SBL 2025: Boston
Call for Papers
Closes March 25, 2025
Biblical Performance Criticism investigates how meaning is made in communication events of biblical (and other) traditions involving a performer (e.g., lector, preacher, teacher), audience, tradition, situation, and media. We invite papers in 2025 on performance of apocalyptic literature (canonical and extra-canonical) and how embodiment and cultural memory shape the experience of meaning making. We will have three sessions and one networking meeting and invite proposals in each area.
- A Joint Session with John’s Apocalypse and Cultural Contexts Ancient and Modern. There will be three performances of Revelation 13-14 (one in each language, English, ASL, and Spanish) and three respondents exploring how the embodiment and cultural memory shaped their experiences. Proposals to be a respondent should outline their experience and cultural position.
- A Joint Session with Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew calls for papers on “Translation and Linguistic Issues in Apocalyptic Literature in Ancient Hebrew and Aramaic.” In recent years, questions have emerged on how to translate lexical, grammatical, and pragmatic issues in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the context of non-written domains. Preference will be given to proposals focusing on multimodal translation (including oral, sign language, and digital) of Hebrew or Aramaic apocalyptic texts and informed by linguistic theory. We welcome specific case studies in one or more of these domains.
- Biblical Performance Criticism: What is it? How to do it? Where is it going? Paper proposals should introduce BPC to interested parties and new practitioners and engage long-time participants in discussion of the direction of BPC.
Networking Luncheon. In San Diego, the BYOL lunch on Monday was a great success and will be repeated to bring new and long-time students and scholars together.