CHARLESTON SEMINAR 2008

God, the Bible and Human Suffering

and

Images of God in the Prophetic Books

DoubleTree Guest Suites Historic District
Charleston, South Carolina
June 20-21, 2008

with Bart Ehrman and Julia M. O’Brien

Learn from two master teachers

Bart Ehrman explores perhaps the greatest religious and philosophical issue that anyone can grapple with: the problem of suffering. A specialist in the New Testament and early Christianity, Ehrman will guide you through this complex topic, paying particular attention to the Bible’s viewpoint on the problem. The second focus of the seminar from Julia M. O’Brien will be the many images of God found explicitly and implicitly in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Many are familiar, such as God as a Father or King. Others are perhaps more surprising: Yahweh is “a garland of glory, and a diadem of beauty” (Isa 28:5-6) and “will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily” (Hosea 14:5). Professor O’Brien will look at several of these metaphors, attempting to understand them in their ancient Near Eastern context and to confront the difficulties they pose for modern readers.

Location
Program Itinerary
About the Lecturers
Cost
Terms and Conditions
Registration

Location

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA…the Gem of the South! Enjoy one of America’s most beautifully preserved historic cities as you walk or ride in a carriage along cobblestone streets and marvel at their rich supply of antebellum homes and churches. Augment the learning you’ll be doing at our weekend seminar by exploring this lovely waterfront city.

Visit Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces unleashed a 34-hour bombardment of the island fort. Continue the Civil War theme with a visit to the H.L. Hunley Confederate Submarine, the vessel that inaugurated underwater warfare when it sank the USS Housatonic in 1864.

Explore Charles Towne Landing, a 663-acre park on the site of the city’s 1670 settlement with historic recreations and interactive exhibits. Enjoy Magnolia Plantation, where you can find early American furniture, sumptuous gardens, a waterfowl refuge and wildlife trails. See the collections at the Charleston Museum, the oldest museum in America, and learn about antebellum life with a tour of the Aiken Rhett House, which has been preserved to look as it did in 1858 with original outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchens and stables.

Your base for our seminar and for your explorations of Charleston will be the DoubleTree Guest Suites Historic District, a fine hotel that combines classic elegance with modern comforts and convenience. Located at the corner of Church and Market Streets, the hotel enjoys the most excellent location in the Charleston Historic District, next to Charleston's City Market. The friendly hotel, featuring the largest one- or two-bedroom suites in Historic Charleston, is steps from famed restaurants, King Street boutiques, antebellum mansions, “Rainbow Row,” Waterfront Park, Charleston's High Battery, historic homes and gardens, theatres, carriage rides and more. Charleston International Airport, easily accessible via I-26, is only 20 minutes away from the hotel.

For more information about Charleston, visit www.charlestoncvb.com.

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Program Itinerary

Friday, June 20, 2008

Saturday, June 21, 2008

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About the Lecturers

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is a leading authority on the early Church and the life of Jesus. A scholar who has been able to reach a wide popular audience, Ehrman is the author of more than 20 books, including the New York Times bestselling Misquoting Jesus. He has been featured in Time and has appeared on NBC's Dateline, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CNN, The History Channel, major NPR shows, and other top media outlets. He has won his university’s undergraduate teachingaward, the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Award for teaching excellence.

Julia M. O’Brien is the Paul H. and Grace L. Stern Professor in Old Testament Studies at Lancaster Theological Seminary, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In addition to numerous articles and reviews in academic journals, O’Brien is the author of Challenging Prophetic Metaphor: Theology and Ideology in the Prophetic Books (to be published this year), Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries, 2004) and Speaking of Jesus: The Use of the Old Testament in the New (1994) and is the co-editor of The Yahweh/Baal Confrontation and Other Studies in Biblical Literature and Archaeology: Essays in Honor of Emmett Willard Hamrick (1995). She received her Ph.D. from Duke University.

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Cost

EARLY REGISTRATION by May 20, 2008: $395

After May 20, 2008: $495

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Terms and Conditions

Fee Includes: All lectures, banquet on Friday evening, breakfast and morning and afternoon snacks on Friday and Saturday, and CEU (Continuing Education Unit) credits.

Fee Does Not Include: Transportation to and from Charleston, accommodations or meals (except where stated).

Payment: EARLY REGISTRATION: $395 full payment per person or $100 deposit per person (payable by check, money order, VISA, MasterCard or AmExpress) must be mailed with attached registration form; $295 per person balance is due by May 20, 2008. After May 20, $495 payment must be made in full.

Refund Policy: Full refund, less $60 per person for administrative costs, if registration is cancelled more than 5 business days prior to the seminar; less than 5 days, some nonrefundable fees may be charged. Cancellation requests must be in writing.

Accommodations: You must make your own hotel reservations. We have reserved blocks of rooms for seminar participants at the seminar’s site: The DoubleTree Guest Suites Historic District. Book by May 20, 2008, to receive the special $189 room rate. Call toll free 1-877-408-8733 and mention code “BIB” for the special BAS group rate.

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Registration

REGISTER ONLINE, or follow the link below for our printable registration form. You must have Adobe Reader to view this form. If you do not have Adobe Reader, click here first to download this free program.

DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM

If you are unable to download this PDF file, please contact the Travel/Study department at 1-800-221-4644 ext.208

If you have any questions, please contact the Travel/Study department:

Biblical Archaeology Society Travel/Study Programs
4710 41st Street NW
Washington, DC 20016-1700
USA

Toll free: 1-800-221-4644 ext.208
Fax: 1-202-364-2636
email: travelstudy@bib-arch.org

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