The Bible is a challenging book. Its literature comes

  • through different languages,
  • at different times,
  • to different audiences, and
  • in different contexts.

As we read this literature, we encounter various kinds of difficulties. But some texts present more or especially difficult challenges.

The Project

This year, the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar continues its examination of “difficult texts” and the nature of the challenges these texts present. The series began with Leviticus and will conclude next year by considering the Sermon on the Mount. In this middle year, the series continues by examining the books of Joshua and Judges.

The Sessions

Throughout the year, the seminar’s treatment of these difficult texts includes three online events. These events focus on three distinct but overlapping dimensions of the difficulties that Joshua and Judges present. The seminar’s 2026 program concludes with an in-person discussion in Denver at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meeting.

In the year’s first online event, focus will fall on the seminar welcomes papers from

  • Dave Beldman, who, until recently, served as Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament at Missional Training Centre in Phoenix, Arizona, and a co-chair for the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. Dave is now a Scholar in Residence with the Surge Network. Dave’s PhD focused on Judges, and his Reading the Pentateuch as Christian Scripture (co-authored with Michael Rhodes) is scheduled for publication later this year. Dave’s seminar paper is “Reading Judges as Christian Scripture: Hermeneutics for a Troubling Book.”
  • Paul Béré, who teaches at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. His research focuses on the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, especially from the perspective of aural criticism. Paul is the editor of the forthcoming conference volume The Bible and Its Worlds (Analecta Biblica). Paul’s seminar paper is “Joshua in Christian Hermeneutics: Wrestling with a Difficult Book.”

The Invitation

If you have interests in Joshua, Judges, or how interpreters cope with difficult biblical texts, we’d encourage you to join us for any of the sessions you can.

This first session on hermeneutics will be 4 March at 2:00 pm (US Central), or 8:00 pm (UK). The session is free to attend on Zoom, but you do need to register ahead of time. You can do so on this form provided by the seminar’s parent organization, the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge.

Looking ahead, you may also want to mark your calendar for the sessions on

  • reception on 10 June at 3:00 pm (US Central; Zoom) and
  • formation on 9 September at 3:00 pm (US Central; Zoom).

The in-person discussion in Denver during SBL will fall sometime 20–24 November. I’ll provide fuller details for these sessions once they become available.

Hope to see you there!

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