Biblical scholars gather in Adelaide

This year’s Society of Biblical Literature international meeting/conference was held in Adelaide and attracted around 500 registered participants from 39 countries. The conference opened on 5 July at Elder Hall, with a smoking ceremony performed by Cliffy 'Tangku Munaitya' Wilson from Kuma Kaaru, through which attendees walked, before being officially opened by the South Australian Governor, Frances Adamson. It featured over 150 sessions and 400 research papers exploring scripture, history, theology, and church history.

The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) is one of the largest and most prestigious academic associations for biblical studies in the world, with a membership of more than 7,000 individuals. It provides a unique forum for international scholars, ministry practitioners and students to meet and to foster academic research, share new discoveries, and build a global community for the critical study of the Bible and ancient texts.

ALC’s Director of Research, Anna Nuernberger, was heavily involved in helping organise this year’s event, which was held at Adelaide University from 5–9 July.

'After eighteen months of planning, it was wonderful to finally see this international meeting come together! It has been such a pleasure to work with colleagues from Adelaide's theological colleges as part of the local organising team. I really enjoyed the many thoughtful papers and discussions during the conference, especially those that challenged some of my assumptions and broadened my thinking, including presentations engaging Indigenous, contextual, Pasifika and decolonising perspectives. Another highlight for me was the visually captivating film ‘God-Wangarr Ngir’yurr (God Breathed)’ by Marcus Mungul Lacey and Paul Tolliday, the co-founders of Wangarr Creations, and the conversations that this poetic allegory inspired,' Anna said.

The program included presentations by several ALC staff including Anna, Michelle Eastwood and Stephen Hultgren along with presentations by Mike Pietsch (retired LCA pastor and part-time University chaplain), Maurice Schild (ALC emeritus lecturer) and Paul Tolliday (a teacher from Yirara College and co-founder of Wangarr Creations).

At 90 years of age, Maurice Schild was most likely the second oldest conference attendee—still sharp as ever and actively engaging in the conversations. The oldest attendee, also with Lutheran connections, was 95-year-old Norman Habel, who served on the local planning committee and was honoured during the conference opening ceremony for his lifetime achievement and significant contribution to high-quality international scholarship.

The launch of Stephen Hultgren’s two-volume book, ‘Mighty in Word and Deed’ was also held in conjunction with the conference.

ALC’s library, located within easy walking distance of the venue, was used throughout the conference as a localised research hub, with many visiting scholars commenting favourably about its extensive collection of theological resources.

The SBL international meeting is held annually outside North America, and the 2027 gathering is scheduled to take place in Leuven, Belgium from 18-22 July.