Reflections on SBL Boston

Advice to biblical bloggers: do not miss attending the national meetings of SBL, ASOR, ETS, what have you. SBL Boston was, as always, like sharing a Turkish bath with a who’s who of biblical scholarship. Actually, I think the national SBL meeting should be held in a Turkish bath, for pious and un-pious reasons. Here’s why.

Well, I had best leave that metaphor behind. Still, a meeting of scholars ought to be about the people as much as anything else. At a distance of two weeks, I recall only a few details of the presentations I heard, but remember faces and conversations with vivid delight.

Here is a list of people I had long and engaging conversations with, the content of which will stick with me forever: Calvin and Mandy Park, Jim and Sara Getz, Doug Magnum, Chris Brady, Ray van Leeuwen, Charles Halton, Carol Dempsey, and Richard Averbeck.

Here is a list of people I spoke with only briefly, but cherished the moment: David Stein, Peter Gentry, Donna Lind, Adam Couturier, Ken Harris, Alan Lenzi, James Spinti, Michael Fox, Chris Heard, Lena Sofia-Tiemeyer, Steve Runge, Pete Williams, John Cook, Rob Holmstedt, Jared Callaway, James McGrath, Eric Sowell, Antonio Lombatti, Mark Boda, LeeAnn Flescher, Ken Brown, Cristian Rata, Donna and Thomas Petter, Steve Cook, Kim Lan Nguyen, Elizabeth Hayes, Doug Stuart, Karyn Traphagen, Vincent DeCaen, Daniel and Tonya, Barry Bandstra, Richard Benton, April deConick, Kent Reynolds, Michael Halcomb, and Naama Zahavi-Ely.

Note the ratios here: with 10 people, sustained conversation proved possible; with another 40, enough conversation to have made it worthwhile.  

Here is a short list of people I would have liked to chat with, but never quite caught up with, or chose not to interrupt: Randall Buth, Al Pietersma, J. J. M. Roberts, Mark Smith, Ehud Ben Zvi, Zev Garber, Gilead Morahg, Larry Hurtado, Lowell Ferris, Jim Davila, Robert Jewett, Mark Goodacre, Tod Linafelt, Claude Mariottini, Art Boulet, Kevin Wilson, Bruce Longenecker, Sun Myung Lyu, Ed Cook, Dave Beldman, Mike Heiser, Ron Troxel, Terry Donaldson, Cynthia Miller, Peter Flint, John Collins, Francis Landy, Hermann Spieckermann, Christoph Levin, Ron Hendel, Frederic Putnam, Mark Whitters, Ziony Zevit, Hugh Williamson, and Joel LeMon. That’s how it is. There is not enough time to re-connect at these meetings with everyone one knows from times past and correspondence.  

Then there are the people I was hoping to run into, but didn’t because, as far as I know, they weren’t there, though they have attended in the past, or are natural candidates for attending in the future: Daniel Driver, Jim West, Michael Barber, Phil Sumpter, Tyler Williams, Michael Pahl, Ben Myers, Bill Heroman, Kevin Edgecomb, Rick Brannan, Tim Bulkeley, Bob MacDonald, Rick Mansfield, Angela Erisman, Duane Smith, Pete Bekins, Andrew Compton, David Ker, Wayne Leman, Kevin Chau, James Pate, Patrick McCollough, Esteban Vasquez, Ros Clarke, Owen Chesnut, Jeff Blakely, Ted Lewis, David Rendsburger, Steve Burnett, and Ken Penner.

Comments

[James McGrath]

The feeling is mutual!

[Andrew Compton]

I'm sorry I didn't get to touch base in Boston as well, but I actually had to stay home this year. My wife is due tomorrow (Dec 7) with our first baby and even though we knew full well that the baby would more than likely be late, I thought it might be best to not be stuck in Boston should he or she decide to come early. We figured that Murphy's law would kick in for sure if I were to go! I'll have to wait until New Orleans I suppose. It feels good to be missed though!

[John Hobbins]

James,

lehitraot.

Andrew,

Blessings on you and your family.

[artart]

I wish we could have met up too. We'll have to make sure it happens in New Orleans (or if you happen to be going to the Mid-Atlantic SBL Regional Meeting in March).

[John Hobbins]

Art,

And to think I was crashing with two good friends of yours, with whom you had lunch during SBL. But I didn't want to crash the lunch as well. Keep up the great blogging!

[Pat McCullough]

Hi John, I'm glad to have documented evidence that my presence was missed at SBL! :) I would have enjoyed chatting with you as well. I had to miss SBL this year because my wife and I are expecting the birth of our first child. He was actually due this past Friday--still waiting! If I see you in New Orleans next year, I'll be a fellow father.

[Pat McCullough]

(By the way, I just noticed that my blog's description could use updating on your page--I am now a PhD student in Christian origins in UCLA's Department of History. Also, my last name is just slightly misspelled)

[Eric]

I enjoyed the chat as well!

[John Hobbins]

Pat,

Blessings on you and your family. I'll eventually get around to fixing the error.

[R. Mansfield]

John, I was at both ETS & SBL this year, and I regret that we didn't cross paths. Maybe next year.

[John Hobbins]

Rick,

New Orleans: sweet.

Bible translation bloggers really should be understood as a subset of biblical bloggers, and invited to blogger events. Maybe I should take the question up with my fellow editors at biblioblogs.com.

[Pat McCullough]

Thanks! No hurry :)

[Antonio Lombatti]

John, it was a pleasure to meet you in person, even if our chat was short. My wife didn't want to come to the biblioblogger's dinner (and I understood her...) so I didn't have the chance to meet you all.

I hope to see you in Rome next July.

[Calvin]

Actually, we ended up not fitting lunch with Art in--but SBL was still a blast, and we did manage to chat with him on a couple of occasions.

Overall, SBL was excellent this year and Mandy and I are hoping to making it to New Orleans next year.

[Charles Halton]

Turkish bath--that's awesome!

I'll always remember our conversation as well. Blessings this Advent season.

[John Hobbins]

The biblical bloggers are a high-energy group. It forms an awesome contrast to the intellectual droopiness that constitutes, I'm afraid, the general norm.

[David Ker]

"Please come to Boston."

She said, "No. Why don't you come home to me."

I have enjoyed listening to reactions to the SBL. I have been hearing a lot about the shmoozing which for me would be fun, but very little about the papers presented. Do those ever get discussed on the blogosphere. (Wayne's reprint of the Strauss paper is an exception)

[Bill]

Thanks, John. Beautiful sentiments. Hope to see you in 'Nawlins indeed. (I'm planning to get my SBL feet wet at the regional here in Dallas this March.)

Your sentiments being echoed by David's comment above gave me this idea:

What if a few sessions were organized some year with streaming video presentations done in advance (and papers, of course, posted online). Impressive presentations could be promoted and chatted up ahead of time, and session attendees could prepare for real conversation and debate, at greater length.

It would have to be experimental - just a session or two for starters. Feel free to kick this idea on up the ladder or blog about it if you like. I'm just an SBL virgin, so what do I know? ;)

[Tim Bulkeley]

Oh, yes nice to be missed ;) I'm hoping to be at next year's :) though as we are planning another visit to the refugee camp and teachijng trip to India in early 2010 my travel budget is pretty much used up :(

[Angela Erisman]

Nice to see I made the list. I was indeed not there, but in Venezia, studying with Assyriologists and Classicists. Will hope to see you next year in New Orleans, although seeing as it's been a long time since I've blogged, I doubt I'll qualify for the bibliobloggers lunch anymore.

[John Hobbins]

David,

To be clear, there were a number of presentations I heard that I learned from. The one I've cited most often so far, by Larry Venuti (the Nida Institute lecture), began by describing Nida's theory of communication as fundamentally wrong. Music to my ears, but I'm not sure Venuti has a strong alternative theory to offer. It is safe to say, after Pym and Venuti, that the ground is shaking under the feet of those like you who think linguistic and literary theory backs up your preference for a translation by CEV.

I thought you would find that interesting.

A session I enjoyed very much was one that examined Carleen Gandolfo's work on daughter Zion. Gandolfo engages in Sachkritik, a no-no for most biblical scholars. That is, she questions the truth-claims made by the text. She stirred things up good. We need more of that.

Bill,

You have great ideas. I would love to see them implemented. The biblical blogger highest on the SBL ladder is Stephen Cook. It would be excellent to explore the ideas with him.

Angela and Tim,

Well, it would be even more fun to meet up in Rome this summer, right? I'm hoping to go.

[David Ker]

John, you're trying to dress me in plaid pants. Translators these days are all about relevance theory and beyond. I'm rusty since I've moved into media but I retain an interest in good debate about an excellent translation like the CEV.

[Ken Penner]

Honoured to have made the list! I'm guessing your spam filter intercepted our invitation to the Online Critical Pseudepigrapha lunch? (We're now at http://ocp.stfx.ca)

[Claude Mariottini]

John,

I wished we had met in Boston. I have been reading your blog for a long time but there is nothing better when one is able to get together and truly know the other person.

Let us make a deal to get together in New Orleans.

How about if we begin to plan a meeting of bibliobloggers in New Orleans next year? Maybe we can arrange with the SBL and put our meeting in the program. What do you think?

Claude Mariottini

[John Hobbins]

David,

You make it sound as if you've been reading Pym and Venuti. In any case, you folks at Better Bibles might consider posting on relevance theory.

Ken,

I knew about that lunch but was swamped by other obligations. Sorry I missed seeing you. Thanks for the updated link. It's time I get back to Ben Sira.

Claude,

I saw you briefly in an elevator in the Boston Sheraton but was all schmoozed out in that particular moment. You would have thought Jim West had already inquired about getting biblical bloggers on the program, but maybe not. Feel free to take the initiative.

[Peter Kirk]

You list David Ker as one of your "natural candidates for attending in the future"? After his latest post I don't think they'll let him within a hundred miles of the venue!

Interestingly, I have never met any of the people you list (not even Wayne Leman, sadly), but I have corresponded with quite a lot of them through e-mail lists and blogs over the years.

[Rick Brannan]

Hi John.

I missed you this year too; even a short chat is a good thing. I hope to be able to make next year's conferences in New Orleans. Hopefully we'll be able to meet there.

[John Hobbins]

Peter,

Oh you and David and Wayne would have a great time at SBL. There are quite a few Bible translator people who are there year in and year out.

Rick,

I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans, God willing. I will be wanting to see the latest pics of your children, and will show off mine to you if you don't mind.

[Esteban Vázquez]

Indeed, I was sadly unable to attend this time around. Also, it seems that attendance from biblioblogdom was light. Well, next year in New Orleans! :-)

[John Hobbins]

Hi Esteban,

Yes, we missed you. Actually, attendance among biblical bloggers was excellent. When we met, not once but twice, the energy level was very high.