2017 Escobedo Saint John's Bible Lecture Series / Carol J. Dempsey / Oct. 11, 2017

Grappling with the Prophetic Tradition in the 21st Century

What does being a prophet mean? How are we to understand our prophetic vocation in this 21st Century? This presentation unravels the times, persona, mission, message, and vision of the Bible’s ancient prophets who lead us into an understanding of who God is, who Jesus is, who we are, and who we are meant to become in our 21st century world plagued with violence, yet pregnant with hope. Special attention will be given to the Prophets volume of The Saint John's Bible to discover how artistic expression illuminates the prophets' message and vision.

Carol J. Dempsey, OP, Ph.D., is Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Portland, Oregon. She holds a B.A. from Caldwell College, New Jersey, an M.A. from St. Louis University, Missouri, and a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she studied both Old and New Testament and biblical languages. She is the author of eight books, the most recent being The Bible and Literature (2015, Orbis Books). Her forthcoming books include Isaiah 1-39: Berit Olam Series: Studies in Hebrew Poetry (Liturgical Press) and Isaiah: A Feminist Commentary (Liturgical Press).

The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey in more than 550 years, and its seven-volume Heritage Edition now resides at St. Mary’s University. The Saint John’s Bible was commissioned in 1998 by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn. The Heritage Edition, valued at about $150,000, is a full-scale reproduction of the original masterpiece; each volume measures 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide when open. Only 299 sets exist, and St. Mary’s owns the only one in Texas. Learn more about The Saint John’s Bible at St. Mary’s.

Rubén M. Escobedo (B.B.A. ’60) and his wife, Verόnica Salazar Escobedo, gave $500,000 to create the Escobedo Saint John’s Bible Lecture Series Endowment. The gift allows for the recruitment of scriptural scholars, research and curriculum design, and other programming as St. Mary’s seeks to establish a Center for Catholic Studies.