27 March, 2023
We are deeply honoured to welcome Professor Mary Boys, Skinner & McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary, USA, and Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, the Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, and Sala and Walter Schlesinger Dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, NY, USA.
Here are the details of this fascinating session.
Topic: Easter & Passover in Interfaith Contexts
Abstract: Passover and Easter traditions are best understood within the context of the complex and protracted development of both Judaism and Christianity. Our presentation will sketch the origin and development of Passover traditions in Judaism and show how the emerging Christian community drew them to forge its identity. We’ll then discuss several contemporary Passover traditions in both Jewish and Christian communities.
Panel Speaker: Professor Mary Boys, Skinner & McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary, USA.
Panel Speaker: Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, the Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, and Sala and Walter Schlesinger Dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, NY, USA.
Chair: Professor Delvyn Case, Senior Fellow of the Oxford Interfaith Forum.
Time: 18:00-19:00 BST| 19:00-20:00 CEST | 10:00-11:00 PDT | 13:00-14:00 EDT
Venue: Online
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The Passover Haggadah through the Ages: Jewish Text, Christian Surprises
3 April, 2023
We are deeply honoured to welcome Professor Gary Rendsburg, Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, and Blanche and Irving Laurie Chair in Jewish History at Rutgers University, and Patron of the Oxford Interfaith Forum, to lead a session of the International Interfaith Reading Group on Manuscripts in Interfaith Contexts.
Here are the details of this fascinating session.
Topic: The Passover Haggadah through the Ages: Jewish Text, Christian Surprises
Abstract: Today Jews read the Passover Haggadah from a printed book, with each person at the table holding his or her own copy. But how did that text reach us? And how did Jews observe the Seder before the age of printing? This talk presents the evidence: from the most basic Haggadah texts found in the Cairo Genizah through the most lavishly produced illuminated Haggadah manuscripts from the Middle Ages. Along the way, as we shall see, certain Christian influences are present: both in the artwork of the illuminated haggadot and perhaps most surprisingly of all in the so-called Monk’s Haggadah, replete with Latin commentary, housed for centuries at the Benedictine Monastery in Tegernsee, Bavaria.
Through it all, presented via PowerPoint, we will marvel at the work of dedicated scribes, who transmitted the text generation after generation, century after century – while also acknowledging the ongoing work of curators and librarians who serve as the custodians of these treasures, in London, Manchester, New York, Jerusalem, Munich, and Washington.
Speaker: Professor Gary A. Rendsburg serves as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History in the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University, USA, and he is the Patron of the Oxford Interfaith Forum. Professor Rendsburg is the author of seven books and over 200 articles; his most recent book is How the Bible Is Written (2019).
Chair: Professor Anna Sapir Abulafia FBA, Emeritus Professor of the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at the University of Oxford, and Fellow of British Academy, UK.
Date: 3 April, 2023
Time: 18:00-19:00 BST | 20:00-21:00 Israel time | 10:00-11:00 PDT | 13:00-14:00 EDT
Venue: Online
