ASHLAND, Ohio – Four Ashland University religion majors—Joshua Carpenter, Zechariah van Farowe, Isaiah Wasserbeck and Anna Wilson—had the unique opportunity to present during the Society for Biblical Literature Global Virtual Meeting, which took place on April 1-4. It was just the second year that select undergraduate students presented at the professional meeting.

The Society for Biblical Literature is the world’s foremost academic society for biblical studies and devoted to the critical investigation of the Bible from a variety of academic disciplines, and the Global Virtual Meeting is one of the ways to make the work of the society available more widely.

Van Farowe, Wasserbeck and Wilson presented a session titled “Learning in Potiphar’s House,” featuring their creative works authored as reader responses to Genesis 39. Van Farowe’s scripted dialogue imagined the perspectives of Joseph’s fellow slaves, Wasserbeck examined how Joseph would have thought and felt and Wilson considered Potiphar’s wife’s point of view.

Carpenter, a junior who also majors in English and creative writing, gave an individual presentation on his paper, “Musical Midrash: The Passion Narrative and Jesus Christ Superstar.” He investigated how and why some of the changes from the New Testament to the Broadway stage occurred, specifically through the lens of Judas Iscariot.

“I am incredibly proud that these four students produced high quality work, strong enough to be presented alongside established and senior biblical scholars,” said Kirsty Jones, Ph.D., assistant professor of religion at AU. “This was a wonderful opportunity which I know they will benefit from tremendously.”

Jones also was grateful for the student research grant from AU that covered the meeting’s registration costs, and the complimentary membership from SBL