Bible, Myth, and Myth Theory

Call For Papers: For our first session, we welcome proposals on the use of myth and myth theory in biblical studies. We especially encourage papers that explore various definitions of myth and what it means to utilize this category within biblical studies. We welcome participants from diverse specializations, including Hebrew Bible, Ancient Near Eastern Literature, and Greco-Roman Religions. We aim to include studies covering a range of methodologies, critical theories, and types of data: textual and literary criticisms, philology, cognitive sciences, archeology, art history, and social and anthropological theories. Our second session, co-sponsored by the Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism section, solicits papers that study extant Gnostic literature (including but not limited to works attributed to Classic or Sethian Gnostics, Valentinians, and related alternative Christian movements) using methodologies conventionally employed in the study of ancient myth. Paper proposals might be comparative in scope, bringing specific aspects of Gnostic myth into dialogue with other classical or ancient Near Eastern myths. Alternatively, they might engage in deep theoretical reflection on Gnostic myth as myth. Complementary and divergent approaches are possible as well, of course, provided they focus on myth as a key feature of Gnostic religion and literature.

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