The Seleucid and Hasmonean Periods and the Apocalyptic Worldview / 1st Nangeroni Meeting (2012 Milan), conference

Villa Cagnola, Gazzada, Milan, Italy

Lester Grabbe, University of Hull

Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan

The Seleucid and Hasmonean Periods and the Apocalyptic Worldview (2012) is the topic of the first conference in the series of Nangeroni Meetings organized by the Enoch Seminar in Milan, Italy (25-28 June 2012).

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First Nangeroni Meeting (Gazzada, Milan, Italy; 25-28 June 2012)

Lester L. Grabbe and Gabriele Boccaccini chaired this first Nangeroni Meeting toward the end of June 2012 (June 25-28), with the theme: "The Seleucid and Hasmonean Periods and the Apocalyptic Worldview".

The aim of the 2012 conference was to give a historical and sociological analysis of apocalyptic literature and perspective during the Seleucid and Hasmonean periods (c. 200-63 BCE). As usual, all papers circulated in advance and were not read by the writers. The time given were devoted primarily to discussion. The main speakers, in addition to the chairs Lester Grabbe and Gabriele Boccaccini, included Pierluigi Piovanelli, Anathea Portier-Young, Kenneth Atkinson, etc. Michael Stone and Erich Gruen were the overall respondents.

Basic Information

Title: The Seleucid and Hasmonean Periods and the Apocalyptic Worldview

Chair: Lester L. Grabbe

Co-Chair: Gabriele Boccaccini

Secretary: Jason Zurawski

When and Where: 25-28 June 2012; Villa Cagnola (Gazzada, near Milan, Italy). 20 minutes from Malpensa Milan airport

Description of Topic: The aim of the conference is to give a historical and sociological analysis of apocalyptic literature and perspective during the Seleucid and Hasmonean periods (c. 200-63 BCE). Questions include

• How pervasive was the apocalyptic worldview?
• How typical was apocalyptic literature?
• What was the relationship between apocalyptic and society?
• How did different social groups and strata engage with apocalyptic thought and literature?

Registration

Participation in the First Nangeroni Meeting is by invitation only. If you have already secured your participation, please fill out the official online registration form and pay your registration fee by January 15, 2012.

Participants

Maximum 35 (plus 1 secretary)

• 2 chairs

• 7 speakers:
  • 5 or 6 major papers
  • 1 or 2 major responses

• 10 respondents (Registration fee [see below] + €200 contribution for lodging, including all meals)

• 6 short papers selected among those who wish to submit a paper to the conference (Registration fee [see below] + €250 contribution for lodging, including all meals)

• 10 attendees (Registration fee [see below] + €300 contribution for lodging, including all meals)

• 1 secretary

NB: all participants will need to provide for their own travel to and from Milan.

Registration fee schedule (to be paid by December 2011):

• $150 - Newcomers
• $125 - Attended 1 Enoch Seminar
• $100 - Attended 2 or 3 Enoch Seminars
• $75 - Attended 4 or 5 Enoch Seminars + all emeriti
• $0 - Attended 6 Enoch Seminars

Participants

1. Lester L. Grabbe (University of Hull, UK), Chair +
2. Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan, USA), Co-Chair +
3. Ory Amitay (University of Haifa, Israel) +
4. Joseph Angel (Yeshiva University, USA) +
5. Kenneth Atkinson (University of Northern Iowa, USA) +
6. Albert I. Baumgarten (Bar Ilan University, Israel) +
7. Giovanni Bazzana (Harvard University, USA) +
8. Edward Dabrowa (University of Cracow, Poland) +
9. Lorenzo DiTommaso (Concordia University Montreal, Canada) +
10. Vicente Dobroruka (Universidade de Brasília, Brazil) +
11. Torleif Elgvin (Evangelical Lutheran University College, Norway) +
12. Sandra Gambetti (College of Staten Island-CUNY, USA) +
13. Yonder Gillihan (Boston College, USA) +
14. Eric Gruen (University of California, Berkely, USA) +
15. Årstein Justnes (University of Agder, Norway) +
16. John Kampen (Methodist Theological School in Ohio, USA) +
17. Alexander Kulik (Hebrew University, Israel) +
18. Daniel Machiela (McMaster University, Canada) +
19. Paul Mandel (Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Israel)+
20. Gerbern Oegema (McGill University, Canada) +
21. Laura C. Paladino (Italy) +
22. Pierluigi Piovanelli (University of Ottawa, Canada)
23. Anathea Portier-Young (Duke University, USA) +
24. Michael Stone (Hebrew University, Israel) +
25. Jason Zurawski (University of Michigan, USA), Secretary +

Schedule

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2012

Morning: Arrivals at Villa Cagnola

Conference begins with Monday lunch.

Monday afternoon, opening of conference:

• Opening and Greetings: 15:00-15:30
• Overview: Grabbe 15:30-16:00

Major Paper Session 1 16:00-17:00

• Gabriele Boccaccini, "Non-Apocalytic Responses to Apocalyptic Events: Notes on the Sociology of Apocalypticism"

Major Paper Session 2 17:30-19:00

• Kenneth Atkinson, "Understanding the Relationship Between the Apocalyptic Worldview and Jewish Sectarian Violence: The Case of the War Between Alexander Jannaeus and Demetrius III"
• Respondents: Albert I. Baumgarten and Sandra Gambetti

19:30 - Dinner

TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2012

Tuesday morning:

Major Paper Session 3 9:00-10:30

• Gerbern S. Oegema, "Was the Maccabean Revolt an Apocalyptic Movement?"
• Respondents: Lorenzo DiTommaso and John Kampen

Short Paper Session 1 11:00-12:30

• Daniel A. Machiela, "The Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls and the Historical Development of Jewish Apocalyptic Literature"
• Vicente Dobroruka, "An unlikely mixture: Seleucids and Lagids in Daniel and in Persian apocalyptic"
• Respondent: Lester L. Grabbe

Tuesday afternoon:

• Outing

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Wednesday morning:

Major Paper Session 4 9:00-10:30

• Anathea E. Portier-Young, "Apocalyptic Worldviews - What they are and how they spread. Insights from the social sciences"
• Respondents: Edward Dabrowa and Torleif Elgvin

Short Paper Session 2 11:00-12:30

• Torleif Elgvin, "Texts on Messianic Reign from the Hasmonean Period: 4Q521 as Interpretation of Daniel 7"
• Årstein Justnes, "4QApocryphon of Daniel ar (4Q246) in Context"
• Respondent: Joseph L. Angel

Wednesday afternoon:

Major Paper Session 5 15:30-17:00

• Pierluigi Piovanelli, "Odio humani generis: Apocalyptic Writers and Integrated Historians at the Time of the Judean Wars"
• Respondents: Giovanni Bazzana and Ory Amitay

Short Paper Session 3 17:30-19:00

• Paul Mandel, "The Paradox of Midrash and the Apocalyptic Author: From Mesopotamian Divination to Rabbinic Midrash, through Qumran and Apocalypse"
• Yonder Gillihan, "Apocalyptic Elements in Hasmonean Propaganda: Civic Ideology and the Struggle for Political Legitimation"
• Respondent: Kenneth Atkinson

19:30 - Dinner

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012

Thursday morning (final session):

2 responses to conference 9:00-10:30

• Eric S. Gruen and Michael E. Stone

Plenary discussion 11:00-12:15

Summing up (Grabbe) 12:15-12:30

Conference ends with Thursday lunch

NOTE: All papers are published in advance on Enoch Seminar Online

Arrival Times at Malpensa Airport

• Friday, June 22

11:00am Vicente Dobroruka (TAP 0802)

• Sunday, June 24

8:25am Yonder Gillihan (LH 246)

8:50am Jason Zurawski (United 44)

10:45 Ory Amitay (LY 381)

15:15 Anathea and Sebastian Portier-Young (Easy Jet 2784)

15:30 Lester Grabbe

17:35 Erich Gruen and Ann Hasse (United 9220)

21:25 Al and Rita Baumgarten (LY 387)

21:25 Michael and Nira Stone

--:-- Alexander Kulik (Milano Centrale train station)

• Monday, June 25

7:30am Joseph Angel (Delta DL 0160)

8:20am Gerbern Oegema (Brussels Airlines SN 3153)

8:35am Paul Mandel (Austrian Airlines 511)

Getting to the Seminar

Villa Cagnola (main lodging and location of Seminar):

Istituto Superiore di Studi Religiosi “Villa Cagnola”

Via Cagnola, 17/19

21045 GAZZADA SCHIANNO (VA)

Tel. +39 0332 461304

fax +39 0332 870887

E-mail: reception@villacagnola.it

villacagnola@tin.it

www.villacagnola.it

From Malpensa Airport

Taxi: 25-30 minutes; ~60 Euros (see above for sharing a taxi)

Train: ~1.5 hours; ~6 Euros (See trenitalia.com, Departure = "Malpensa Aeroporto" Arrival = "Gazzada-Schianno-Morazzone")

• Take bus from Malpensa to "Busto Arsizio” and from there take a train “Suburbano” to the stop “Gazzada-Schianno.”
• The station in Gazzada is about 1km from the Villa, or ~200m via the steps (see map).

From Milan via Train

There are no direct trips to Gazzada from Milano Centrale station (though it is usually a quick connection). Most of the direct trips from Milan are from the Milano Porta Girabaldi station (which is also in the center of town). Visit trenitalia.com to find the best times for direct trips. For departure, select "Milano (all stations)," and for arrival, "Gazzada-Schianno-Morazzone." This will show you all of the trips to Gazzada from the Milan stations. The trip will take 1-1.5 hours and cost around 6 euros.