St Mary’s Hosts Lecture on Social Memory Theory and the Gospels

The School of Education, Theology and Leadership at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham is hosting an inaugural lecture on Wednesday 16^th October. Prof Chris Keith, Chair of the New Testament and Early Christianity, will be giving the lecture on ‘Social Memory Theory and the Gospels: Assessing the First Decade.’ Formally introduced to English-speaking New Testament studies in 2005, social memory theory has quickly reached a position of prominence in New Testament scholarship. Many key questions in Gospels studies, especially with regard to the historical Jesus, the new historiography, and the transmission of the oral Jesus tradition, are now being answered in terms of this ‘memory approach.’ The lecture will assess the first decade of this interdisciplinary discussion. Prof Keith is also the Director for The Centre for the Social Scientific Study of the Bible, which launched last year. It aims to be a leading voice in the application of social-scientific criticism to Scripture in the UK and worldwide. The lecture is open to students, staff and members of the public. For more information, or to book a place, please contact Marion Shaw on marion.shaw@stmarys.ac.uk.