European Association of Biblical Studies Student Symposium Part II

There aren’t really pictures in this one, sorry.

So Saturday was the main day of the symposium. And it was a full day. In fact, I think it was the definition of “a lot.” There were four section of three papers each, including my own as the second of the morning. And unlike an “adult conference” where you can opt out of attending ANY section at any given time, we all attended all sections, and I’m glad I did.

This was very different from the larger “adult conferences.” Being small, everyone got to hear all the papers and ask questions. And while 12 papers in one day is a lot–and I feel like one week later my brain is still recovering (of course, the week since involved a Dissertation Defense in German and a lecture in German, so there might be a reason my brain is still recovering!), I was glad to be able to support the friends I made by listening attentively to their papers, asking questions when I could, and learning things I might not have otherwise ever learned.

Also different from the “adult conferences” (and I’m not the only one who used that term!), was the fact that the sections did not have themes. Of all the papers, maybe eight could have been placed in a larger section with another one (4 pairs of 2 that could have been grouped together). And I have to be honest, some of the papers would have been in sections I probably would have never attended at an “adult conference.” But I’m glad I did; I’m glad that my own horizons got spread a little bit. I’m not going to suddenly go study angel- and demonology, but it was still fascinating to listen to another student share her research and passion in that field.

I learned that the Gospel of Mary does not really fit as a Gnostic Gospel and is an insight into fascinating discourse in the early church.

I learned about Catena, fascinating for both looking at early transcripts and reception history. (And to be honest, not something I’d ever heard of before!)

While I had to look away during part of the Angelology presentation, it was fascinating to hear about the influence of Greek mythology on this field of theology. (Also to be amused as someone from NC at the thought that venomous water …um….things… are rare!)

I look forward to learning more about Contextual Bible Study and it’s possible application in scholarly exegesis.

And so very much more.

Dinner Saturday night was very nice, as we went to a restaurant, and I’m sorry I forgot to do the obligatory foodie picture! My bad. I had some kind of fish (sword-fish we think!) on rice, and it was delicious! We also had grape leaves and humus and the kinds of appetizers you would expect in Greece!

Sunday, we had a shorter session–only two papers. Not surprisingly, since many of us had to catch planes (and I kinda maybe almost missed mine b/c of a feature of my phone I was not aware of, that when you move time zones it not only adjusts the clock, but your scheduled events!)

However, before our session on Sunday, those of us who wanted to were invited to attend the liturgy that morning. I was there for about an hour and a half of it, before I had to slip out to get checked out before noon. It was beautiful, though I did not understand everything, and it was also extremely different from Palm Sunday services I was used to. People came and went during the service, and this picture was taken before the church became so crowded that I heard more of the chanting than I was able to see of the pageantry being enacted.

After the last session, there was another amazing lunch, again with fish or chicken–we didn’t really get a choice, just what we were given, and sadly I was given fish, which would’ve been fine except the mouth/throat itching thing started up (though it’d not been a problem the night before!) And we got double desserts! A kind of rice pudding, that was quite nice and a bit of soaked in something or another–they do that a lot with their deserts I think–chocolate torte to celebrate the Student President of the Student EABS organization’s birthday. More socializing over lunch before those of us who had to catch planes had to scoot, but a great weekend!

Ok, so I’ve not mentioned how my paper went. It went really well, though overtime. I did clear that with my chair before hand though, that I’d go a bit over 20 minutes, and several students told me that they really hadn’t realized I’d gone long because it didn’t feel like it! The questions were great, and I felt giddy when Professor Davies said that I did a very thorough job and he had no suggestions for questions or areas to consider that I hadn’t already addressed! And then sought me out afterward to continue the conversation! One of the questions was about fictional representations of the story, and I got to not only mention The Red Tent, but also Sandra’s Inside the Red Tent, which made me happy.

It was a fantastic conference, and a great time.

I do wish I’d had more time to actually see Thessaloniki more, but it was fantastic, and I hope to be able to attend again in the future. I met great people, heard great papers, ate great food, and saw a little bit of a historical city!