John - Jesus - History A program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature

Statement of Purpose

The "John, Jesus, and History Group" highlights issues related to the Johannine tradition and the composition-history of the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles, with special emphasis on the place of these documents in contemporary study of Christian origins. Dialogue on these issues is encouraged through the group's annual meetings and through other venues throughout the year.

Program Overview

• PHASE THREE:
  • The Passion of Jesus (Nov. 21-25, 2008, in Boston, MA)
  • The Works of Jesus (Nov. 20-24, 2009, in New Orleans, LA)
  • The Words of Jesus (Nov. 19-23, 2010, in Atlanta, GA)
     
• PHASE TWO:
  • Aspects of Historicity in John 13-21 (Nov. 17-20, 2007, in San Diego, CA)
  • Aspects of Historicity in John 5-12 (Nov. 18-21, 2006, in Washington, DC)
  • Aspects of Historicity in John 1-4 (Nov. 19-22, 2005, in Philadelphia, PA)
  • Papers will be published in John, Jesus, and History: Volume 2 (SBL Symposium Series; planned for November 2008)
     
• PHASE ONE:
  • Consultation Sessions 2002-2004
  • Published papers now available in John, Jesus, and History: Volume 1 (in the SBL Symposium Series)
     
• Future SBL Meetings:
  • Nov. 18-22, 2011 in San Francisco, CA
  • Nov. 16-20, 2012 in Chicago, IL
  • Nov. 22-26, 2013 in Baltimore, MD
  • See the SBL Website for further updates

Call for Papers: 2008-2010 Overview

The JJH Group will host two sessions at each of the 2008, 2009, and 2010 meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature (in addition to co-sponsoring some special sessions with other program units). During these years the discussion will focus on the following aspects of Jesus' life and ministry:

• for 2008, papers relating to the Passion of Jesus;
• for 2009, papers relating to the Works of Jesus;
• for 2010, papers relating to the Words of Jesus.

Proposals on general methodological issues will be considered for any session, but it will be most helpful if method papers can connect to the topic for the year in question. Please note also that we welcome proposals reflecting a wide variety of perspectives, including both those that defend and those that reject the "historicity" of the Johannine Literature. All proposals should be submitted through the Society of Biblical Literature website, using the appropriate online form (see http://www.sbl-site.org).

Call for Papers: 2008

The John, Jesus, and History Group will host one open session at the 2008 meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Proposals should explore issues of historicity related to the Johannine Passion Narrative, including discussion of the arrest, trials (Jewish and Roman), and death of Jesus. Topics of interest to the group that fall outside the scope of these issues may also be considered as long as they deal centrally with some aspect of John, Jesus, and history issues. Papers may reflect a variety of methodological perspectives, including those that compare/contrast John’s account to those in other ancient sources. Preference will be given to proposals that interact directly with questions of John's historicity (either in favor of John's historicity or against John's presentation) arguing critically why one's thesis is tenable. Please include a detailed abstract.

Steering Committee

• Paul Anderson, George Fox University - Co-chair
• Jaime Clark-Soles, Perkins School of Theology, SMU - Co-chair
• Mary Coloe, PBVM, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
• Alan Culpepper, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University
• Felix Just, SJ, Loyola Institute for Spirituality
• D. Moody Smith, Duke University Divinity School
• Tom Thatcher, Cincinnati Christian University

Related Publications

See a page of announcements about Recently Published and Forthcoming Books related to the interests of this group: the relationship of the Gospel of John and the Historical Jesus.

LINKS and RESOURCES:

 
THE  SOCIETY  OF  BIBLICAL  LITERATURE
Homepage of the largest professional association devoted to biblical studies.

See also the Homepage of the JOHANNINE LITERATURE SECTION of the Society of Biblical Literature
 

THE  JOHANNINE  LITERATURE  WEB
Resources for the academic study of the Fourth Gospel and the Letters of John.

This website is sponsored by the Steering Committee of the John, Jesus, and History Group.

For questions about the John, Jesus, and History Group, please contact one of the following:
Prof. Paul N. Anderson, panderso--at--georgefox.edu
Prof. Jaime Clark-Soles, jaimecs--at--smu.edu
Prof. Tom Thatcher, tom.thatcher--at--ccuniversity.edu

For comments about this website, please contact the webmaster:
Felix Just, SJ, fjust--at--calprov.org