“MARY MAGDALENE: A FEMINIST BIOGRAPHY” IS TOPIC OF THE 2003 FALL LUNCHEON LECTURE SERIES PRESENTED BY THE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED THEOLOGY AT BARD COLLEGE Weekly series with the Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton meets Fridays from October 3 through October 31

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— “Mary Magdalene: A Feminist Biography” is the topic of the fall 2003 luncheon lecture series sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College. Presented by the Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton, the weekly luncheon series will meet in the multipurpose room of the Bertelsmann Campus Center at noon, beginning Friday, October 3, and continuing through Friday, October 31. The cost for each lecture (including lunch) is $12, or $8 for members of the Institute of Advanced Theology. Preregistration is requested. “Throughout the history of the interpretation of the New Testament, Mary Magdalene has emerged as a pivotal figure in the discussion of gender and sexuality,” states Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard. “During the 16th century, for example, Protestants and Catholics disputed her place in the Gospels as much as they did basic doctrines of the faith. She makes the connection of femininity and faith unavoidable, because she was the companion of Jesus, a principal witness of his resurrection and what it meant, and one of those whose remembrance of Jesus shaped the Gospel tradition.” He continues, “During the autumn lecture series in 2003, we will consider those historical issues, but also the broader question of how historical findings can be interpreted and applied. Because the literature of Gnosticism embraced Mary Magdalene as a key exponent of Jesus’ entire perspective, she has exemplified how knowing a historical figure is not only a matter of data, but also of hermeneutics.” A discussion led by members of the Red Hook Ministerium will follow each lecture. Bruce Chilton, executive director of the Institute of Advanced Theology, is a scholar of early Christianity and Judaism and the author of the first critical translation of the Aramaic version of Isaiah (The Isaiah Targum, 1987). He has written academic studies that put Jesus in his Jewish context (Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography, 2000; Pure Kingdom, 1996; The Temple of Jesus, 1992; and The Galilean Rabbi and His Bible, 1984). Chilton has taught in Europe at the universities of Cambridge, Sheffield, and Münster, and in the United States at Yale University (as the first Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament) and at Bard College. Throughout his career he has been active in the pastoral ministry of the Anglican Church; he is currently rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Barrytown, New York. The Institute of Advanced Theology was established to foster critical understanding, based on scholarship, which aims to make true religious pluralism possible. Since its inception in 1996, the Institute’s work has focused on how religions influence history, society, and other religions, and are in turn influenced by them. The Institute gratefully acknowledges support provided by members of the Institute, the Crohn Family Trust, and the Tisch Family Foundation, as well as grants from The Levy Economics Institute and Bard College. For further information, call the Institute office at 845-758-7279, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.bard.edu/iat. # # # (09.02.03)

Website: https://www.bard.edu/iat

This event was last updated on 09-12-2003

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