STUDIORUM NOVI TESTAMENTI SOCIETAS The 69th GENERAL MEETING MINUTES of the 69th General Meeting of the Society held at the University of Szeged, Hungary during 5th – 8th August, 2014 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TUESDAY 5th AUGUST 2014 17.00 BUSINESS MEETING I The President, Prof. Christopher Tuckett, was in the chair, and about 143 participants were in attendance. The meeting was held in the Main Lecture Theatre. The President warmly welcomed those present, and especially new members and guests, to the 69th General Meeting of the Society. BM2014/01 Apologies for Absence Apologies were received from a number of members, including the following former Presidents of the Society: Barbara Aland, Tjitze Baarda, Adela Yarbro Collins, Marinus de Jonge, Morna Hooker, Daniel Marguerat and Wayne Meeks. BM2014/02 Deaths of Former Members and Resignations The Society received with regret news of the deaths of the following: Profs Ellen Aitken, François Bovon, Maurice Casey, Giuseppe Ferraro, R.T. France, Sean Freyne, Birger Gerhardsson, Hans Kvalbein, Robert Kysar, Kikuo Matsunaga, Paul W. Meyer, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, Charles Perrot, Dieter Zeller. Members observed a minute’s silence in memory of these scholars. A resignation from the Society was received from the following scholar: Prof. Gerard Luttikhuizen. BM2014/03 Minutes of the 2013 General Meeting in Perth, Australia The Minutes of the 2013 General Meeting held in Perth were approved and signed. BM2014/04 Matters Arising from the Minutes There were no matters arising. BM2014/05 Arrangements for the 2014 General Meeting in Szeged Prof. György Benyik, Local Organizer, warmly welcomed delegates to the city, highlighting the national significance of this General Meeting. The Secretary, Prof. Martinus C. de Boer announced that 250 participants had registered for the General Meeting, 164 of whom were members of the Society. The Secretary announced that those convenors seeking to extend their seminars beyond their scheduled termination at the close of the 2014 General Meeting, and any wishing to propose a new seminar, should submit their proposals to the Secretary before Friday. The Secretary announced that Prof. J-C. Loba-Mkole, who was scheduled to present a Main Paper on Friday, was unable to obtain a visa. One session of Short Papers, scheduled for Friday afternoon, were instead scheduled for this Main Paper slot. BM2014/06 Nomination and Election of Officers Members formally elected Prof. Judith Lieu (Cambridge, UK) to the post of President at the 70th General Meeting in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 2015 (until which time she assumes the office of President-Elect). The Committee intimated the nomination of Prof. Carl Holladay (Atlanta, USA) to the post of President at the 71st General Meeting in Montreal, Canada, in 2016. As nominee, he SNTS 2014 – 69th General Meeting in Szeged Page 1 of 11 becomes Deputy President-Elect until the Amsterdam 2015 General Meeting, when his nomination will be voted on by the Society. Prof. Henk Jan de Jonge (Past President) was warmly thanked for his services to the Society over the past 4 years. It was noted that Dr Andrew Clarke’s first term as Assistant Secretary of the Society will end on 31st December, 2014. The Committee intimated that he be nominated to serve a second term from 1st January, 2015. It was also noted that Prof. Martinus C. de Boer will retire as Secretary on 31st December, 2015. The Committee intimated the nomination of Dr Andrew Clarke (Aberdeen, UK) as his successor. Members formally elected him to take office on 1st January, 2016, for a term of five years. At the Amsterdam 2015 General Meeting a successor as Assistant Secretary from 1st January, 2016 will be appointed. BM2014/07 Nomination of New Members The Assistant Secretary, Dr Andrew Clarke, reported that the Committee had approved 9 nominations of new members for consideration. This list of names would be displayed on the Conference notice board, and members were asked to pass any comments on these nominations to the Assistant Secretary or other Committee members before the Second Committee meeting. BM2014/08 International Initiatives The Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives, Prof. Bill Loader, had circulated a concise report covering the year to June 2014. The report included the following details: The goals continue to include working with Liaison Committees to promote New Testament scholarship in areas beyond those where such research has traditionally been well represented within the Society, and to identify potential new members and mentor their development. The role of the Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives is also to seek to maintain and develop resources for people in these regions, including the Electronic Library, and to explore meaningful synergies to the same end with international organisations and institutions. a. Eastern European Liaison Committee (EELC) 1. Belgrade Symposium The 6th International East-West Symposium of Biblical scholars, entitled ‘The Holy Spirit and the Church according to the New Testament’, was held in Belgrade, 25- 31 August, 2013, hosted by the Theological Faculty of Belgrade State University. 2. Pre-Conference Szeged 2014 A pre-conference for younger scholars was held in Szeged on 4-5 August, 2014. 3. Libraries • The Bibliotheca Biblica St Petersburg has received a number of books and periodicals from Finland, Switzerland and Germany. • The Bibliotheca Biblica Sofia has created a network to inform readers about new publications in the field. The electronic catalogue of books and periodicals is available on-line. In 2012-13, about 470 books and 180 volumes of periodicals were donated by individuals; and about 370 readers used the library facilities. b. African Liaison Committee (ALC) The ALC (established 2004) has operated since 2009 within the framework of the Institute of Scripture Studies. Since 2009 ISS has usually held two meetings per year in Nairobi and surroundings. During 2013/14, ISS has held a number of academic meetings at the Universities of Pretoria and South Africa. Future Plans include preparing a conference for Francophone New Testament scholars from Africa (2015), an International Symposium on Peace in Africa (2016), and a SNTS 2014 – 69th General Meeting in Szeged Page 2 of 11 pre-General Meeting conference for New Testament scholars from both Francophone and Anglophone Africa (2017). c. Latin America Liaison Committee (LALC) The LALC (established 2011) is in process of preparing for publication papers presented at its regional conference in Bogotá, 2012. Discussions are underway about the possibility of a second regional conference in 2015, and a pre-conference before the General Meeting in Montreal, 2016. d. Asia/Pacific Liaison Committee (APLC) The APLC (established 2010) mounted a regional conference on 24-25 May, 2014, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and is planning a regional conference in Manila, Philippines, in 2015. e. Sponsorships For the Perth 2013 General Meeting there was an allocation of funds at the level of twelve £1,200 sponsorships of members and guests to attend the pre-conference. For Szeged 2014 LCs could nominate people on the basis of two each for all except the EELC, which was allocated a budget equivalent to six sponsorships on the basis of which they were able to have 15 individuals sponsored. Applications for sponsorship of members are submitted to the Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives for approval in consultation with the Treasurer, while applications for sponsorship of guests are first submitted, through the Assistant Secretary, for presidential approval. f. Pre-Conferences The pattern proposed for pre-conferences for the coming three years will depend on the decision to be taken by the Society concerning the location of the 2017 meeting. If the invitation to Pretoria is accepted then the pattern will be: Amsterdam (no pre- conference); Montreal 2015: Latin America Caribbean LC pre-conference; 2017 Pretoria: Africa LC. Alternatively, the African LC could be invited to host a pre- conference at the Amsterdam meeting. Hopefully meetings in the following years might include one in the Asia Pacific region, should the Society so decide. g. SNTS Electronic Library (EL) By special arrangement with Stellenbosch University, the SNTS Electronic Library facility has made it possible, since 2011, for scholars to become Research Associates (RAs) of the Discipline Group Old & New Testament (DONT) of the Faculty of Theology. The appointment of RAs serves a dual purpose: to assist scholars to remain up to date by accessing the library and to generate income through publications which benefit both the university and the scholar. The RAs are obliged to ‘endeavour to publish on average at least one article per year in an accredited journal in the field of Old or New Testament studies’. The Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives has met with Prof. Louis Jonkers of DONT in Baltimore in November, 2013, to discuss future options and issues of renewal. Of the 60 registered RAs very few had sought access and thus far only one has produced and registered a research publication. The Assistant Secretary for International Initiatives accordingly has informed LC Chairs of the need for re-registration on the basis of being resolved to make use of the facility. As a result 14 have been re-registered or are in the process of being re-registered. In addition, members are