Proposals for papers are invited for the British New Testament Society Meeting 2025 to be hosted by the University of Manchester from Monday 1 September to Wednesday 3 September 2025.
Paper proposals should include the presenter’s name and institutional affiliation (where appropriate), a title, and an abstract of 150-175 words (max).
We are excited to welcome a new seminar group this year: Reception, Critical Theory, & Interdisciplinary Studies.
We also have a number of themed and joint sessions which will appeal to wider audiences, so please do explore all the sessions.
The call for papers for all groups closes on Monday 21 April 2025.
Please note that, while you may apply to more than one group, participants are only able to present in one group. This is to allow as many participants as possible the opportunity to present (exceptions apply for invited papers/responses). If you do apply to more than one group, please make this known to the chairs upon submission.
Note: the BNTS Code of Conduct is available here
Ancient Judaism & Christianity
Yael Fisch yael.fisch@mail.huji.ac.il
J. Thomas Hewitt JThomas.Hewitt@ed.ac.uk
This year, the Ancient Judaism and Christianity seminar will host one book review panel and two open sessions.
Book Review Session with Catholic Epistles Group
For the book review panel, Madison Pierce (Western Theological Seminary), Philip Alexander (Manchester), and Yael Fisch (Hebrew University) will review Nicholas Moore’s (Durham, Cranmer Hall) The Open Sanctuary: Access to God and the Heavenly Temple in the New Testament (Baker Academic, 2024).
Open Sessions
For the open sessions, proposals are invited for papers relevant to any aspect of this seminar’s remit (as outlined here Ancient Judaism & Christianity).
Monique Cuany monique.cuany@het-pro.ch
James Morgan james.morgan@unifr.ch
Book Review Session
There will be a book review panel on Steve Walton’s commentary on Acts 1–9:42 in the Word Biblical Commentary series.
Open Sessions
We welcome papers approaching Acts from a variety of angles and using a variety of methods. Offers of papers are welcome both from research students (this is a great opportunity to ‘try out’ your ideas) and from more established scholars. Presentations normally run around 20-30 minutes, allowing sufficient time for constructive discussion. If presenters wish to share their papers beforehand to facilitate profitable feedback, we will gladly send their files to those who have signed up for the Acts seminar.
Martina Vercesi martina.vercesi@kuleuven.be
Sean Ryan sr2051@mbit.cam.ac.uk
This year, the Book of Revelation seminar organises a joint session with the Johannine Literature Seminar. We invite papers that explore the similarities between these two books from a variety of perspectives. The other two sessions are open to any proposals related to the book of Revelation.
Joint session with the Johannine Literature Group
We are calling for papers that offer insights into the relationship between the Fourth Gospel and the book of Revelation. We are particularly interested in submissions that explore the common theological themes found in both books, as well as shared linguistic features, the use of scriptural sources, imagery, symbolism, etc. In addition, we welcome papers that investigate the potential influence of one text on the other, contributing to a deeper understanding of the connections between the Gospel of John and Revelation.
Open Sessions
We invite papers on any topic related to the book of Revelation and its reception. We are particularly eager to receive submissions from PhD students and early-career scholars.
Kimberley Fowler k.a.fowler@rug.nl
Jane McClarty jdm35@cam.ac.uk
This year, the Early Christianity seminar welcomes paper proposals for two themed sessions.
The Four Last Things: death, judgement, heaven and hell
We invite paper proposals that consider any one or more of the above in the early Christian context: this could be, for instance, from a literary, historical, theological or ethical perspective.
Book Session: Proposals Welcome
Cor Bennema, Imitation in Early Christianity: Mimesis and Religious-Ethical Formation (Eerdmans, forthcoming March 2025) https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802879929/imitation-in-early-christianity/
We invite proposals for short conversational responses to the subject matter of Cor’s forthcoming work. These need not only be in the traditional form of a response to the book, but might include papers that discuss its arguments and methods in relation to your own work and source material. Those considering submitting for this panel are asked to contact the convenors with their initial thoughts to receive an extended abstract that covers each chapter. A pre-print version of the book can then be sent to facilitate work on a proposal in advance of its release in March.
Open Call
We will also have one open session where we invite paper proposals on any topic related to the broad themes of the seminar, and encourage explorations of new critical approaches as well as the more traditional methodologies.
We understand early Christianity as a broad and diverse phenomenon evidenced by a wide range of sources both literary and non-. In addition to the New Testament, these include (but are not limited to) the so-called corpus of writings by the Apostolic Fathers, New Testament Apocrypha, manuscripts such as the Nag Hammadi Codices, Codex Tchacos, or the Dishna Papers, early patristic texts, inscriptional evidence etc.
We welcome papers that address the New Testament, but these should aim to look beyond only this corpus, for instance by engaging it in conversation with other sources.
Elizabeth Corsar Elizabeth.Corsar@stpadarns.ac.uk
Paulus de Jong paulus.dejong@wtctheology.org.uk
Joint session with Book of Revelation Group
We are calling for papers that offer insights into the relationship between the Fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelation. We are particularly interested in submissions that explore the common theological themes found in both books, as well as shared linguistic features, the use of scriptural sources, imagery, symbolism, etc. In addition, we welcome papers that investigate the potential influence of one text on the other, contributing to a deeper understanding of the connections between the Gospel of John and Revelation.
Joint Session with Synoptics Group
Synoptics and Johannine Literature are also planning a joint open session, which welcomes papers on topics which span the Gospel corpus, including, but not limited to, historical Jesus, thematic studies, and comparative approaches.
Open Call
This session welcomes papers that focus on the Gospel of John or the Johannine Epistles. We are looking for papers that engage with established debates as well as papers that bring new approaches to the study of the Johannine literature.
Nick Moore nicholas.j.moore@durham.ac.uk
Kelsie Rodenbiker kelsie.rodenbiker@glasgow.ac.uk
Open Sessions
The Later Epistles seminar welcomes proposals on Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, the Deutero-Pauline Epistles, and other early Christian letters (e.g. 1 Clement, Barnabas). This year we particularly welcome papers with a focus on any aspect of these texts’ reception (e.g. manuscript tradition, Patristic usage, literature, etc.).
Book Review Session with Ancient Judaism & Christianity Group
We will also hold a joint review panel with Ancient Christianity & Judaism, featuring Madison Pierce (Western Theological Seminary), Philip Alexander (Manchester), and Yael Fisch (Hebrew University) who will review Nicholas Moore’s (Durham, Cranmer Hall) The Open Sanctuary: Access to God and the Heavenly Temple in the New Testament (Baker Academic, 2024).
Andy Boakye andrew.boakye@manchester.ac.uk
Ryan Collman ryan.collman@gmail.com
For 2025, the Paul seminar will host three sessions.
Gender & Sexuality in Paul’s Letters
The first two sessions are dedicated to the topic of gender and sexuality in Paul’s letters. We welcome all proposals that engage this topic, but are particularly interested in proposals from our female colleagues, as well as papers that employ non-traditional methodologies or approaches (feminist and queer approaches, masculinity and body studies, etc.).
Open Session
The final session is open to any proposals that engage with the study of Paul.
Reception, Critical Theory, & Interdisciplinary Studies
Siobhán Jolley siobhan.jolley@manchester.ac.uk
Tom de Bruin: tom.debruin@ru.nl
This new seminar group invites research that analyses the reception of the New Testament from antiquity to present and/or that focusses on the application of critical theory to the study of the New Testament.
Work in this area incorporates the critical exploration of New Testament texts, contexts, and contents in media and culture, or the discussion of theoretical methods or critical theories relation to the New Testament itself or the field of New Testament studies more broadly.
Reception is understood in the widest possible sense to include research engaging the visual arts and art history, film studies, musicology and other popular media, but also historically oriented research concerned with the use and influence of New Testament texts. Critical theories and methods of interest include (but are not limited to) work which engages postcolonialism, intersectional feminisms, queer theory, disability studies or the works of significant theorists.
We particularly welcome perspectives that are often marginalized, silenced, or elided within traditional biblical scholarship.
Tim Carter tim.carter@durham.ac.uk
Séamus O’Connell Seamus.oconnell@spcm.ie
This seminar group provides a context for the open discussion of the content, contexts, formation, and theology of the Synoptic Gospels from a variety of hermeneutical and methodological perspectives. We would warmly welcome proposals from seasoned scholars, post-doc researchers, and PhD researchers alike on any aspect of Synoptic studies. This year we would particularly glad to receive any proposals on the theme of decontextualising the Gospels.
<data-olk-copy-source=”MessageBody”>Joint Session with Johannine Literature
Synoptics and Johannine Literature are also planning a joint open session, which welcomes papers on topics which span the Gospel corpus, including, but not limited to, historical Jesus, thematic studies, and comparative approaches.
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 Manchester in 2025, we invite papers on the subject of “The New Testament and the Spirit.”
Papers on this topic may engage with the topic of the Spirit in specific New Testament text or texts, or may engage with current conversations in New Testament Studies on, for example, the materiality of the Spirit or the personhood of the Spirit. Papers might also wish to engage with a particular theological reception of the Spirit in early Christian literature or in contemporary Christian traditions. Alternatively, papers are invited that engage with methodological/hermeneutical and theological questions related to pneumatology. Papers are invited on any aspect of the topic, but we are particularly interested to receive proposals for papers that engage Christian theologians in dialogue with the NT, or readings of particular NT texts in conversation with pneumatology in the Christian tradition (broadly defined).
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.
Tom de Bruin tom.debruin@ru.nl
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, compare texts, tackle metacritical questions about biblical studies more generally ,and also those which appeal to a broad section of the Society.