John the Jew: Reading the Gospel of John’s Christology as a Form of Jewish Messianism / 6th Nangeroni Meeting (2016 Camaldoli), conference

Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan

Benjamin E. Reynolds, Tyndale University College

Deborah Forger, University of Michigan

John the Jew: Reading the Gospel of John's Christology as a Form of Jewish Messianism (2016) is the topic of the sixth conference in the series of Nangeroni Meetings organised by the Enoch Seminar at Monastery of Camaldoli, near Arezzo, Italy (June 19 - 24, 2016).

Sixth Nangeroni Meeting (Camaldoli, Italy; June 19 - June 24, 2016)

Conference Committee: Gabriele Boccaccini, Benjamin E. Reynolds, and Deborah Forger

Preliminary Information

When: June 19 - June 24, 2016

Location of Seminar: Monastero di Camaldoli, near Arezzo, Italy (Località Camaldoli, 52010 Camaldoli)

Confirmed Participants:

Paul Anderson, Gabriele Boccaccini, Christiane Bramkamp, Jo-Ann Brant, James Charlesworth, Wally Cirafsi, Kelley Coblentz-Bautch, James Davila, Douglas Estes, Crispin Fletcher-Louis, Deborah Forger, Charles Gieschen, Robert Hall, Matthias Henze, Angela Kim Harkins, Jonathan Lo, William Loader, Grant Macaskill, Paul Mandel, Mary Marshall, James McGrath, Jocelyn McWhirter, Marida Nicolaci, Chad Pierce, Adele Reinhartz, Benjamin Reynolds, John Ronning, Shayna Sheinfeld, Beth Stovell, Andrea Taschl-Erber, Johnson Thomaskutty, Meredith J.C. Warren, Catrin Williams, Urban von Wahlde, Joel Willits, Ziony Zevit, and Ruben Zimmermann.

Purpose: The purpose of the sixth Nangeroni meeting is to explore the Gospel of John’s christology, traditionally considered to be “high christology,” as part of the diversity of Jewish messianism within the Second Temple Period. The focus of discussions will address John’s depiction of the messiah in relation to the following topics: “divinity” and a divine messiah, the Incarnation, wisdom traditions, Enoch traditions and the Son of Man, Davidic expectations, and Moses and Torah. The following questions will serve to guide our sessions: How and in what ways can the Gospel of John’s messiah be situated within Second Temple Period Judaism? Can John’s christology be seen as a part the diversity of Jewish messianism? If so, should it still be labeled a high christology? Can the Johannine messiah be considered “divine”? Were there other divine messiahs in Second Temple Judaism? What do we mean by “divine” and “divinity”? Is there a relationship between John’s λόγος and the Jewish sapiential tradition? What, if any, sort of relationship exists between Second Temple interpretations of the “one like a son of man,” particularly in the Parables of Enoch, and what we find in the Gospel of John? How do Nathanael and the Jerusalem crowd’s “King of Israel” and Pilate’s “King of the Jews” influence our perspectives on Davidic/kingship traditions in Second Temple Judaism, especially in light of Roman rule? How do the Moses traditions in the Gospel of John add to our understanding of prophetic messiah expectations of the time?

Registration

Participation in the sixth Nangeroni Meeting is by invitation only. If you are interested in joining the meeting, please contact the organizers.

The registration fee is based on the number of Enoch Seminars/Nangeroni Meetings you have attended in the past:

$125 – Newcomers; $110 – Attended 1 Seminar; $100 – Attended 2 Seminars; $90 – Attended 3 Seminars; $75 – Attended 4 or 5 Seminars + all emeriti; $0 – Attended 6 or more Enoch Seminars or Nangeroni Meetings

Accommodations

The rate for All-inclusive accommodations at Camaldoli is as follows:

300 Euros - All Participants; 200 Euros - Respondents; 0 Euros - Major Paper Presenters

Travel Information

You may fly into either Florence, Rome, or Bologna. Then take the train to Arezzo.

From Florence (Peretola), you will need to take a bus/cab to the main train station, Santa Maria Novella, then the train to Arezzo. From Rome (Fiumicino), you will take the train to Roma Termini, then to Arezzo. From Bologna (Guglielmo Marconi), you will take the bus/taxi to Bolgona Centrale and from there to Arezzo. Try to avoid local trains which stop at every station and therefore take much longer. Look for high-speed, intercity, or frecciarosa trains.

We will be scheduling a bus to take us from the Railway Station in Arezzo to Camalodoli at 5:00pm, June 19. There is a cafe in the Railway Station where folks have congregated in the past as they waited for the bus, so that will serve as our meeting point. If you are unable to make this bus, you can take the train from Arezzo to Bibbiena. From Bibbiena, you can take a taxi to Camaldoli (~20-30 euros); however, on a Sunday night, you may have difficulty locating a taxi in Bibbiena. You may also take a taxi directly from Arezzo to Camaldoli, but this will be more expensive (about 80+ euros)."

Provisional Schedule

Sunday, June 19––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Arrivals - Bus from the Arezzo Railway Station (5pm). Meet at the cafe in the train station.

7:30pm Dinner

8:30pm Welcome

Monday, June 20--------------------------------------------------------------------------

8 to 9am - Breakfast

09:00–10:15 – Introduction: Benjamin Reynolds & James McGrath

10:45–12:30 – Session 1: Gabriele Boccaccini "How Jesus Became Uncreated" - Respondent: Paul Anderson

13:00 - Lunch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

14:30–16:00 – Short Papers 3,000-5,000 words

• Group A: Chair -

John Ronning, ""

Jonathan Lo, ""

Shayna Sheinfeld, ""

Matthias Henze, ""

• Group B: Chair -

Beth Stovell, ""

Joel Willits, ""

Marida Nicolaci, ""

Andrew Byers, ""

16:30–18:15 – Session 2: Adele Reinhartz "'And the Word was God': John’s Christology and Jesus’ Discourse in Jewish Context" - Respondent: Matthias Henze

19:30 - Dinner

Tuesday, June 21––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

9:00–10:15 – Reading session

• (a) Text: John 1:35-51

Reader -

• (b) Text: John 5:16-47

Reader -

10:45–12:30 – Session 3: Crispin Fletcher-Louis "The Gospel of John and the Son of Man" - Respondent: Benjamin Reynolds

13:00 - Lunch

< afternoon > Visit to the Eremo of Camaldoli and its Ancient Library.

17:45–19:30 – Session 4 Charles Gieschen "The Divine Name that the Son Shares with the Father in the Gospel of John" -- Respondent: Chad Pierce

19:30 - Dinner

Wednesday, June 22–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

09:00–10:15 – Reading Session

• (a) Text: John 1:1-34

Reader -

• (b) Text: John 7:14-44

Reader -

10:45–12:30 – Session 5: William Loader "Wisdom and Logos Traditions in Judaism and John’s Christology" -- Respondent: Grant Macaskill

13:00 - Lunch

14:30-16:00 - Short Papers

• Group A: Chair -

Jocelyn McWhiter, ""

Paul Mandel, ""

Jo-Ann Brant, ""

Andrea Taschl-Erber, ""

Deborah Forger, ""

• Group B: Chair -

Mary J. Marshall, ""

Urban von Wahlde, ""

Wally Cirafesi, ""

Douglas Estes, ""

16:30–18:15 – Session 6: Ruben Zimmermann "John and the Divine Bridegroom" -- Respondent: Kelley Coblentz Bautch

19:30 - Dinner

Thursday, June 23–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

09:00–10:45 – Reading Session

• (a) Text: John 4:1-26

Reader -

• (b) Text: John 12:37-50

Reader -

11:15–12:30 – Session 7: Catrin Williams "Johannine Christology and Prophetic Traditions: The Case of Isaiah" -- Respondent: James Davila

13:00 – Lunch

14:30-16:00 - Session 8 : James Charlesworth "Dead Sea Messianism and John's Christology" -- Respondent: Angela Kim Harkins

16:30–18:15 – Conclusion; Wrap-up session :

19:30 - Dinner

Friday, June 24–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-

Bus to Arezzo Railway Station. We will aim to be back in Arezzo by 9am.