Mark Goodacre is Coming to Town

Guest blogger Mark VanDyke provides some details on Monday’s lecture event…

The next Lecture Series event is just around the corner!

On Monday, June 11 Logos will welcome Dr. Mark Goodacre to Bellingham, Washington. Dr. Goodacre hails from Duke University where he teaches in the Department of Religion. The lecture, titled “Did the Jews of Jesus’ Day Expect the Messiah?”, will begin at 7:00 PM at the Mount Baker Theatre in downtown Bellingham.

It is popularly assumed that the Judaism of Jesus’ day had a clear, well-defined expectation of a Messiah figure whom God would send to liberate them with military might. It is then assumed that early Christians, and perhaps Jesus himself, revised this expectation and proclaimed a different kind of Messiah, one who was to suffer. But how accurate is this picture? Does it explain the evidence found in the Hebrew Scriptures, early Jewish texts and the New Testament? Or should we instead think of a great variety of expectations, as many scholars argue? In this lecture, Dr. Goodacre will revisit the term “Messiah” and explore evidence that it was used as a synonym for a new Davidic “king” or “ruler”. Dr. Goodacre also asserts that when the first Christians called Jesus “Messiah”, they were speaking not only about past events and present beliefs, but also about his future return as king.

Dr. Goodacre not only teaches at one of the world’s top universities but he also maintains one of the web’s best sites on New Testament studies. New Testament Gateway is a web directory of internet resources that is updated each day with blog posts, new information and discussion on anything relating to the New Testament. Dr. Goodacre’s blog is written for an academic audience but his lecture will be geared towards a wide range of people.

So far, the Lecture Series has been a major success. Attendees have been impressed not only by the quality scholarship on display at the events but also by the direct application that can be derived from each lecture. As a matter of fact, the lectures have been so good that a few employees at the Mount Baker Theatre have shown interest in attending when they aren’t “on duty”.

Once again, here are the event details:

• Date: Monday, June 11
  
• Location: Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Washington
  
• Time: 7:00 PM
  
• Topic: Did the Jews of Jesus’ Day Expect the Messiah?
  
• Admission: Free!

We look forward to this event being another resounding success and, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, we hope to see you there!

Update 6/7: Mark shares additional details about the upcoming lecture on NTGateway Weblog.

Update 6/11: Follow Mark’s journeys in the Pacific Northwest: Travel Diary: Bellingham, WA