For only the second time, the SBL International Meeting was held in Asia this year from 2-7 July 2016 in Seoul, South Korea (the first International Meeting was held in Singapore in 2005). This year’s meeting was held in conjunction with the biannual meeting of the Society of Asian Biblical Studies (SABS). Both Yonsei University and Methodist Theological University played host to these meetings respectively.
More than 500 scholars from all over the world participated in this year’s meeting, and the presence of a significant number of Asian scholars further contributed to the diversity and rich cultural and scholarly exchange.
As the co-chair of the Paul and Pauline Literature Section of SBL International Meeting, I am particularly pleased to see a number of very interesting papers presented in this year’s meeting. With a total of 20 papers presented, the Paul and Pauline Literature Section was one of the most represented sections in this year’s meeting. The breakdown of the theme/focus of this year’s papers is tabulated in the following table.
More than 500 scholars from all over the world participated in this year’s meeting, and the presence of a significant number of Asian scholars further contributed to the diversity and rich cultural and scholarly exchange.
As the co-chair of the Paul and Pauline Literature Section of SBL International Meeting, I am particularly pleased to see a number of very interesting papers presented in this year’s meeting. With a total of 20 papers presented, the Paul and Pauline Literature Section was one of the most represented sections in this year’s meeting. The breakdown of the theme/focus of this year’s papers is tabulated in the following table.
Theme/Focus |
Number of Papers |
Percentage |
Romans |
3 |
15% |
Corinthian Letters |
10 |
50% |
Galatians |
3 |
15% |
Ephesians |
1 |
5% |
Philippians |
2 |
10% |
Colossians |
Nil |
0% |
Thessalonians |
1 |
5% |
Pastoral Epistles |
Nil |
0% |
Philemon |
Nil |
0% |
TOTAL |
20 |
100% |
Table 1: Papers Presented in the Paul and Pauline Literature Section in SBL International Meeting 2016
Interestingly, studies in the Corinthian letters dominated the discussion in this year’s meeting compared to the previous years, with a total of 10 papers offered (9 in 1 Corinthians and 1 in 2 Corinthians). This figure represents an exceptionally high percentage of 50% of the papers read in the meeting. What is even more significant was that there were 3 papers dealing with 1 Cor 12 on the body imagery itself (sadly, one of the papers was withdrawn at the last minute). This probably indicates that there is still a very strong research interest in the Corinthians letters, especially 1 Corinthians.
Even more surprisingly, Paul’s Letter to the Romans received much less attention with only 3 papers read (15%). I would have expected a higher number of papers on Romans since this is often considered as Paul’s most important letter! What happened to the Pastoral Epistles with no paper being offered?
The strong interest in the use of OT in Paul’s letters also received some keen interest where 4 papers (20%) were presented, and 3 of these focussed on the use of OT in 1 Corinthians.
As a whole, I am very pleased with the overall quality of the papers. Space does not permit me to highlight all of them, and I would only mention 3 papers that I find exceptionally helpful in my research:
Another observation that I must mention is that out of the 20 papers accepted for this year’s meeting, 11 (55%) of them were read by Asian scholars from South Korea, Myanmar, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States. Perhaps this statistic shows the results of the growth of the Christian church in Asian over the past decades, increased opportunity for Asian scholars to present their research findings, and the maturity of Asian Biblical scholars and scholarship. However, in terms of gender representation, there was only one female scholar reading her paper. It is my hope that we will be able to see more female Asian scholars represented in future International Meetings.
I am also very glad to see more than 80 Asian scholars participated in this years’ Society of Asian Biblical Studies meeting held in conjunction with the International Meeting. It was a real joy seeing many scholars from the Majority World sharing their research findings, particularly those from India, the Philippines, and Myanmar. Having been personally involved in theological education in Myanmar and Pakistan, I look forward to interacting with our colleagues from these nations in future meetings.
Perhaps one possible reason for the high representation of Asian scholars in this year’s meeting was the obvious choice of venue in Seoul. Another reason was the close collaboration between SBL and Society of Asian Biblical Studies in providing lower registration fees that covered room and board for Asian scholars from the Majority World. This indicates the importance of financial assistance that enabled scholars from this part of the region to be part of the important network of scholarly exchange that would further contribute to their growth.
This year’s meeting has been a great time of learning from colleagues, exchanging insights and ideas, and establishing and forging friendship, both old and new.; not to mention the 20kgs of books I picked up for the library and personal use from the book exhibits. How can one refuse good books especially when they were 50% discounted! I must also mention the great hospitality rendered by both Yonsei University and Methodist Theological University. We were well taken care of for most of our meals and we enjoyed the great Korean food. How could we Asian not talk about food when we gathered together?
Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to ATESEA for the generous financial sponsorship and my institution, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, for all the support given that enabled me to attend both the SBL International and SABS Meetings, present a paper entitled, "You are the Body of Christ" (1 Cor 12:27): Metaphor and Social Identity Formation", and also to preside over a couple of sessions in the Paul and Pauline Literature Section.
- “Mapping the Ekkelsia: Beyond Paul’s Missionary Journeys” by Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre. By utilising spatial and critical geography theory, Johnson-DeBaufre suggests that the mapping of Paul’s geographical movement needs to be redrawn beyond indicating the places and distance covered by the apostle as seen in most modern maps today to include the local events and spiritual lessons related to these locations. This method provides an interesting pedagogical approach to learning about space and geographical movement of Paul, and also drawing out important lessons related to his missionary activities. I will attempt to use some of the insights learned from this paper in the elective course on Acts of the Apostles that I will be offering next year.
- “Evan as the Law Says” (1 Cor 14:34b): An Allusion to Miriam in Numbers 12?” by Kenneth L. Cukrowski. Cukrowski suggests that the puzzling phrase, “even as the law says” in 1 Cor 14:34b could possibly be an allusion to Numbers 12. If this reading could be sustained, it opens up the possibility of reading 1 Cor 14:34-36 as Paul’s admonishing a specific group of women prophets in the Corinthian assembly to be silent, instead of women in general which is the popular reading.
- “Paul, the Rod, and Excommunication: A Possible Solution to an Ambiguous Metaphor” by Adam White. White reads the metaphor of the rod as a means of Paul threatening excommunication to those who caused divisions in the community.
Another observation that I must mention is that out of the 20 papers accepted for this year’s meeting, 11 (55%) of them were read by Asian scholars from South Korea, Myanmar, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States. Perhaps this statistic shows the results of the growth of the Christian church in Asian over the past decades, increased opportunity for Asian scholars to present their research findings, and the maturity of Asian Biblical scholars and scholarship. However, in terms of gender representation, there was only one female scholar reading her paper. It is my hope that we will be able to see more female Asian scholars represented in future International Meetings.
I am also very glad to see more than 80 Asian scholars participated in this years’ Society of Asian Biblical Studies meeting held in conjunction with the International Meeting. It was a real joy seeing many scholars from the Majority World sharing their research findings, particularly those from India, the Philippines, and Myanmar. Having been personally involved in theological education in Myanmar and Pakistan, I look forward to interacting with our colleagues from these nations in future meetings.
Perhaps one possible reason for the high representation of Asian scholars in this year’s meeting was the obvious choice of venue in Seoul. Another reason was the close collaboration between SBL and Society of Asian Biblical Studies in providing lower registration fees that covered room and board for Asian scholars from the Majority World. This indicates the importance of financial assistance that enabled scholars from this part of the region to be part of the important network of scholarly exchange that would further contribute to their growth.
This year’s meeting has been a great time of learning from colleagues, exchanging insights and ideas, and establishing and forging friendship, both old and new.; not to mention the 20kgs of books I picked up for the library and personal use from the book exhibits. How can one refuse good books especially when they were 50% discounted! I must also mention the great hospitality rendered by both Yonsei University and Methodist Theological University. We were well taken care of for most of our meals and we enjoyed the great Korean food. How could we Asian not talk about food when we gathered together?
Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to ATESEA for the generous financial sponsorship and my institution, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia, for all the support given that enabled me to attend both the SBL International and SABS Meetings, present a paper entitled, "You are the Body of Christ" (1 Cor 12:27): Metaphor and Social Identity Formation", and also to preside over a couple of sessions in the Paul and Pauline Literature Section.
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