May 8, 2018
Upcoming Lecture: Christian Identity from the ground up: a case study of Hippos Palaistinēs
Dr. Schuler will deliver a plenary lecture at the upcoming meeting of the Society of LCMS Theological Professors at Concordia Wisconsin on 23 May.
Prospectus: This paper explores the formation of Christian identity at the site as has been revealed in recent excavations. The paper highlights the role of church construction in supplanting paganism, the reverence of the sacred dead within the city in contrast to pagan and Jewish practices, the novel practice of religious community in an urban context, and the import of baptism and the eucharist in the move toward Chalcedonian Christianity. Evidence of residual pagan practices in Christian contexts illustrates the fluid and incomplete nature of that identity formation.
February 9, 2019
Sabbatical Approved
by Mark Schuler (administrator) • Research Phase, Sabbatical
Thanks to actions of the Board of Regents at Concordia Saint Paul, I have been approved for a sabbatical for the coming school year. The primary purpose of this sabbatical is to prepare a final report on the Northeast Insula Project at the Hippos Excavations.
I will again spend a month this summer at Sussita conducting a study season. I will completely re-examine and re-describe the site. Part of this work will involve making a 3D digital scan of the complete work using the Leica BLK360 scanner.
I also plan to use this blog site to track the work and update followers on my progress.
Again, my thanks to the university for making this sabbatical possible.