I just returned from attending the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), which this year was held in Philadelphia.  The SBL is a gathering of biblical scholars who meet every year to present papers and discuss recent scholarship in the areas of biblical studies, archaeology, and related subjects.

This year I attended several conferences dealing with issues related to my areas of interest.  I attended a conference dealing with the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, one dealing with the book of Ezekiel, and one dealing with the highlands of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age I (13th and 12th centuries B.C.E).

I also attended a conference where the presenters were bloggers writing in the biblical area.  They call themselves bibliobloggers.  All the bloggers who were part of the discussion have been blogging for several years.  I have to confess that I learned much from them.  After all, I have been blogging for only two months.

One of the highlights of the annual meeting of the SBL is attending the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (NABPR).  The NABPR is an association that brings together Baptist professors from around the world to hear academic papers and to promote the cause of Baptist biblical scholarship.

My association with the NABPR goes back more than twenty years.  I served as the Vice-President of the NABPR in 1999 and as the President in 2000.  I also served four years on the Editorial Board of Perspective on Religious Studies, the journal of the NABPR.  The Association is open to seminary students and pastors.  Membership in the Association also includes a one year subscription to Perspective.  If you are interested in joining NABPR, click here.

While I was in Philadelphia, I met with two editors from Hendrickson Publishers.  Hendrickson will publish my commentary on 1 and 2 Chronicles in The New International Commentary Series.  I hope to finish writing the commentary on Chronicles in June 2006.  The publication date for the commentary is set for the Fall 2007.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving Day here in the USA is a day to express gratitude to God for all the blessings we have received from God’s hands.  Grateful people know that God is the source of all blessings.  Grateful people don’t need a special day to be grateful.  However, on this special day when we pause from all of our work, I give thanks to God for allowing me to share with you.  I also thank God for you.  You are the one who makes this blog possible.  Thank you for your many words of encouragement.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Claude F. Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

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