Optimist
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Features
    • Book Review
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Podcasts
    • Optimist Overtime
    • Top of the Key
  • Police Log
  • Print Edition
  • Projects
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
You are here: Home / News / Dr. Willis to be featured in CSART lecture

Dr. Willis to be featured in CSART lecture

January 24, 2017 by Abbey Bowling

 The Center for the Study of Ancient Religious Texts, or CSART, will host a lecture with Dr. Wendell Willis on Feb. 7 to feature his interpretation of early Christian art depicting Jonah.
The assumption of a public lecture is that someone who doesn’t have any formal education in religion can still follow the lecture, Dr. Willis said. His lecture is going to be on Jonah as Jonah is interpreted by Jesus in Matthew 11 and also how it’s interpreted in the earliest Christian art in the Catacombs.
“The interesting phenomenon is Jonah is the most represented person in early Christian art, except for the good shepherd. Jesus as the good shepherd, with the sheep on his shoulder, is the most common,” Dr. Willis said. “Almost all of the Jonah artwork is in two, or more commonly three panels, so it’s like reading a cartoon as opposed to the good shepherd which is a single image. It’s narrative art.”
Dr. Willis is an expert on scripture and early Christianity and has studied early Christian art for years, said Jeff Childers, director of CSART and professor in the graduate school of theology. He also said the lecture will be a fascinating look at a relatively unknown part of early Christian devotion, which was their use of art to connect with the Bible and the story of salvation.
Dr. Willis also recently edited the book Euchrist and Ecclesiology, which was published on Jan. 6. The book was the outgrowth of a conference he arranged in 2013 to honor Dr. Everett Ferguson.
“Dr. Ferguson had been my teacher when I was a student here,” Dr. Willis said. “He actually is certainly one of, if not the best known academic out of ACU. I thought it would be embarrassing if his 80th birthday went by and we didn’t notice it, so I started arranging [the conference] to pull it off.”
The book is about communion, because communion is an important part of Christian tradition – from the Roman Catholic to Orthodox to Protestant traditions, Willis said. It took over a year to edit the entire book before it was published, and he thinks the book will be influential because it focuses on a current topic in ecumenical discussions, he said.
The lecture with Dr. Willis will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7 in Chapel on the Hill.
“The lecture is intended for a general audience,” Childers said. “Anyone interested in the faith of the early Christians, the story of the early church, Christian art, or how Christians used art to picture stories from scripture. We are getting strong responses to the topic from average Christians in the community, but also from college students, Bible class teachers, ministers, and church leaders and ministers.”
CSART will also host another lecture on April 4 at 7 p.m. on the Old Testament and ancient manuscripts with Dr. Glenn Pemberton as the speaker.

Filed Under: News

Other News:

  • Gallery: Spring commencement honors 2021-22 graduates

  • New IM Fields location confirmed

  • At $250 million, Higher Ground aims to make impacts across campus

About Abbey Bowling

Arts & features editor. Journalism major. Texas for now, but not for long. Lover of Jesus, coffee, dogs, pizza, and sports.

You are here: Home / News / Dr. Willis to be featured in CSART lecture

Other News:

  • Gallery: Spring commencement honors 2021-22 graduates

  • New IM Fields location confirmed

  • At $250 million, Higher Ground aims to make impacts across campus

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

acuoptimistThe Optimist@acuoptimist·
4 May

"Maybe we just don’t care enough. But if we do start caring, and if we become the loudest fans in the WAC, let’s stick to supportive cheering." Read more from Guest Columnist Londyn Gray:
https://acuoptimist.com/2022/04/not-so-friendly-competition/

Reply on Twitter 1521918832738144257Retweet on Twitter 15219188327381442571Like on Twitter 15219188327381442578Twitter 1521918832738144257
acuoptimistThe Optimist@acuoptimist·
3 May

Royce Clough and Jael Morel have been named as Mr. and Miss ACU for the class of 2022, a traditional honor voted on by the student body and awarded to two members of each graduating class.

Reply on Twitter 1521607087553458178Retweet on Twitter 1521607087553458178Like on Twitter 152160708755345817819Twitter 1521607087553458178

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

2 months ago

The Optimist
"Maybe we just don’t care enough. But if we do start caring, and if we become the loudest fans in the WAC, let’s stick to supportive cheering." Read more from Guest Columnist Londyn Gray: ... See MoreSee Less

Not-so-friendly competition - Optimist

acuoptimist.com

BY: LONDYN GRAY “Number 18, you look like you don’t shower!” I chuckled and shrugged it off. “Londyn!” They had looked up the roster. “Do you even brush your teeth?” I laughed again, rol...
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 months ago

The Optimist
Cullen Auditorium is expected to be handed over to the university in June 2022, alongside a name change that coupled with the renovation will create new future for the Cornerstone class, Chapel and the Department of Theatre. ... See MoreSee Less

Cullen Auditorium still set for a name change alongside renovations - Optimist

acuoptimist.com

Cullen Auditorium is expected to be handed over to the university in June 2022, alongside a name change that coupled with the renovation will create new future for the Cornerstone class, Chapel and th...
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Women’s tournament run ended by first-round exit against UTRGV

The Wildcats’ Western Athletic Conference tournament run and season came to a ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 22. 2022
  • Optimist Newscast 2.16.2022
  • Optimist Newscast 2.9.2022

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • Weekly Ads
  • Classifieds

© 2022 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved

Posting....