Vienna

I have just returned from Vienna, Austria (the University of Vienna) where I gave my first academic paper. It was a fascinating if not also discouraging look into the state of Biblical Studies in Europe.

The Society of Biblical Literature, of which I am a member, is the largest professional organization for all those involved in Biblical studies. Each year they have one conference in the United States and one abroad. This year the international conference was in Vienna. The conference aims to accomplish two objectives: (1) to provide a place for scholars to share their research and receive peer critique; (2) to network with other scholars in the field.

Most who attended the conference in Vienna were from Europe--the UK, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Scandinavian countries, Spain, etc. The ethos of the group was quite interesting. Most seemed not to be working from a traditional Christian perspective. Not many were interested in theological questions. One even apologized for 'accidentally' making a theological statement.

I had an interesting conversation with a Pauline scholar, who commented on my name. This person remarked that 'everyone should have an ambiguous name like yours; that way when we reach the teenage years we can choose which gender we want to be'. I didn't really know how to respond to that since it was not a joke.

I presented my paper on 1 Peter 2.25 and the shepherd-king of Zechariah 9-14. I received very little feedback. I don't know if that was because my case was so compelling or because I bored everyone to death!

Regardless, my time in Vienna confirmed my calling.