This new Research Group will begin in the national meeting in 2023. Over the last decade research on these letters has grown much, exploring, in particular, the phase of Christianity in which the documents were produced, the identity of the opponents, the theology of the letters, and whether or not the letters should be read as a group or individually.
For 2023 the theme is “The Pastoral Epistles and Space.” These letters are full of the language of space or location: Asia, Ephesus, Crete, household, world, Rome, and so on. What can be gained in our understanding of the letters when, for example, we examine the relationship between itinerant teachers and domestic space? What happens when we read the letters with ancient, not modern, conceptions of private versus public space? How does a careful study of the treatment of women at Ephesus from fresh archaeological and literary sources help ‘set-up’ the exegesis of the letters?
The session will be a combination of invited papers and proposals. We would be delighted to consider your proposals. The deadline is February 28, 2023. Please submit proposals to Osvaldo Padilla ([email protected]) and Lyn Kidson ([email protected]).