Events

When the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the early fourth century AD, a new kind of Bible-reading arose in the Church––a reading that would have significant consequences for what followed. In this lecture I will describe and scrutinize this hermeneutical shift and trace some of its historical effects. Learn to identify this kind of Bible-reading and recognize how it influences our convictions about how (and how not) to read the Old Testament as Holy Scripture.

Iain Provan has been the Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College since 1997. He received his MA at Glasgow University in Mediaeval History and Archaeology, his BA from London Bible College in Theology, and his PhD from Cambridge. His academic teaching career took him to King’s College London, the University of Wales, and the University of Edinburgh, where he was a senior lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies. Dr. Provan has written numerous essays and articles, and several books including commentaries on Lamentations, 1 and 2 Kings, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. His most recent book is The Reformation and the Right Reading of Scripture (Baylor University Press). Dr. Provan is an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and the recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship. 

This lecture is part of our 2019 Summer Evening Public Lecture Series.

Dr. Provan will be teaching the class "Psalms: Spiritual Guides for a Christian Journey" from June 24–28, 2019 as part of our 2019 Summer Programs. Learn more at rgnt.net/summer.