ETS in Atlanta in November 2010

Posted by Alan Knox on Mar 9, 2010 in church history, personal | Comments Off on ETS in Atlanta in November 2010

I recently submitted two paper proposals for the Evangelical Theological Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta in November 2010:

“The Assembled Church in the Apostolic Fathers”
The late first and early second century is often considered a mysterious period of church history. The information that exists is sketchy, with only a few extant documents from that time period. The Christians who wrote during this time have been called “apostolic fathers” since the sixteenth century and have been recognized as church leaders of their day. Although most Christians admit that these writers probably did not possess a complete New Testament, the apostolic fathers present a plethora of information to help today’s Christian understand the New Testament. However, often the apostolic fathers’ interpretations and emphases differ from those of modern scholars. As today’s Christians seek to understand Scripture, they can benefit from examining the writings of the apostolic fathers within their context and with an understanding of their purposes and intentions. This study will investigate passages in the writings of the apostolic fathers that describe the practices of churches when they gather together.

“Luther’s ‘Third Kind’ of Divine Service”
In 1526, Martin Luther published a pamphlet called “German Mass and Order of Divine Service.” In the preface of this work, Luther described three different “kinds” of divine service: two designed for the non-believer to be presented in Latin and German respectively, and one designed for the believer. According to Luther, he could not find the people necessary to meet together in this kind of service. In the sections that follow his preface, Luther focuses on the first two kinds of divine service in Latin and German, without returning to the “third kind.” This study will examine Luther’s “third kind” of divine service, including comparisons and contrasts to the first two kinds along with a discussion of the historical reception and interpretation of the “third kind.”

My presentation last weekend and my presentation in two weeks are primary theological (although definitely from a biblical theology perspective). I thought it would be interesting to do a couple of historical presentations.

I’ll let you know when you I hear back from them. If you plan to be in Atlanta for ETS (or SBL) please let me know.