The board of the Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum warmly invites undergraduate, Master, and PhD students to submit a proposal for a Masterclass with Professor Christine Hayes on March 21, 2023, at Utrecht University. 

Symposium 

This Masterclass is part of a two-day symposium, entitled “Re-Visioning Late Antique Religion: The Study of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity,” which is organized on the occasion of the publication of Christine Hayes, ed., The Literature of the Sages: A Re-Visioning (CRINT 16; Leiden: Brill, 2022). This volume investigates the multi-directional relationships among and between rabbinic texts, non-rabbinic Jewish sources, and Hellenistic, Roman, and Christian cultures. Given the volume’s importance for multiple fields of study, in particular the study of ancient Judaism, reception history of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, early Christianity, and the Greco-Roman World, the symposium aims to create an interdisciplinary setting in which scholars of diverse scholarly backgrounds will discuss the volume’s insights and merits in studying rabbinic sources in dialogue with non-rabbinic sources and surrounding cultures. It comprises a book presentation on day 1 (March 20) and a Masterclass on day 2 (March 21). 

Prof. Christine Hayes

The symposium’s main participant and honored guest is Prof. Christine Hayes, the editor of the volume. She is Sterling Professor of Religious Studies in Classical Judaica at Yale University, and she has authored multiple award-winning books. Given that she is a leading expert in the study of rabbinic sources in their ancient Jewish, early Christian, and Graeco-Roman contexts, her interdisciplinary expertise will be of great benefit in examining the value of studying the mutual interrelationships between rabbinic texts and ancient Jewish, early Christian, and Graeco-Roman contexts. In the symposium, Prof. Christine Hayes will act as a keynote speaker during the book presentation and as an expert during the Masterclass.

Masterclass

At the masterclass, undergraduate, Master, and PhD students will be provided with a unique opportunity to present their ongoing research and receive feedback from Prof. Christine Hayes on this. They may present work on classical rabbinic Judaism, the Hebrew Bible and its reception, ancient Jewish and early Christian sources, or more generally themes on Hellenistic, Christian West, Sassanian East, and Roman or Byzantine cultures in relation to the study of rabbinic sources.

Students can present their work in one of three formats: 

1. Submit a (draft) paper, article, or chapter from their dissertation or thesis. Prof. Christine Hayes will provide feedback in the Masterclass session. 

2. Give a presentation (ca. 15 minutes) that responds to Prof. Christine Hayes’ edited volume from the perspective of their own specific field of interest and disciplinary background. Their response will be discussed with Prof. Christine Hayes during the Masterclass.

3. (for undergraduates only) Give a brief presentation (ca. 10 minutes) on their research or research interests during the Masterclass. In the Masterclass session, Prof. Christine Hayes will provide helpful suggestions to further develop their research interests.

Deadline for Abstracts

Undergraduate, Master, and PhD students interested in this Masterclass are invited to submit an abstract (250-300 words) in which they explain which option they will choose and the topic they will be presenting on. Please submit this abstract by the 29th of January 2023 by sending it to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!.

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