Proposals for papers are invited for the British New Testament Society Meeting 2022 to be hosted by the University of St Andrews from Thursday 18 to Saturday 20 August.

Paper proposals should include the presenter’s name and institutional affiliation (where appropriate), a title, and an abstract of 150-175 words (max).

The call for papers closed on Monday 28 March 2022.

Simultaneous Short Paper proposals are receiving proposals until Monday 25 April 2022.

Note: the BNTS Code of Conduct is available here

Book of Acts

Monique Cuany monique.cuany@het-pro.ch
James Morgan james.morgan@unifr.ch

The Acts seminar welcomes papers approaching Acts from a variety of angles and using a variety of methods: historical, literary, textual-critical, theological, archaeological, the social world, possible links/parallels with other biblical and ancient writings, and so on. We also include topics for discussion which relate Acts to the wider contexts of Luke-Acts and the Pauline corpus, where they are relevant and helpful to the study of Acts.

Offers of papers are welcome both from research students (this is a great opportunity to ‘try out’ your ideas) and from more established scholars. Papers are normally 30 minutes, allowing time for questions and discussion, but shorter papers of 20 minutes are also welcome. If presenters wish to share their papers beforehand, we will gladly send their files to those who have signed up for the Acts seminar.

Book of Revelation

Martina Vercesi martina.vercesi@glasgow.ac.uk
Meredith Warren m.j.warren@sheffield.ac.uk

We plan to run the following sessions for 2022:

1. Prize Session: The Revelation Seminar Group of the British New Testament Society is pleased to announce its first Prize for best paper on Revelation. Applications are welcome from women and non-binary scholars living in the UK or EU who plan to attend BNTS; papers should be 6000-8000 words, in English, and may be on any topic related to Revelation. Papers must not be published or accepted for publication at the time of application. The winner’s paper will be delivered in a dedicated session with responses. There is no monetary award associated with this prize.
2. Apocalypse & Environmentalism: Revelation and its fellow apocalypses are concerned with rupture and destruction, but also renewal. These themes are perhaps what makes such texts appear so relevant in this era of environmental catastrophe and climate change. From unnatural swarms of insects (9:3), to the death of ocean life (16:3) and the loss of the stars and sun (6:12-13), the burning up of a third of the earth (8:7) to the angel’s demand: “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees” (7:3), Revelation’s attention to the natural world and the disorder that ‘pollution’ brings to it have been taken up by climate activists as well as those who deny climate change. We invite papers on the topic of apocalypticism and environmentalism.
3. Open session: Papers on any topic related to Revelation and/or its reception. This session is open, but we particularly welcome proposals that diversify the study of Revelation.

Early Christianity

Kimberley Fowler kimberley.fowler@glasgow.ac.uk
Jane McClarty jdm35@cam.ac.uk

This year the Early Christianity seminar welcomes paper proposals for two themed sessions:

1. Non-human Creatures (explorations here could include the use of animals/fantastical creatures/non-human divine beings in early Christian sources towards argumentative or theological aims, or studies of artistic representations).
2. Joint Session with Later Epistles The second session will be a joint one with Later Epistles seminar group. Besides the now-canonical texts of Hebrews, the Catholic epistles, and the Deutero-Pauline epistles, there are other “later epistles” that sat at the fringes of the New Testament collection in an early Christian context. The Shepherd of Hermas and Barnabas are both included in Codex Sinaiticus; 1 and 2 Clement are bound into Codex Alexandrinus; lists of New Testament works commonly include such texts; and ecclesiastical writers made extensive use of them. For this joint session, we welcome submissions on these alternative “later epistles,” especially considering their relationship to the now-canonical later epistles.

We also welcome proposals for an open session on any topic related to the general themes of the seminar, which understands early Christianity as a broad phenomenon evidenced by a wide range of sources. These include non-canonical texts, such as the so-called Apostolic Fathers, New Testament Apocrypha, the Nag Hammadi Codices and associated literature, early patristic texts, and other non-literary material evidence, in addition to the New Testament. Papers should look beyond only the New Testament corpus (although not necessarily to its exclusion), and we encourage a range of critical approaches and methodologies.

Johannine Literature

Andy Byers ajb371@cam.ac.uk
Elizabeth Corsar Elizabeth.Corsar@stpadarns.ac.uk

The Johannine Literature seminar invites papers on the Gospel of John and/or the Johannine Epistles. For the 2022 conference, we are receiving proposals for standard-length papers as well as for shorter presentations that are concise and focused on a key theme or text. Since the seminar provides a rigorous yet collegial context for receiving feedback from experts in the field, we encourage research students as well as established scholars to submit abstracts.

Later Epistles

Katherine Hockey ‎katherine.hockey@abdn.ac.uk
Kelsie Rodenbiker kelsie.rodenbiker@glasgow.ac.uk

The Later Epistles Seminar is inviting paper proposals that focus on either Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles or the Deutero-Pauline Epistles. We plan to have three sessions this year:

1. Open session dedicated to the Catholic Epistles. Any paper addressing one or a group of these texts will be considered.
2. Open session focussed on Hebrews and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles. Whilst any paper addressing these texts will be considered, we welcome papers that explore the relationship between Hebrews and the Deutero-Pauline texts.
3. Joint session with Early Christianity. Besides the now-canonical texts of Hebrews, the Catholic epistles, and the Deutero-Pauline epistles, there are other “later epistles” that sat at the fringes of the New Testament collection in an early Christian context. The Shepherd of Hermas and Barnabas are both included in Codex Sinaiticus; 1 and 2 Clement are bound into Codex Alexandrinus; lists of New Testament works commonly include such texts; and ecclesiastical writers made extensive use of them. For this joint session, we welcome submissions on these alternative “later epistles,” especially considering their relationship to the now-canonical later epistles.

New Testament & Second Temple Judaism

Crispin Fletcher-Louis cfletcherlouis1@glos.ac.uk
J. Thomas Hewitt jthomas.hewitt@abdn.ac.uk

The 2022 seminar welcomes the offer of papers on any aspect of the relation between early Christianity and ancient Judaism, both of the Second Temple period and in the early centuries after the temple’s fall. We especially welcome proposals concerning the spheres of apocalyptic and ‘mysticism’, but all relevant proposals will be considered.

Paul

Dorothee Bertschmann d.h.bertschmann@durham.ac.uk
Matthew Novenson matthew.novenson@ed.ac.uk

This year the Paul Seminar will hold a book panel on Benjamin White’s Pain and Paradox in 2 Corinthians (Mohr Siebeck, 2021) featuring several scholars who have made important contributions to our understanding of 2 Corinthians.

For our two open-call sessions, we welcome paper proposals on any and all topics in Pauline studies, but especially ones dealing with texts or themes in 2 Corinthians.

Synoptic Gospels

Tim Carter tim.carter@lst.ac.uk
Kent Brower kbrower@nazarene.ac.uk

One of our sessions will be devoted to a review of Helen Bond’s 2020 book The First Biography of Jesus: Genre and Meaning in Mark’s Gospel. Details of that will be forthcoming.

The other two sessions are open to suggestions, much like last year. We would welcome proposals:

• that further develop the work around the genre of the gospels
• that address the narrative use and concept of ‘space’ including ‘thirdspace’ in the gospel narratives. We thought that this might be a fruitful area to cover because of recent work. If you are working in an aspect of this topic, a proposal from you would be welcome.
• that are not specifically related to these two topics. Again, here we are interested in proposals that come from seasoned scholars, post-doc researchers, and PhD researchers alike.

The New Testament and Christian Theology

Erin Heim erin.heim@wycliffe.ox.ac.uk
Jamie Davies jamie.davies@trinitycollegebristol.ac.uk

At our gathering in St Andrews in 2022, we invite papers on the subject of “the New Testament and the doctrine of humanity.” Papers are invited on any aspect of the topic, but we are especially interested to receive proposals for papers that engage Christian theologians in dialogue with the NT, or readings of specific NT texts in conversation with theological anthropology in the Christian tradition. We particularly welcome papers from those who would not ordinarily present at a New Testament conference, especially those working in systematic theology or at the intersection of New Testament and doctrine.

We plan to have three sessions this year: one invited session, one open call for short papers, and one joint session with the Paul seminar (a panel on Ben White’s Pain & Paradox in 2 Corinthians, Mohr Siebeck, 2021).

Simultaneous Short Papers

Tom de Bruin me@tomdebruin.com
Michelle Fletcher michelle.fletcher@kcl.ac.uk

Though not a seminar group, this session includes 20–25 minute papers which showcase research that does not easily fit into one of the established seminar groups. We especially welcome papers that explore novel methodologies, are interdisciplinary, or focus on reception and use of the New Testament, and also those which appeal to a broad section of the Society.