From: | Frank B. |
Sent on: | Tuesday, January 28, 2014, 4:32 PM |
Howdy, All SBSers --
Missed not having Lecture/Discussion-format SBS Meetups in 2013? While SBS is scheduling them for later in 2014, we meanwhile have a suggestion to whet your appetite! Long-time SBS Member, Steve Miller, and I recommend you check out these two public Bible Study seminars from the Humanistic Judaism perspective, this February. Steve says, "Members of Secular Bible Study might find (this) interesting. It ties in with the focus on Biblical studies a number of the group members have. Or Emet's approach is Humanistic Judaism and has some analogies to the Universalist Unitarians who hosted SBS in the past. I've found Or Emet programs to be very well done and worth attending." So if you have some time before the SuperBowl Sunday game (and 2 weeks later), check out Or Emet's seminars! -- Frank Burton, SBS OrgCom liaison:
Or Emet (The Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism)
Adult Education Opportunity: "A History of the Jewish Bible from a Humanist Perspective"
Seminar 1. Sunday, February 2: "The Bible in its Near Eastern Context" [ends 3hrs before the 5:30PM CST SuperBowl]
Seminar 2. Sunday, February 16: "What's All the Fuss about the Bible?"
These programs are free and open to the public.
Location: St. Paul Jewish Community Center, 1375 Saint Paul Avenue, 1:00-2:30PM.
Description: Longtime Or Emet member Allan Malkis discusses similarities between elements of the Torah and literature from other cultures in the region and looks at some current controversies about the Bible.
Background: The Hebrew Bible, also called the Holy scriptures, Torah and Tanakh by Jews and the Old Testament by Christians, is one of the most important works of literature in Western and world culture. It is a cornerstone of the historical experience of Jews, Christians and Muslims. A humanistic understanding of the Bible requires us to think about its origin as a human creation from a particular time, place, and social setting. The first talk describes the social/ cultural/ historical background of sacred literature in the ancient Near East. The second talk looks at some current debates about the Bible and its origins.
Speaker/Moderator: Allan Malkis has been a member of Or Emet since before 1990 and is a Senior Program Evaluator for Ramsey County. He has an MA in sociology from the University of Minnesota and has had an ongoing great interest in the sociology of science. Allan has previously given Humanist of the Year lectures on Darwin, Freud, and Richard Feynman and has taught adult education classes for Or Emet on ancient Jewish history. He is an avid amateur student of biblical history.
(To subscribe to Or Emet emails contact [address removed].)