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Institute for Advanced Theology

Lecture Series

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IN SEARCH OF THE ONCE & FUTURE EDEN
 

Spring 2023 lecture series

Current Lecture Series

"In Search of the Once and Future Eden" 
 

This lecture series with Bruce Chilton is in conjunction with the book launch of Eden Revisited: A Novel by László Z. Bitó ’60. Eden is both a place in the mythic past and the prospect for a balanced, ecological, and human civilization in the future. Gnostic writers in particular have portrayed how the idyllic garden could have been lost, and why regaining its richness has proven elusive. Laszlo Bito, a Bard alumnus from the class of 1960 investigated these issues in his book Eden Revisited. The series is designed to join in that quest, in order to press the issue of Eden’s deep promise.

The series, "In Search of the Once and Future Eden," focuses on Eden as both a place in the mythic past and the prospect for a balanced, ecological, and human civilization in the future. Gnostic writers in particular have portrayed how the idyllic garden could have been lost, and why regaining its richness has proven elusive. Laszlo Bito, a Bard alumnus from the class of 1960 investigated these issues in his book Eden Revisited. The series is designed to join in that quest, in order to press the issue of Eden’s deep promise.

Eden: Unbroken Presence

Thursday, March 16th at 5:30 pm in Bard Hall

Eden and the Garden planted at its east were no longer accessible to human beings according to the Book of Genesis. The Cherubim and a flaming sword blocked the way back. Yet the reality of Eden could still be felt. The great rivers known at the time of the Yahwists, not only the Tigris and the Euphrates, but also the Nile and the Wādī al-Ḥamḍ, all flowed from Eden in their understanding, and statues of the Cherubim in the Temple of Solomon marked the nearest point of entry. Invisible in ordinary experience, the influence of Eden could nonetheless be sensed and enhanced.

 

Eden: Unbroken Presence

Thursday, March 16th at 5:30 pm in Bard Hall
Eden: Unbroken Presence
Eden and the Garden planted at its east were no longer accessible to human beings according to the Book of Genesis. The Cherubim and a flaming sword blocked the way back. Yet the reality of Eden could still be felt. The great rivers known at the time of the Yahwists, not only the Tigris and the Euphrates, but also the Nile and the Wādī al-Ḥamḍ, all flowed from Eden in their understanding, and statues of the Cherubim in the Temple of Solomon marked the nearest point of entry. Invisible in ordinary experience, the influence of Eden could nonetheless be sensed and enhanced.


Past:
Thursday, February 23rd at 5:30 pm in Bard Hall
Cain: the first murder, the first city
Cain’s character is the most complex within the narrative of the primal human family in the Book of Genesis. His emotional conflict, the first described in the narrative, drives him to kill his brother Abel, with all the consequences that act implies. Cain brings his violent impetus, as well as his emerging skill as a metal-worker (the etymological origin of his name) to the founding of cities, and their complex, conflicted heritage.

Thursday, March 2nd at 5:30 pm in Bard Hall
The Serpent: Language unravels Eden
In the Garden of Eden, the Serpent plays a unique role. In keeping with that pivotal function, the narrative in the Book of Genesis also depicts the Serpent in fully mythological terms, unlike any other character in the story. As the plot unfolds, the role of language in distorting reality, and in ultimately undermining honest relationships, is woven into the serpent’s brilliant but destructive scheme.
 
Thursday, March 9th at 5:30 pm in Bard Hall
6 Yahweh: Conflicted Creator
Yahweh famously appears in the account of Eden as a highly anthropomorphic god. The narrative purpose of this representation, however, cannot be appreciated unless Yahweh’s character as it emerges in his relation to humanity is taken into account. Then the discrepancy between his generosity and his retribution comes into focus as an assessment of divinity itself.

IN SEARCH OF THE ONCE & FUTURE EDEN

Spring 2023 lecture series
  • Part IV: Cain: the first murder, the first city
  • Part V: The Serpent: Language unravels Eden
  • Part VI: Yahweh: Conflicted Creator

In Search of the Once & Future Eden

Fall 2022 lecture series
  • Part I: Adam, the squandering of power
  • Part II: Eve, and the Fundamentalist fantasy
  • Part III: Abel, Last of the Innocent, First of the Righteous

Past Lecture Series 

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