PThU Events
- Lecture: How the Forbidden Fruit became an AppleHow did the apple, unmentioned by the Bible, become the dominant symbol of temptation, sin, and the Fall? Professor Azzan Yadin-Israel is the author of 'Temptation Transformed. The Story of How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple'. In his lecture he shall reveal the history of 'the apple'. He will lead us through art, church history and religious history.
- Webinar: Church and slavery in Suriname and the Dutch CarribeanThe Church and Slavery project group is hosting a webinar with Dr Frank Jabini and Dr Armando Lampe on the role of the church in the colonial past of Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean. Scholars, students and members of the general public are warmly invited to join.
- PhD defence Daniel Sihombing: Barth and the shadow of nothingnessOn 24 January Daniel Sihombing will defend his thesis: Barth and the shadow of nothingness. A post-Soeharto contextual reading.
- Expert meeting: Ongoing Interpretation. The Servant of YHWH in Text and ContextIt is a much debated question: who is meant in the texts about the servant of YHWH in Isaiah? Different answers have been given in different traditions over the centuries. Is the èvèd YHWH a particular individual, or should we read the texts collectively? Or is it possible to combine those two aspects? Are there any traces of the historical background of the texts, or should we understand them more metaphorically? This expert meeting at the Protestant Theological University will examine different paths of interpretation that have been taken, and will ask about the topicality and relevance of the texts. Keynote speaker will be Prof.Dr. Ulrich Berges, renowned Isaiah specialist from Bonn.
- International conference: Preaching That ResonatesSocietas Homiletica warmly welcomes all scholars of preaching to join us in Groningen in June 2024 to reflect on the topic: "Preaching That Resonates: Tracing Mystery, Materiality and Mutuality in Religious Speech".
- Lecture: The Judensau. Ancient Roots of an Antisemitic ConceptThe so-called Judensau is the best-known and most common anti-Jewish motif in German-speaking countries in the 13th to 16th centuries. On 13 June, Prof Dr Lieve Teugels will give a lecture on the subject in Salzburg, Germany. The (English-language) lecture can be attended online.
- Spinoza on Free SpeechIn this workshop, Spinoza-experts from the Netherlands and abroad will turn to one of the classic defenders of the freedom of speech, Benedict Spinoza.
- Symposium: Theological discourses on colonialityThe constructed global dis/order, inherited from past colonial empires, effects the lives of people worldwide. Many of the current violent conflicts as well as conditions of (exploitative) order, emerged from colonial domination and disruption, or were intensified by colonial interventions. With the influence of colonialism yet to be exhausted, for decades ecumenical theology has already been exploring ways forward. Reflections on colonial pasts and decolonial futures generally take place among senior theologians with strong international connections, but what about the younger generation and their experiences and knowledge of coloniality and its implications for Christianity worldwide?
- IRTI Conference 2024: Peace among the NationsHow are (geo)political violent conflicts, including their religious dimensions, to be understood theologically? This and other questions will be addressed at the forthcoming 15th international conference of the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI), at Duta Wacana Christian University in Yogyakarta.
- Farewell to VU and AmsterdamAs PThU's move in August draws ever closer, there will be a farewell moment to our location at VU and to colleagues at VU FRT on 28 June. We will do this with a final celebration in the PThU chapel, some speeches and a snack.
- Farewell to Groningen locationOn 5 July, PThU will bid farewell to the building at Oude Ebbingestraat 25, when the Groningen branch will have been located there for exactly 12 years. Fortunately, the PThU will continue to provide a track in the bachelor of theology of the RUG's Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society.