The following keynotes of the BNTS 2022 will be streamed live on Facebook
For Thursday 18 August: The British New Testament Society | Keynote at British New Testament Society 2022 | Facebook
For Friday 19 August: The British New Testament Society | BNTS Plenary | Facebook
18 August 17.30–19.00.
Esau McCaulley, Wheaton College, ‘Finding Onesimus: Who has the Right to Speak to an Enslaved Person’s Hope?’
This paper will explore the way in which Onesimus’ status, character, and desire for freedom has been discussed in the interpretation of Paul’s letter to Philemon. It will also propose a fresh historically plausible background for interpreting Paul and Onesimus’ aims in the letter in a way that highlights Onesimus’ agency.
19 August 20.00–21.30
Francis Watson, Durham University, ‘”In Nothing Agreeing with the Gospels of the Apostles” (Irenaeus)? The Gospel of Truth and the Gospel of John’
First published in 1956, the Gospel of Truth has consistently been read in the context of the later Valentinian tradition and its potential significance for the broader literary history of early Christianity has consequently been overlooked. In this paper it will be argued that, like the Gospel of John and alongside it, the Gospel of Truth can and should be read on its own terms rather than allowing its early reception to determine its interpretation. A comparison between these two gospel texts demonstrates how key themes both converge and diverge, suggesting that they may originate in the same early Christian milieu although without direct literary dependence. In their different ways and idioms, these texts present comparable accounts of the incarnation of the Logos as the exclusive communication to the elect of knowledge of the unknown Father. The paper will be based on a new translation and formatting of the Gospel of Truth, available here.
Direct links to the streams will be published here.
For Thursday: The British New Testament Society | Keynote at British New Testament Society 2022 | Facebook