Bloggers are noting that the preliminary program for the 2009 meeting is up on SBL’s site. Naturally, I first searched for my own name. Indeed, it is there! In fact, I am currently set to begin the session. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.  The title of the session is, “Rituals, Texts, Individuals and Associations: Competing Ways to Construct Identities?” One of three sessions with that title. Looks like I am slotted with 25 minutes. You can find my abstract on my blog here.

While I can’t yet see the time or day the session will take place, I am able to see those with whom I will be sharing the stage/podium. There is a bit of international flavoring to the session. First, we have Simon Mimouni presiding over the session, who teaches at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, a school within the Sorbonne (the University of Paris).

After my slot is Gabriella Gelardini who received her Dr. theol. in New Testament studies from the University of Basel (Switzerland), where she currently teaches. Her paper, “Nomen est Omen: The Practice of Naming in the Gospel of Mark as an Instrument (of Power) in Service of Identity Construction(s),” addresses why some folks get named and others do not in the Gospel of Mark.

We then have five minutes for discussion (total for both initial papers!) and time for a five minute break.

Starting up the second half of the session is Lori Baron, who I believe is a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University. Her paper, “Interpreting the Shema: Liturgy and Identity in the Fourth Gospel,” was also recently presented at the 2009 SECSOR presentation (the Southeastern regional SBL/AAR). You can see one blogger’s description of the “excellent paper.” She presented on a similar theme at the 2008 SBL session in Boston. Here are her opening abstract lines:

This paper explores how the use of the Shema in John’s Gospel is instrumental in developing the identities of two groups of actors: Jews who believe in Jesus and Jews who do not. Equally important, John’s use of the Shema distinguishes those John considers true believers from false believers.

Finally, we have Matthew E. Gordley of Regent University rounding out the session. Gordley serves as the Department Chair of Religious Studies at Regent. He received his Ph.D. in 2006 from Notre Dame in New Testament and Early Christianity. I know what you might be thinking, “Pat Robertson’s Regent University?” Yes. But, I have to say that my opinion has been radically altered, having met a graduate of their seminary–who also happens to be one of the sharpest guys I know and still has his intellectual integrity intact. My friend tells me that Pat Robertson may get the university money, but the professors in religious studies are far from Robertson’s own strange civil religion theology.

Gordley, who wrote his dissertation on the Colosians hymn (available on Google Books), has titled his presentation for this session, “Dynamics of Communal Formation in Horace’s Odes and Early Christian Hymns.” Gordley’s paper addresses the two major hymns of the NT (Phil 2:5-11 and Col 1:15-20) in light of a recent study on “Horace’s encomia of Caesar (especially Odes IV. 14 and 15) [that] suggests that praise of an exalted individual can be part of a complex process of involving author and audience in navigating issues of identity.”

Well, I am quite impressed. I was a bit worried I would end up with boring topics, but I am intrigued by all the papers in the session. I hope we will be able to draw in a little bit of a crowd–here’s hoping we’re not up against any heavy hitters, or some session on “empire” or “sex” or the two combined.

Here is the outline of the session:

Construction of Christian Identities
Date TBD
Time TBD to Time TBD
Room: Room TBD – Hotel TBD

Theme: Rituals, Texts, Individuals and Associations: Competing Ways to Construct Identities? (3)

Simon Mimouni, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Presiding (5 min)

Patrick George McCullough, University of California-Los Angeles
The Agents of Jesus Meet “All the Nations”: Adapting Jesus’ Cultic Reform for the Eschaton (25 min)

Gabriella Gelardini, University of Basel
Nomen est Omen: The Practice of Naming in the Gospel of Mark as an Instrument (of Power) in Service of Identity Construction(s) (25 min)

Discussion (5 min)
Break (5 min)

Lori Baron, Duke University
Interpreting the Shema: Liturgy and Identity in the Fourth Gospel (25 min)

Matthew E. Gordley, Regent University
Dynamics of Communal Formation in Horace’s Odes and Early Christian Hymns (25 min)

Discussion (5 min)
Business Meeting (30 min)