Bible scholar to speak in Cd'A
<p>Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan works in the field in 2009 at the ancient Fountain of Trajan in Ephesus in western Turkey.</p>
Noted theologian John Dominic Crossan will be speaking next month in Coeur d'Alene, and in preparation for the engagement, local religious leaders will be leading several study groups in the coming weeks.
Crossan, an internationally-known biblical scholar educated in Ireland and the United States, has published 27 books on the historical Jesus, the apostle Paul and earliest Christianity. He will be discussing issues related to those topics during three presentations on Oct. 4 at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 625 E. Haycraft Ave.
Crossan says the integrity of his work "concerns the delicate balance between faith and history."
"I am never interested in the past as merely ancient history but rather as a contemporary model, warning, and challenge," Crossan writes. "In other words, there is always a then and now emphasis in my writings and a primary focus on imagining a foundational theology for the Christian future that is in strict continuity with its first-century origins."
Five of Crossan's books have been national religious bestsellers, and he has lectured to scholarly and lay audiences throughout the world. He has been interviewed on television and radio hundreds of times in England and the U.S.
Crossan holds a Doctorate of Divinity from Maynooth College and did post-doctoral research in Rome and Jerusalem. He is a Professor Emeritus in DePaul University's Department of Religious Studies in Chicago.
Crossan was a member of a 13th-century Roman Catholic religious order, and an ordained priest from 1957 to 1969.
He served as vice president and then president of the Society of Biblical Literature from 2010 to 2012.
Crossan's Oct. 4 presentations at St. Pius are also free and open to the public.
At 10 a.m. Crossan will explore the "Jewish/Covenantal Roots of Christianity." At 1:30 p.m. he will give a "Presentation of the Parables." Then, at 7 p.m., he will discuss the "Influence of Paul on the Early Church and Today."
Prior to Crosson's visit, Fr. Roger LaChance, of St. Pius, and Lutheran Minister Art Collins, will convene several Monday night gatherings to discuss and study Crosson's work on the historical Jesus and the apostle Paul. The discussion groups are also free and open to the public and will take place this coming Monday, Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 at St. Pius.