Episode 185 - The Rise of Torah - Live Event with Dr. Mark George and Dr. Pam Eisenbaum - part 1

The BREW THEOLOGY Force Awakens. May The 4th Be With You… get ready for this special Live Podcast event!

Featuring
The George Strikes Back!
Attack of the Eisenbaum!
& Return of the Ry-Guy to the Mile High!

This is The Way to a galactic podcast packed with hyperspace theology, laser sharp theologians, rebellious questions, dark-sided brews, and party favors - unofficially - endorsed by Ewoks (Laugh if up, fuzzball! Cuz we partied, Endor-style!)

The force is strong with these two star theologians, Mark & Pam.

A long time ago in the Ancient Near East far, far away… There was the Rise of The Torah!

We all know words carry weight like holding a lightsaber! Writing was a pretty new technology for the writers of Deuteronomy (5th book in the Jewish Torah), something they used for purposes beyond royal bureaucratic purposes. What’s interesting about this technology, among other things, is that individuals and communities came to use it as authoritative, that is, as something to be consulted because it served as a normative guide for community action, understanding, and thus life. For oral cultures in the ancient near east, the shift to using writing this way was huge. And it provides a point of comparison with our current digital revolution, as digital devices, apps, and other technologies invade and structure our lives.

It’s time to unlearn what you have learned like a good a padawan. We’ll unpack the emergence of new technology, then and now, as we seek to better get a handle on how we think about the Bible and authoritative texts moving forward. It’s your destiny to listen! Do. Or do not. There is no try!

Get ready for Part 1!

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Mark K. George is Professor of Bible and Ancient Systems of Thought and Director of the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology Joint PhD Program in the Study of Religion. He works primarily with the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and, within that corpus, the Pentateuch and narrative texts. The focus of his work is ancient systems of thought operating within this literature and the societies that produced it, whether they be social systems and structures expressed through the practices and conceptions of space, or how they make possible specific ways for individuals and communities to conduct their lives. George teaches courses on the Bible. These include critical studies of specific books, such as Deuteronomy, and examinations of larger issues, such as The Bible and Contemporary Issues or The Bible in the Digital Age. Fundamental to his teaching is the conviction that each generation must find new ways to make the Bible relevant for themselves. This is especially important as we live through the current digital revolution. His publications include books, encyclopedia entries, scholarly articles, and occasional pieces in publications including The Conversation. His current book project, Conduct Becoming Israel: Deuteronomy’s Subject and the Creation of “Israel,” is an analysis of how Deuteronomy presents an idealized system for becoming Israel.
A member of both the Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion, George regularly presents his work in the US and internationally.

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Pamela Eisenbaum is Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Iliff School of Theology and affiliate faculty of the Center of Judaic Studies at the University of Denver. She holds an MTS from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD from Columbia University.
She is the author of Paul Was Not a Christian, which has enjoyed a wide readership. Other books include The Jewish Heroes of Christian History: Hebrews 11 in Literary Context, and Invitation to Romans. She is a contributor to the highly touted Jewish Annotated New Testament and many essays on the Bible, ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity.
Professor Eisenbaum has a passion for ancient manuscripts and has worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel and the oldest manuscript of Paul’s letters at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland. Currently she is pursuing research on the role of technology (ancient and modern) in the codification, preservation, and transmission of the Bible. She has also begun exploring broader questions of religion and technology, including Artificial Intelligence. Throughout her career she has been involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue and maintains an ongoing academic interest in Jewish-Christian relations in particular, and religious diversity in general. Courses regularly taught by Dr. Eisenbaum include Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the Formation of the Bible, and Interreligious Dialogue.

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