Investigating the Bible through a lens of literary satire will be the focus of an upcoming lecture by Dr. James Waddell, the Markowicz Visiting Assistant Professor of Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies, Thursday, Oct. 25.
The free, public event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Richard and Jane McQuade Law Center Auditorium. It is part of the UT Center for Religious Understanding Fall Lecture Series.
Waddell will help audience members understand the methods used by biblical authors and what their use of satire meant in their own contexts.
“I think this is an important topic to investigate because it helps us to understand how our understanding of the Bible has changed over time,” Waddell said.
Waddell received his PhD in Near Eastern studies with a specialization in Second Temple Judaism from the University of Michigan, and teaches ancient Judaism and Biblical Studies at UT.
He hopes the lecture will help with what he considers a general tendency to misunderstand the Bible as well as its place in organized religions.
“When we take the broader contexts of the biblical books into consideration, not only does it enrich our understanding of why the biblical authors wrote them in the ways that they did, but it also enriches our understanding of what these ancient texts can mean for us today,” Waddell said.
Visitors may park in the Law Center lot for the event.
For more information on this and other upcoming lectures and the Center for Religious Understanding, visit utoledo.edu/llss/philosophy/cfru.
