For release: March 6, 2012
For press information, contact Curt Guenther, 901-678-2843

Steven McKenzie

The Bornblum Judaic Studies program at the University of Memphis will sponsor a two-day conference, “From Creation to Christianity,” March 19-20.  The conference sessions will meet in Room 123 of the Fogelman Executive Center on the U of M campus.

On the first day, scholars will address topics in the Hebrew Bible such as creation versus evolution, the problem of evil, the nature of God, and the vision of Isaiah, in addition to textual studies about the historicity of Judges, Ruth, and the Joseph story.

The second day will be devoted to New Testament studies – the birth narratives of Jesus in the Gospels, the way Luke depicts salvation in his Gospel, in addition to Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and Martin Luther’s essay, ‘Two Kinds of Righteousness,’ published in 1519.

A keynote address at 7 p.m. March 20 by Dr. Steven McKenzie will conclude the conference.  It will be in Room 136 of the Fogelman Executive Center.  In McKenzie’s presentation, “The Figure of King David in the Bible and History,” he will discuss the centrality of King David in the Bible, the question of his historical existence, and models for interpreting his character. 

All events are free and open to the public.  Paid parking is available in the parking garage adjacent to the Fogelman Executive Center on Innovation Drive, just south of Central Avenue.

For more information, contact the Bornblum Judaic Studies Program by phone at 901-678-2919 or Dr. Shaul Bar by email at sbar@memphis.edu.