SBL 2012

The Society of Biblical Literature 2012 is beginning to wind down.  This is the biggest biblical studies convention in the world, with thousands and thousands of specialists in Old and New Testament in attendance, including numerous Jewish scholars.  The American Academy of Religion meets alongside with specialists in theology and religion in general.  Other groups meet about the same time, like the Institute for Biblical Research and the Homiletics society.

The chief benefit for me is to catch up with the latest thoughts on the market.  For example, the book hall alone lets you browse the books that seem to be setting trajectories of thinking.  You can share your own latest ideas and get immediate feedback, and you can hear the latest ideas of others.

And of course it is a great place to meet up with old friends, as well as to make new ones.  It's been nice to meet up with Wesleyan colleagues from other institutions as well as to see old Asbury and Durham friends.  Chicago is also hard to beat as a location, given that, as a Wesleyan, gluttony is the one deadly sin that no one seems to care about...