Mendenhall Symposium - Law, Society, and Religion

9:00-11:00 a.m.:
Welcome and Opening remarks
Professor Gottfried Hagen, Chair, Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan

Law and Covenant in the Hebrew Bible:
Chair: Brian Schmidt, University of Michigan
Respondent: Rebecca Wollenberg, University of Michigan
Panelists:
Bernard Levinson, University of Minnesota -
"Revisiting the "and" in Law and Covenant in the Hebrew Bible"
Jacob L. Wright, Emory University
"Defeat and the Biblical Origins of Covenant"
Joel S. Baden, Yale University
"The Transformation of the Decalogue into Law and Covenant"

11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Tribute to Professor George E. Mendenhall with an introduction by Gary Herion, Hartwick College

1:00-3:00 p.m.:
Law and Covenant in the Ancient Near East:
Chair: Gary Beckman, University of Michigan
Respondent: Jay Crisostomo, University of Michigan
Panelists:
David Wright, Brandeis University
"The Adaptation and Fusion of Near Eastern Treaty and Law in Law Collections of the Hebrew Bible"
Bruce Wells, St. Joseph’s University
"Law and Covenant in the Neo-Babylonian Period"
Rachel Magdalene, United Theological Seminary
"On Contracts and Covenants in the Ancient Near East"

3:30-5:00 p.m.:
Law and Scripture after the Bible:
Chair: Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan
Respondent: Yaron Eliav, University of Michigan
Panelists:
Ishay Rosen-Zvi, Tel Aviv University
"To See the Voices: Midrash as Revelation"
Carol Bakhos, University of California Los Angeles
"Revelation and Law: Mount Sinai and Mecca"

Reception to follow