piping for the new campus heating and cooling system. In addition, a major expansion was added to the maintenance building to house the new boilers, coolers, and pumps. Here are some snapshots and a 3-D virtual panorama of the new plant:

Dr. Steve Wiggins Joins Routledge Publishing

My friend and fellow Hebrew Bible Scholar and Episcopalian Steve Wiggins has taken a new position as Religious Studies Editor with Routledge. Hearty Congratulations to Steve. If you have book proposal in the area of Religion, he is now the one to contact:

Steve Wiggins, Editor, Religious Studies, 711 3rd Ave., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10017

Steve.Wiggins@taylorandfrancis.com

MAR-SBL 2012: Call For Papers

CALL FOR PAPERS
2012 SBL Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick
March 15-16, 2012
Proposal Due Date: December 5, 2011

Dear Colleagues,
The Executive Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Society of Biblical Literature (MAR-SBL) cordially invites you to submit proposals for the 2012 MAR-SBL Meeting. The meeting will be held jointly with the Mid-Atlantic and New England/Maritimes Regions of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) on March 15-16, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

We are excited to announce that Dr. P. Kyle McCarter, William Foxwell Albright Professor of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, will serve as our plenary speaker and Dr. Stephen Cook, Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary, will deliver our presidential address.

Please consider offering a paper proposal in any area of biblical studies. Any SBL member may submit a proposal regardless of his or her region. This year’s MAR-AAR/SBL theme is "Interpreting Pluralism and Multiculturalism" (defined broadly). Proposals related to the theme of interpreting pluralism in the biblical text and ancient society and of interpretive pluralism and multiculturalism today are encouraged but not required.

Proposal Guidelines and Submissions
The proposal should state the paper's topic and purpose and give some indication as to how the argument will proceed. Provide enough context to show that you are aware of the basic literature in the field and summarize the argument of your presentation. You may submit only one proposal for the MAR-SBL meeting.

To submit a proposal, find the section that you feel best fits your presentation. See the list at the end of this document. Then, email a 150-250 word proposal (250 words maximum) to the section head for the appropriate section. When sending your email, you MUST title the subject line of your email: “2012 MAR-SBL PAPER PROPOSAL” (use all capital letters). Proposals must include your full name, title, institution (or location), email address, and, as available, your phone number, mobile number, and mailing address. Also, it is very important that you indicate any date or time restrictions that you have when you send your proposal. While we try to accommodate all requests, we cannot guarantee that everyone will present during his or her preferred date/time slot. In general, we assume that those submitting proposals will keep March 17-18 open. Proposals are due on MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011, but we encourage you to submit as soon as possible. Proposals that do not conform to these guidelines may be disregarded. You should be notified by the section head regarding the status your proposal by mid-January 2012.

Each section head will determine the time allotted for each paper presentation. Presentations will generally last 20-25 minutes, although presenters are encouraged to set aside a few minutes of this time to allow for questions. Usually, your final paper to be presented should be about 10 double-spaced, single-sided pages. Please do not exceed your allotted time out of respect for your fellow presenters.

Also, we sincerely regret that we cannot supply any audio-visual equipment due to prohibitive rental costs. So please plan accordingly.

Important Pre-Registration Information
Online preregistration will be available in January through the AAR website (NOT THE SBL WEBSITE). If you are an SBL member, you may still register for the meeting through the AAR website even if you are not an AAR member. Simply check the SBL member box on the online pre-registration form. You will be notified by email when the online preregistration is live. Please utilize the AAR website for registration as it saves paper and helps the region advance the efforts of SBL to foster not only biblical scholarship but also environmental stewardship and fulfill the national AAR mandate to promote environmentally sustainable gatherings.
Presenters are REQUIRED to pre-register for the conference to appear in the program book.

Important Hotel Information
The Hyatt Regency offers online hotel room registration for the regional meeting: click here. In order to receive the discounted conference rate of $119 when booking online, you must reserve your room through this website and NOT through the general Hyatt website.

Alternatively you may call Hyatt Central Reservations at 888-421-1442 to reserve rooms. Please indicate that you are attending the AAR/SBL conference so that you can receive the conference rate. Discounted single and double-occupant hotel rooms ($109 plus state and local taxes) will be held until March 1, 2012. After that date, normal hotel rates will apply. Since only fifty discounted rooms have been reserved for Wednesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 15, and fifteen discounted rooms have been reserved for Friday, March 16, we strongly encourage you to reserve your room early. Parking is available at the Hyatt for conference participants at a discounted rate of $6 a day.
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick
Two Albany Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901Phone: 732-873-1234
Fax: 732-873-1382
http://newbrunswick.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
The New Brunswick Hyatt is three blocks from the local Amtrak/New Jersey Transit station, with trains running from Newark Liberty International Airport, New York City, and Philadelphia (via Trenton).
SBL Conference Awards
MAR-SBL will confer the Howard Clark Kee Award of $100 for the best student paper by an SBL student from the region. We will also participate in the SBL Regional Scholars Program, sponsored by the society-wide conference of Regional Coordinators. Our region's nominee for this honor will receive a $100 prize upfront, in addition to whatever awards and recognition she or he may receive in the society-wide program. To qualify for the SBL Regional Scholars Program scholars should be at least ABD and no more than four years past the receipt of their Ph.D. Women and underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply. Those interested in either of these prizes should copy their full paper to Robert Miller (millerb@cua.edu) when submitting a proposal to the appropriate section head by December 5, 2011. Please clearly indicate: (1) for which prize or prizes you would like to be considered and (2) your exact student status (Kee Award) and/or your exact status between ABD and when you received your Ph.D. (Regional Scholars Program).

List of Sections with Section Head Email

Pentateuch/Law
James Getz, Temple University, jimgetz@temple.edu

Deuteronomistic History/Former Prophets
David Lamb, Biblical Theological Seminary, dlamb@biblical.edu

Latter Prophets
Mark Leuchter, Temple University, mark.leuchter@temple.edu

Wisdom Literature/Writings
John Herbst, Union Presbyterian Seminary, John.Herbst@upsem.edu

Second Temple/Apocalyptic Literature
Matthew Gordley, Regent University, mgordley@regent.edu

Gospels/Acts
Kim Paffenroth, Iona College, kimpaffenroth@msn.com

Epistles
Robert Seesengood, Albright College, rseesengood@alb.edu
and Jason Coker Jason@wiltonbaptist.org

If you are unsure which section best fits your proposal, you may contact our regional coordinator, Robert Miller (millerb@cua.edu). Priority will be given, however, to proposals that best fit with the sections listed above. You may also direct general inquires about the meeting to Robert Miller. All other inquires regarding your proposal should be sent to the appropriate section head.

Regards,
Robert Miller
Mid-Atlantic Region SBL Regional Coordinator