Biblical Studies Societies

Update: IOSCS Details for the 2019 IOSOT Congress

A few days ago I posted here about the next IOSOT Congress to be held next summer in Aberdeen, Scotland. It should be an excellent event. Since that time, a new dedicated page has been posted with the details of the IOSCS section that will take place during the congress. The page has a separate portal for submitting your proposal and a description of the theme, which is as follows:

IOSOT Call for Papers

The main theme of the IOSCS meetings will be ‘The Septuagint in its Hellenistic Jewish setting’, encompassing questions of history, textual development, interpretation, religious outlook, cultural context, and lexicography. Papers relating to this theme will be especially welcome. However, papers on other subjects will also be considered. Both the IOSCS projects (NETS, Hexapla, LXX.D, SBLCS) and other allied groups (e.g. HTLS, Göttingen volume editors, La Bible d’Alexandrie) are encouraged to offer panel sessions, either on the conference theme or on aspects of their current work.

Call for Papers: 2019 IOSOT Congress (Aberdeen)

If you are a regular in the world of biblical studies conferences, then you are probably not prepared to start thinking about anything other than the ETS, IBR, and/or SBL events in Denver coming up (next month, in case you forgot).

And yet, think you must, especially if you are part of Old Testament scholarship, since the IOSOT Congress is coming up next summer. It is to be held at the University of Aberdeen from 4-9 August 2019 in the newly renovated and refurbished Music Hall. There is a dedicated website here.

Although registration is not quite up and running, the call for papers is now open. (more…)

Preliminary Details for the IOSCS 50th Anniversary Celebration

There are a number of “centers” of Septuagint scholarship around the world. In fact, you can find fascinating reports on scholarly activity in various countries in the recently published volume 50 of the Journal for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (see ToC here). But the hub of all this activity is undeniably the IOSCS.

I have written about the IOSCS before and won’t review details here, except to say that if you’re interested in knowing how the IOSCS came about in the first place, you can read the original letter penned by Sydney Jellicoe right here.

If you are interested in Septuagint studies you should definitely become a member and read the journal.

In any case, the society is on the verge of crossing a significant milestone when it reaches its 50th anniversary later this year. Since the first official meeting of the IOSCS occurred at the national meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in 1968, it is fitting that the celebration will occur at the same event this year in Denver at the 2018 AAR/SBL conference.

Yesterday I received preliminary details from Leonard Greenspoon that the 50th Anniversary Celebration of IOSCS scheduled will take place on Saturday, November 17 from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM in the Platinum Room on the Lobby Level of the Hilton Garden Inn. I am told there will be conversing, eating, and drinking (not necessarily in that order) along with a program of some kind.

More details as they become available.