Late Ancient Judaism Position

Duke University's Department of Religion in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track assistant professor position in late ancient Judaism to begin August 2008. Candidates should have expertise in classical Jewish literature and an interest in Jewish interactions with late-ancient Christianity and/or early Islam. Additional areas of interest may include art, archaeology, gender studies or any discipline related to the cognate fields of Classical Studies, History, or Islamic Studies. The appointment includes graduate and undergraduate instruction. The appointee will participate in Duke's Graduate Program in Religion and Judaic Studies Program. They also will collaborate with faculty members in the Department of Religious Studies at the nearby University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. We prefer candidates send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference electronically to nhurtgen@duke.edu. Applications submitted by mail should be directed to Chair of the Late-Ancient Judaism Search Committee, Department of Religion, Box 90964, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0964. Applications received by October 15, 2007 will be guaranteed full consideration but the search will continue until the position is filled. Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities strongly are encouraged to apply.

Islamic Studies Position

Duke University: The Department of Religion in Arts & Sciences invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track position in Islamic Studies at the assistant professor level to begin August 2008. Candidates should have a commitment to critical and comparative approaches to the study ofreligion and culture. Subfield and geographic areas of concentration are open. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency to conduct research in and teach the relevant languages related to their primary area of expertise. Successful candidates will be required to offer a range of undergraduate classes. The appointee will participate in Duke's Graduate Program in Religion and collaborate with faculty members in the Department of Religious Studies at the nearby University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. We prefer candidates send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference electronically to nhurtgen@duke.edu. Applications submitted by mail should be directed to Chair of the Islam Search Committee, Department of Religion, Box 90964, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0964. Applications received by October 15, 2007 will beguaranteed full consideration but the search will continue until the position is filled. Duke University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities strongly are encouraged to apply.

Fall 2007 class on Arab and Middle-Eastern Christians

From an earlier blog message you might have understood that for the next three years I will be sitting and waiting in Rome for the Vatican Library to reopen, hopefully in 2011. But that is not the case! In fact, one of my fall 2007 classes is an undergraduate seminar on “Arab and Middle-Eastern Christians in the United States” (REL 185.04). There still are a few spots open. We would be particularly interested in having students who somehow, through their own experience, or through friends, neighbors, relatives, parents, or grandparents feel some connection with one of the many Christian communities in the Middle East: Antiochian Orthodox, Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, Rum-Catholic, Rum-Orthodox, Syrian-Orthodox, Syrian-Catholic, or any other denomination. The focus will be on the life of these communities in the United States. Whatever you might be able to contribute, would be most welcome.
Info: rompay@duke.edu

Lucas Van Rompay

Leela Prasad wins Best First Book in the History of Religions

Leela Prasad, Associate Professor of Ethics and Indian Religions, has been awarded the American Academy of Religion Best First Book in the History of Religions for Poetics of Conduct: Oral Narrative and Moral Being in a South Indian Town (Columbia University Press, 2006). Here are some details about the award:

The Best First Book in the History of Religions Award was established by the American Council of Learned Societies in 1891 and is now administered by the American Academy of Religion. This award honors exceptional publications. Eligibility for the award is determined by three criteria: (1) the nomination must be the first book published by the nominee; (2) it must be in the field of "History of Religions" (in the broad sense that it raises historical and/or comparative methodological questions in the field of religion); (3) it must have been published within the calendar year of the given award period.

A committee of five, appointed by the Board of the American Academy of Religion, screens books nominated for the award. The nomination process is initiated by individual presses, who send copies of the nominated book, with a letter stating that the book meets the three criteria mentioned above. Presses may also include statements of the merits and special features of the book.

Awards will be presented at the AAR’s 2007 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, November 17-20, 2007. Today's press release is available on the AAR site:

The American Academy of Religion 2007 Book Awards

Bruce Lawrence in the news

The Globe and Mail ran a story yesterday by Sheema Khan, entitled To defeat Bin Laden, first you have to understand him, which discusses our department's Bruce Lawrence. You have to subscribe for the full article, but here is an excerpt courtesy of Duke in the News:

The threat from al-Qaeda and its offshoots remains high, according to recent U.S. intelligence reports. It is clear that Osama bin Laden's message continues to attract adherents. In order to understand the power of his ideas, one should study the words of the man himself. Bruce Lawrence, a Duke University Islamicist, has done just that in Messages to the World, a compilation of bin Laden's statements from 1988-2004. The recurring theme in bin Laden's arguments is reciprocity . . .

. . . . In Messages, bin Laden acknowledges that the Prophet Mohammed forbade the killing of innocent civilians in combat. Yet, to support his call for violence in the West, he bypasses the Prophet's words in favour of the rulings of a medieval scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah, who sanctioned the killing of non-combatants. Bin Laden stresses reciprocity and perpetual warfare, whereas the Prophetic template stressed patience, strict limits on war, and amnesty.

So, in the battle of ideas, Muslim scholars must counter bin Laden's arguments with authoritative Prophetic examples.

In the democratic arena, there needs to be a push toward civic engagement by Muslim youth. This means that Islamic centres must stop importing preachers who encourage isolation and who forbid or discourage voting . . . .

Prof. Lawrence is also to appear on a forthcoming CNN special called God's Warriors. The episode on God's Muslim Warriors goes out on 22 August at 9pm ET/PT.

How Muslim Communities Counter Radicalism

From today's Duke University News and Communications:

How Muslim Communities Counter Radicalism to Be Study Topic

Duke and UNC researchers will seek to learn from the responses of four American Muslim communities to radical Islamic movements across the globe

Durham, NC -- Finding out how American Muslims address messages of extremism in their communities will be the goal of a two-year study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will then use the information to recommend policies for reducing the likelihood that the United States experiences the type of homegrown terrorism seen recently in Europe . . .

. . . Center researchers will seek to learn from the responses of four American Muslim communities to radical Islamic movements across the globe, said Charles Kurzman, a UNC associate professor of sociology and co-principal investigator in the project. With another co-principal investigator, Ebrahim Moosa, associate professor of Islamic studies at Duke, and graduate students, Kurzman and Schanzer will study Muslim communities in Buffalo, Houston, Seattle and the Triangle.

Click on the link above for the full story. The story is also covered in today's News and Observer.

Library Repair Causes a Plea to the Pope

The New York Times recently published the following story which quotes from Lucas Van Rompay:

Library Repair Causes a Plea to the Pope
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO

ROME, June 21 — Normally a sanctuary of scholarly meditation, the Vatican Library has been the scene of unusually hectic activity lately, as word has spread that it will close in July for a three-year renovation.

Since the Vatican announced the impending shutdown, dozens of scholars have been lining up each day at ever earlier hours to snatch one of the 92 available spots in the manuscript room, where they can pore over archaic texts in forgotten languages. The library staff, traditionally prompt in responding to requests, has been struggling to keep up with the demand.

“We’re kept waiting like the virgins in the Gospel for their bridegroom to come,” Lucas Van Rompay, a professor of religion from Duke University who specializes in Eastern Christianity, said jokingly. He was referring to Jesus’ Parable of the 10 Virgins, a lesson on maintaining faith, after two particularly frustrating mornings of his own. “It’s getting worse every day.” . . . .

. . . . Petitions addressed to Pope Benedict XVI, the ultimate authority on Vatican matters, are circulating among scholars. Some ask that the manuscript division at least remain accessible to the public during the three-year renovation. Others request that the closing be delayed until 2008 so that scholars will have time to wrap up research and meet publishing or teaching deadlines.

The Pope is scheduled to visit the library on Monday, according to Ambrogio Piazzoni, the library’s vice prefect. “He wants to understand what’s going on,” he said in an interview . . . . .

.. . . . . “Why don’t they separate what is unique from what’s not unique?” asked Professor Van Rompay, who is preparing a catalog of Syriac manuscripts originating at the Monastery of the Syrians in the Egyptian desert. The most ancient of the 900 Syriac manuscripts owned by the Vatican came from this monastery, and 34 barely survived an 18th-century boat accident that left them water-damaged.

For him, handling the original objects is not only preferable but also critical. “There are times where you can’t distinguish between a dot on a letter or an insect that just plopped on the page,” he said. “If I am going to publish a text, I need to see it.” . . . . .

. . . . . Professor Van Rompay said that the Vatican should find some way to provide access to the original texts during construction. “There’s no doubt that the restorations at the Vatican are urgent and important, but this is the most drastic approach they could have chosen,” he said. “In the modern world it must be possible to find another solution.”