JEWISH NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR TO SPEAK posted 3/20/06

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Jewish New Testament Scholar, is scheduled to present “Jesus and Judaism: Why the Connection Still Matters,” on March 29 at 12:15 p.m. in the Adrian College Chapel. She will address the historical background of Jesus and the importance of the Jewish context he was born into, along with why it is relevant for Christianity today.

Her presentation is part of the ongoing Convocation speaker series.

Dr. Levine is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies and Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion in Nashville, Tenn. She is a self-described “Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a Christian divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt.”

Melissa Stewart, a professor in Adrian’s philosophy/religion department, worked with Dr. Levine while she was in graduate school.

“A.-J. Levine is one of the leading New Testament scholars in the United States,” Stewart said. “But, even more importantly, she is the professor who made me question my assumptions about the Gospel because she challenged me to look at it through the eyes of women, Jews and other marginalized people. She is a great mentor, and one of the most dynamic lecturers I have ever heard."

Dr. Levine received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and master’s and doctoral degrees from Duke University. She also received an honorary Doctor of Ministry from the University of Richmond. Dr. Levine has been awarded grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies.

This event is free and open to the public. The chapel is located on Charles Street. (campus map)