Oral delivery, performance, memory, ancient rhetoric, formation of communities

Since 2013 I have performed in churches as "Enock the Shepherd" with various biblical scenarios.  I am interested in discussing a variety of issues surrounding creativity, drama, interiorization, allegiance to the biblical text, and delivery.

I also as a member of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, have a great interest in enhancing the public performance/telling of scripture.

Its intersections with orality theories within NT criticism.

Dr. Stern's current research focuses on the transmission and reception of biblical texts in early Jewish settings. She is particularly interested in the ways in which the torah that is transmitted by rabbis and teachers, and received by Jewish audiences, is and always has been far more expansive and variegated than the written texts themselves.

My interest in performance criticism has developed at the intersection of a prior specialization in literary approaches to the Hebrew Bible, a knack for verbatim performance of biblical stories (in English and sometimes in Hebrew), a fascination with "difficult" stories, and a strong desire to get students (and others who interact with the Bible) to respond humanly to it rather than retreating into the extraction of "lessons."  I have been involved with the Network of Biblical Storytellers' Seminar group from its inception, and to a lesser extent with the BAMM group.  At the moment, I am especially interested in how the "authority" of the Bible changes character when stories are told informally in communal settings (which allow accenting according to group histories and inside jokes, and open reaction and response) rather than told "at" an audience in formal settings where there is a clear distinction between performer and audience.  Although I often do verbatim biblical storytelling, I find myself increasingly balancing it with ancient and modern midrashim that give neglected characters voice and that challenge commonly accepted interpretations (do we REALLY admire Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son?).

Dr. Julian Sundersingh's training and work experience, over the past three decades, have been in the field of Christian communication using media. His Ph.D. dissertation (1999) was in the area of communicating biblical Scriptures to non-literates in appropriate media formats. He developed a conceptual framework in this study taking into account the available knowledge on orality and spoken language.

He is presently helping the Bible Societies in the Asia Pacific Area develop appropriate Scripture materials in audio and video formats. He is the coordinator for a Literacy Symposium to be held in April 2009 for the benefit of several Bible Societies on a global level.

He also teaches research and helps the Bible Societies with their research projects.

If the gospels are sheet music, recorded cues for embodied performance, what happens when you perform them and don't just read them silently? For the past several years, I have been working with a team of actors to answer that question. I am presently at work on Provoking the Gospel of John: A Storyteller's Commentary, for the Pilgrim Press.

Would like to pursue a PhD that combines historical, narrative, and performance criticism on the Gospel of Mark.

I work on the textual tarnsmission and reception of performance practices in medieval Europe and Byzantium -- not only the performance of drama,liturgy,music,poetry,narrative but also of legal, social, political transactions.  I have also published widely on the transmission/reception of ancient drama.

I trained for the theatre at the Bristol Old Vicand am a member of Actors' Equity.

Orality, Social Memory

David Trobisch taught New Testament in Germany and the USA for 25 years. He was born if Africa, a continent of storytellers, and now works as and independent scholar. His specialty is helping groups perform a letter of Paul. If the Word of God is not heard, God is silent. Together with Richard Ward he authored "Bringing the Word to Life" (Eerdmans, 2013) a book on storytelling and interpreting the Bible.

A relative "newbie" to performance criticism, I am facinated by its potential applications to translation, among other things. Although I have not yet done a performance of a biblical portion, I hope to do so soon (likely the Sermon on the Mount).

I just completed my PhD in New Testament at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. I experimented with a drama reading of the Fourth Gospel by using insights from modern theatre and drama criticism. In 2017, I discovered Biblical Performance Criticism and my journey with the text has been immensely enriched by it. I am intrigued by scholars like Roads' perspective on the text, the possibilities that Performance Criticism unlock, and am hoping to continue reading and writing in this direction. Drama is one of my first loves and I would love to incorporate it into my scholarship. 

I 'tell' the preaching text each Sunday during worship

I am writing my dissertation on Paul, Oral performance and Galatians. So, I hope to be inspired with regard to, and be able to inspire by means of my research. The provisional title of my diss is: Detextualizing Paul. The modern reader and the letter: beween oral performance and text. An approach, exemplified by Gal 2 and 3. The main structure of my research is comprised of fundamental questions on the phenomenon of 'text'. I found this website because of Larry Hurtado's recent (opposing) article in NTS (june '14). Do I hear from you? Greetings, Ben

Author of commentary on the Gospel of Mark and director of performance of the Gospel of Mark done by 6 professors and pastors (myself included) associated with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, since 2013.  Strong research and teaching commitment to hermeneutics, including interpretive challenges and opportunities of oral performance.