Annual Meeting

2015the New eNglaNd and

easterN CaNada regioN

of the

soCiety of

BiBliCal literature

Friday, April 24, 2015Andover Newton Theological School

Newton Centre, Massachusetts

Annual Meeting

2019THE NEW ENGLAND and

EASTERN CANADA REGION of the

SOCIETY of BIBLICAL LITERATURE

andTHE NEW ENGLAND –

MARITIMES REGION of the AMERICAN ACADEMY of

RELIGION

Friday, March 22, 2019 Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts

The New England – Maritimes Region of the American Academy of Religion, 2018–2019 Steering Committee

Rev. James T. Bretzke, S.J., Marquette University; Regional Coordinator

Ronald R. Bernier, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Past President

Paul Firenze, Wentworth Institute of Technology, PresidentEva Pascal, St. Michael’s College, Vice PresidentBrent Little, Sacred Heart University, SecretaryAlex Mayfield, Boston University, Student Director

The New England and Eastern Canada Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, 2018–2019 Executive Committee

Terms Expiring 2019Yonder M. Gillihan, Boston College; Regional PresidentRobert C. Kashow, Brown University; Regional Student

CoordinatorJacqueline Vayntrub, Yale Divinity School

Terms Expiring 2020Andrew R. Davis, Boston College School of Theology and

MinistryAmelia Devin Freedman, Independent Scholar; Regional

CoordinatorJohn Tracy Thames Jr., University of Connecticut

Terms Expiring 2021Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, College of the Holy CrossPaul Robertson, University of New HampshireAnna Rozonoer, Hellenic College

Student Committee (Flexible Terms)Nazeer Bacchus, Yale Divinity SchoolSarah E. G. Fein, Brandeis UniversityEric Jarrard, Harvard Divinity School

BOOK DISPLAY Anderson Lobby

8:00–4:00

This program has been provided courtesy of Hendrickson Publishers.

2019 Joint Meeting of The New England – Maritimes Region of the American Academy of Religion, and

The New England and Eastern Canada Region of the Society of Biblical Literature

Tufts University Science and Engineering Complex

200 College Avenue Medford, Massachusetts Friday, March 22, 2019

8:00–4:00, BOOK DISPLAY (Anderson Lobby)

8:15–9:00, REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST (Anderson Lobby and Atrium)

9:00–10:20, FIRST CONCURRENT PAPER SESSION

AAR 1: Dynamic Relationality Compared: Jewish and Christian Approaches (Anderson 212)

Presiding: TBAJon Paul Sydnor, Emmanuel College

Dynamic Community of Joy: The Social Trinity in ProcessNatan Margalit, Aleph Ordination Program

Finding God in Complex Systems: A Jewish ApproachAAR 2: God and Anthropology in Christian Theology

(Anderson 306)

Presiding: Austin Kopack, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Ryan Gregg, Harvard UniversitySeductive Selves: Reinhold Niebuhr on Attractive but Wrong Models of Selfhood

Scott P. Rice, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity SchoolKathryn Tanner on the God-World Relation

AAR 3: The Sociology of Online Religion (Anderson 309)

Presiding: Michael Hamilton, Mary Baker Eddy LibraryMollie Johnson, University of North Carolina

Insiders and Former Insiders: A Study of a New Religious Movement’s Online Narratives

Sana Patel, University of OttawaMuslim Millennials and the Intersection of Online/Offline Religion

AAR 4: Grace, Ecology, and Theology (Anderson 312)

Presiding: Thomas Hermans-Webster, Boston UniversityMarla Morris, Georgia Southern University

The Eco-Theology of Post-Human Animal GracePranati Parikh, Harvard University

Cats, Monkeys, and Kangaroos: A Comparative Theology of Grace

SBL 1: Ancient Judaism (Anderson 206)

Presiding: Anna Rozonoer, Hellenic CollegeJean-Philippe Delorme, University of Toronto

in the Mesha Stele: A Defense of André Lemaire’s Reading בת דודand Its Historical Implications

Josiah Bisbee, Brown University“The Ways of The Egyptians” in the World of the Mekilta de-Rabbi Yishmael

Erez DeGolan, Columbia UniversityCelebration, Disaster, and Empire: Exploring Early Rabbinic History of Joy

SBL 2: Early Christianity (Anderson 208)

Presiding: Paul Robertson, University of New HampshireNélida Naveros Córdova, Stonehill College

1 Corinthians 10:1–4: Ekphrasis in Paul’s Exhortation to Monotheism in the Context of 10:1–22

Ho-Hyung Cho, Chongsin Universityὁ νόμος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Reconsidered: A Fresh Look at Galatians 6:2, Barnabas 2:6, and Magnesians 2

David Young, Boston UniversityEditions of the Corpus Paulinum and the Reception of the Epistle to the Hebrews

SBL 3: Hebrew Bible I, Biblical Voices and Bodies (Anderson 210)

Presiding: Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, College of the Holy CrossJi Min Bang, Brandeis University

Judah’s Two Bodies: The Body Politic and the Gendered Representation of the Exile in Jeremiah

Sparrow Gates, Yale Divinity SchoolLong Live the Sinner: Death as Optimistic Equalizer in Qohelet

Nazeer Bacchus, Yale Divinity SchoolDefamiliarizing Wisdom: Qohelet and the “Other”

SBL 4: New Testament I, The Gospels (Anderson 211)

Presiding: Jennifer Eyl, Tufts UniversityGraham Bridgeman, Yale Divinity School

Joseph Comes Out: Queer History in the Matthean GenealogyGilberto A. Ruiz, St. Anselm College

The Gospel of Matthew: A Latinx ReadingKyung Min Kim, Yale Divinity School

Reading John 9 and 10 as One Literary UnitGary D. Wallin, Yale Divinity School

Between Washing and Reclining: Greco-Roman Table Rank in John’s Last Supper

10:20–10:30, COFFEE BREAK (Anderson Atrium)

10:30–11:45, SPECIAL SESSION I (Robertson 253)

Mimetic Theory and the Anxiety of Scriptural Influence in the New Testament and the Qur’an

An Address Featuring: Jack Miles, Corcoran Visiting Professor in Christian-Jewish Relations, Boston College

With an introduction by: Yonder M. Gillihan, Associate Professor of Theology, Boston College

11:45–1:00, LUNCH (Anderson Atrium)

12:00–1:00, AAR BUSINESS MEETING: We encourage all AAR members to attend. (Anderson 212)

Presiding: Paul Firenze, Outgoing Regional PresidentEva Pascal, Incoming Regional PresidentRev. James T. Bretzke, S.J., Outgoing Regional Coordinator

12:00–1:00, SBL BUSINESS MEETING: We encourage all SBL members to attend. (Anderson 206)

Presiding: Yonder Gillihan, Regional PresidentAmelia Devin Freedman, Regional Coordinator

1:10–2:30, SECOND CONCURRENT PAPER SESSION

AAR 5: Religion and Ecology (Anderson 212)

Presiding: TBAThomas Hermans-Webster, Boston University

Ecology from the Manger: A Lukan Ecological TheologyNathan Empsall, Yale University

A Survey of Episcopal Church Eco-Ministries: What 100 Congregations Are Doing About Creation and Climate Change, and Why They’re Not Doing More

AAR 6: Psychology and Theology (Anderson 306)

Presiding: TBAElizabeth Smith, Regis College

Belonging in a World to Which We Do Not Belong: The Intersection of Christian Biblical Principles, Race, and Psychology in Today’s Era with Special Emphasis on the Work of Dr. Brené Brown

Leona Stucky, Independent ScholarThe Fog of Faith: How the Imprint of the First Nurturing Relationship Affects Beliefs, Meaning, and Foggy Ideas of Faith

AAR 7: Belief Systems (Anderson 309)

Presiding: Ryan Gregg, Harvard UniversityJames Dooley, Boston University

Magic in the Markan: The Importance of the Supernatural in the Longer Ending of Mark

Robert Q. Lewis, University of Birmingham (UK)Useful Fictions and the Fixity of Belief in God: Is Petitionary Prayer a “Useful Fiction”?

AAR 8: Feminist Theology and Gender (Anderson 312)

Presiding: TBAStephanie Addenbrooke Deane, Yale University

Wrestling with Jesus’ Masculinity: The Problem of Christology Within Feminist Liberation Theology

Maggie Lowe, Bridgewater State UniversityJarena Lee’s Repost: Prophetic Authority, the Bible, and Nineteenth-Century Female Self-hood

1:10–2:30, SPECIAL SESSION II (Robertson 253)

Presiding: Gilberto A. Ruiz, St. Anselm College

Race in and in Front of the Classroom: A Panel Discussion Featuring:

Charrise Barron, Brown UniversityBernadette Brooten, Brandeis UniversityChoi Hee An, Boston University

Sponsored by the NEMAAR Regional Student Director and the NE/EC SBL Regional Student Committee

2:30–2:40, COFFEE BREAK (Anderson Atrium)

2:40–4:00, THIRD CONCURRENT PAPER SESSION

AAR 9: Religion and Politics (Anderson 212)

Presiding: Eva Pascal, Incoming Regional PresidentLaura Luis Worden, Yale University

Transnational Sanctity: The Destruction of Sacred Spaces for Santa Muerte in the Mexican Borderlands

Rev. James T. Bretzke, S.J., Marquette UniversitySigns of Contradiction: White Privilege and the Annual January “March for Life” in Washington, D.C.

AAR 10: Historical Theology (Anderson 306)

Presiding: TBAMichael Hamilton, Mary Baker Eddy Library

Das Schießen ist noch bedeutend näher gekommen, “The Shooting Has Come Much Closer”: Banned Bible Lessons and Spiritual Solidarity During World War II

Elaine Lechtreck, Independent ScholarThese Are the Theologians They Loved and Why

AAR 11: Islam (Anderson 309)

Presiding: TBAMareike Koertner, Trinity College

Epistemological Debates on Prophecy in Early Hadīth Literature

Nicole Correri, Boston UniversityConstructs of Masculinity in Shī’ī Online English-Language Majālis: The Use of Hagiography and Qur’ān to Convey Gender Binaries

AAR 12: Theology, Spirituality, and Disability (Anderson 312)

Presiding: Joseph Haydt, University of ChicagoThomas Murphy, Boston College

Incorporating Humility into a Contemporary Spirituality That Does Justice: Benedict of Nursia and Jean Vanier in Conversation

Brent Little, Sacred Heart UniversityRahner’s “Love of Neighbor” and the Hospitality of L’Arche

SBL 5: Hebrew Bible II, Rhetoric in Prophecy and Wisdom (Anderson 206)

Presiding: John Tracy Thames Jr., University of ConnecticutKathryn White, Yale Divinity School

Wisdom’s Tools Dismantling Wisdom’s House: Qohelet as Voice of Authority

Ethan Schwartz, Harvard UniversityIsaiah 1–12 in Synchronic and Diachronic Perspective

Nathan Mastnjak, Harvard UniversityJeremiah’s Lament as Effective Speech

SBL 6: Hebrew Bible III, Literary Culture and Textual Formation (Anderson 208)

Presiding: Andrew R. Davis, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Robert C. Kashow, Brown UniversityFrom Anointed to Anointing Ones: Joshua, Zerubbabel, and the Function of Zech 4:6b–10a in the Visions of Zechariah

Luis Gustavo Assis, Boston CollegeGeography and Paronomasia in the מׂשא Geography and Paronomasia in the מׂשא of Isa 15–16 as Indicatives of Yahweh’s Hegemony over Moab

Twyla Gibson, University of MissouriVault / Firmament / Stereoma: Division and Parallelism in Genesis and Plato

Jaeseok Heo, Yale Divinity SchoolInscribing the Words of YHWH on the Tablet of One’s Heart: A Study of wĕšinnantām lĕbānékā in Deuteronomy 6:7aα

SBL 7: New Testament II, Acts and Paul (Anderson 210)

Presiding: Bernadette Brooten, Brandeis UniversityJoseph E. Brito, Concordia University

Scriptures and Characterization as Interpretive Technique in Stephen’s Speech (Acts 6:8–7:60)

Jeffrey Dale, Emory University“To Me Everything Yields”: The Cult of Isis and a Psalmic Tradition

Denys McDonald, University of ExeterPaul’s “In Christ” Language: Non-Ethnic, Trans-Ethnic, or Ethnic?

Mark A. Jennings, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryWould Paul Really Not Care? The Problem of Philippians 1:15–18a

4:10–5:30, FOURTH CONCURRENT PAPER SESSION

AAR 13: Religion and Medicine (Anderson 212)

Presiding: TBABlair Nelsen, Yale University

Decolonial Medicine and the Spirit: Opening the Doors of the Many Rooms of Brazilian Spiritism

Elijah Weaver, Yale UniversityThe Contemporary Health Movement as Cultural Liturgy

AAR 14: Conversion Studies (Anderson 306)

Presiding: Thomas Murphy, Boston CollegeJin Ri Kim, Boston University

Impact of the Christian Conversion of Roman Soldiers in the Time of Emperor Aurelius’ Reign

Brian Michael Smith, Independent ScholarThe Trauma of Conversion: Estrangement, Affliction, and Solidarity in Early American Conversion Narratives

AAR 15: Images and Imagination in Changing Religious Histories (Anderson 309)

Presiding: TBACheryl Townsend Gilkes, Colby College

Love, War, and Perseverance: Confronting the Pauline Biblical Problem in the African American Cultural Imagination

John Shin, Independent ScholarPopular Iconoclasm, Glass-Breaking, and Anti-Laudian Theology in Eastern English Counties

AAR 16: Theology and Philosophy (Anderson 312)

Presiding: Brent Little, Sacred Heart University Joseph Haydt, University of Chicago

What Is the Question to Which von Balthasar’s Theory of Gestalt Is the Answer?

Richard Oxenberg, Endicott College“The Way, the Truth, and the Life”: A Phenomenological Analysis

4:10–5:30, SPECIAL SESSION III (Robertson 253)

Presiding: Paul Firenze, AAR Regional President

Yonder M. Gillihan, SBL Regional President; President, Boston College chapter, American Association of University Professors

Presidential Panel on Academic Labor

Featuring:Nicholas Andersen, PhD student, Department of Religious

Studies, Brown UniversitySara Bernard-Hoverstad, PhD student, Department of

Theology, Boston CollegeJennifer Eyl, Assistant Professor, Department of Religion,

Tufts UniversityAlice Hunt, AAR Executive DirectorElizabeth Lemons, Senior Lecturer, Department of Religion,

Tufts University; AAR Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Working Group

Mary Ann Mahony, Professor, Department of History, Central Connecticut State University; National Council, AAUP

5:30–6:30, CLOSING RECEPTION (Anderson Atrium)