Religion Scholars to Address Ownership of the Bible at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – On Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. religion scholars Jacob Neusner and Bruce Chilton will present "Who Owns the Bible? A Judaeo-Christian Argument" in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross.

This joint presentation will address the conflicts between Jews, who claim the Scriptures of ancient Isreal as their Torah, and Christians, who claim the same text as their Old Testament. Both claim to possess the sole true meaning of God's revelation. Can Jews and Christians both be right? The two presenters will engage in head-on in dialogue about the meaning and status of God's revelation and intentions for humankind.

Jacob Neusner is a religion professor at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. He is one of the best known and most prolific authors of the 21st century on the history and theology of Judaism. He holds sixteen honorary degrees and academic medals.

Bruce Chilton, Bernard Innings Professor of Religion at Bard College and rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, is a scholar of early Christianity and Judaism. The author of many books concerning the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, he has taught at Yale University, Union Theological Seminary, St. John's College at Cambridge University, and Sheffield University.

Co-authors of several books together, Chilton and Neusner were awarded the Choice Magazine award for the best academic book of 1998, Jewish-Christian Debates.

This lecture is sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture as part of the Kraft-Hiatt lecture series. The Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, and dialogue between Jews and Christians.