Summer ’21 Update

It’s been pretty quiet on the blog over the last two months as the chaos of the semester has fizzled out. Now, the summer is heating up, COVID seems to be on the wane (Κύριε ἐλέησον), and new things are on the horizon. So I thought it would be a good time to give a run-down of some of my work over the last academic year, as well as the next handful of things I’m moving on to in months to come.

Some Recent Activity

  • T&T Clark Handbook for Septuagint Research — You can read more about this project here and here. This volume was the result of four years of labor and we are very pleased with the results. Aside from editing the volume, my contribution is a chapter on modern language translations of the Septuagint and their underlying theoretical frameworks.
  • Two Essays — Sometimes it takes forever for things to be published, so it’s always exciting when they finally see the light of day. There were two essays of mine that came out this past academic year:
    • “Some Aspects of Παιδάριον and Νεανίσκος in Ptolemaic Egypt.” Pages 189–205 in The Legacy of Soisalon-Soininen: Towards a Syntax of Septuagint Greek. Edited by Tuukka Kauhanen and Hanna Vanonen; DSI 13; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020.
    • “The ‘Scissors and Paste’ Septuagint Concordance in the Bodleian Library (Auct. E 1.2,3).” Pages 882–98 in 7. Internationale Fachtagung von Septuaginta-Deutsch (July 2018). Edited by Martin Meiser et al. WUNT 444; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020.
  • 2020 Conference Participation — Being part of online COVID-conferences was … unique. But everyone was in the same boat. This year’s events will no doubt be memorable in their own way. But during the 2020 conferences, I presented a paper in the SBL Biblical Lexicography section entitled “Too Practical? Early Modern Septuagint Lexicography and Its Effects.” I also facilitated sessions at both ETS and SBL, which you can read more about here.
  • 2021 Conference Organization — lt’s surprising how quickly one can get pulled in to things. Over the last few years, I have joined the steering committee or become chair of several conference sessions at ETS, IBR, and SBL (see here). So this spring was surprisingly full of emails and Zoom meetings trying to pin down the 2021 conference season. That was made all the more interesting by the fact that no one knew (nor yet knows) what the fall will look like in terms of public health. Regardless, I will be presenting at both ETS (Septuagint Studies on doctrine of Scripture) and IBR (Linguistics & the Biblical Text on cognitive linguistic theory), as well as moderating at SBL (Biblical Lexicography session on the Cambridge Greek Lexicon).
  • Online Publications —
    • Interview on the Guilt, Grace, Gratitude podcast (Season 2 Episode 27)
    • Interview: “Dr. William A. Ross (Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte),” Biblingual (YouTube)
    • Interview: “Understanding the Septuagint,” 2 episodes on Digging for Truth Episodes 112–113 with Henry B. Smith and Micah Huber (WBPH Studios, Part I and Part II))
    • Lessons from the Septuagint for English Bible Translations Today, Bible Study Magazine (here)
    • What a Recent Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery Means for Septuagint Studies, The Logos Blog (here)
  • Getting on Twitter for some terrible reason — I have no defense. It happened in a moment of weakness. Follow me if you want to @William_A_Ross but otherwise run for the hills.

Some Current Activity

  • HTLS entries — Now that grading is over, my main activity has been writing two entries for the second volume of the Historical and Theological Lexicon of the Septuagint, which will be published who-knows-when. But it’s been great to be back in the lexicographical trenches.
  • RTS Convocation — Once my lexicon entries are drafted, I’ll be moving on to a fairly novel topic, at least for me. This coming autumn, I will be giving the convocation address at RTS Charlotte. So in an effort to make my typically arcane and obscure research more interesting to other humans, I have chosen to write on Herman Bavinck — he’s all the rage these days it seems, so why not hop on the bandwagon? In particular, I am researching Bavinck’s understanding of and interaction with contemporary philologists.
  • Dissertation Proofing — Yes, my dissertation is going to be published eventually with SBL Press. I’m waiting for proofs, which I am told will arrive later this summer. 

Some Future Activity

  • Book Announcement Soon — Speaking of proofs, I am currently working through some for a book that is coming out this autumn on the Septuagint. More info on that here in the near future!
  • Two Linguistics Projects — I’m in the early stages of putting together two edited volumes on linguistics and biblical studies, each of which is a team or group effort. Again, more information on this in time, but I’m excited to see how these shape up.
  • Blogging Here — Of course, I will continue to blog about all things Septuagint (and beyond) here, as I’ve been doing for a while now. You can look for two interesting interviews in the near future, along with some head-to-head engagement with KJV-only-ist arguments and other fun things.

ONLINE: 8th International Conference for Septuagint Studies

More than a year ago, I posted the announcement of the 8th International Conference for Septuagint Studies, to be held (as always) in Wuppertal, Germany.

That was in January 2020. Within four months, the global situation had changed drastically of course. So I then posted and update about the event, which was “postponed” until the following year. (more…)

It’s Finally Here! The Handbook for Septuagint Research

[Update: I just found out that this book is gathering interest on the Logos Bible Software platform, where it would cost only $26. If you are interested in accessing it there, please pre-order it here!]

My set of volumes from the publisher, looking sharp.

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a full year since I posted the announcement of my new book, the T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research, which I coedited with W. Edward Glenny (U. Northwestern-St. Paul). (more…)