SBL Consultation on the
Cross, Resurrection, and Diversity in Earliest Christianity


The Consultation on the Cross, Resurrection, and Diversity in Earliest Christianity explores the origin, nature, and extent of theological diversity within Christian communities from the beginnings until approximately 180 CE. Focusing on the evidence for Jesus’ death and resurrection as a a narrative used to shape the identity of emergent communities, as well as on the alternatives to this narrative preserved in early Christian sources, the unit seeks to clarify the historical origins and relationship of these diverse forms of Christianity and bring greater precision to the study of “orthodoxy and heresy in early Christianity.”


Steering Committee 

James P. Ware, University of Evansville (jw44@evansville.edu), Co-Chair
Jeffrey Peterson, Austin Graduate School of Theology (peterson@austingrad.edu), Co-Chair
Mark S. Goodacre, Duke University (goodacre@duke.edu)
Jennifer Knust, Boston University (jknust@bu.edu)

John C. Poirier, Kingswell Theological Seminary (poirier@siscom.net)



Invited Papers for 2008 Meeting, Boston

First Session (SBL22-11; 11/22/20089:00 AM to 11:30 AM; Beacon G - SH)
Haggadic Concord and Halakhic Conflict in the First Christian Generation,” by Jeffrey Peterson, Austin Graduate School of Theology
Response by Markus Bockmuehl, University of Oxford

Paul and Other Christians,”by Jerry L. Sumney, Lexington Theological Seminary
Response by Jennifer Knust, Boston University

Second Session (SBL22-108; 11/22/2008, 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM; Beacon B - SH)
“Dating the Crucial Sources for Early Christianity,” by Mark S. Goodacre, Duke University
Response by April DeConick, Rice University

The Gospel of Thomas as a Source for Early Christianity,” by Simon Gathercole, University of Cambridge
Response by Stephen Patterson, Eden Theological Seminary


Invited Papers for 2009 Meeting, New Orleans

“Unity and Diversity in Earliest Christianity,” by James D. G. Dunn, Durham University

“The Passion Narrative Before and After Mark,” by Adela Yarbro Collins, Yale University