BAS Seminars: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

By Catherine Van Bebber

May 22, 2007

It was June 1992. As I got on the plane to coordinate my first BAS seminar at Guilford College, in North Carolina, little did I know that this was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. And for the past 14 years it has been my pleasure to watch over and attend to all of the distinguished professors and wonderful participants who make these lecture series so successful. Not only do I make sure that things run smoothly for everyone during the day, but I also get to “wine and dine” the professors, away from the hustle and bustle of the seminar. Some have become close personal friends.

I thought I’d take a minute or two to share some of my favorite memories with you.

At that first seminar, Tony Saldarini from Boston College was the lecturer. As he talked about the early Christian groups and their battle for survival, he kept saying that “everything was going to hell in a hand basket” in the Roman Empire. At the banquet on Friday night, the participants presented him with 6 or 7 baskets so he could have a hand basket, too. James Tabor was also at that seminar, talking about his search for the latrines at Qumran—nothing much has changed, has it? [Professor Tabor announced late in 2006 that he believes he has located the latrines near Qumran.—Ed.] A Methodist minister presented him with a wooden outhouse, saying, “We’ve finally found them!”

When Charlie Hedrick of the Jesus Seminar came to Guilford and talked about the parables of Jesus, there was a little lady sitting in the audience who we dubbed the “but-but” lady. Every time Charlie would try to make a point, she would raise her hand, slowly lift herself out of the seat, and, as she rose she would say, “But….but,” because she objected to most everything Charlie was saying.

One of my favorite lecturers is Jodi Magness. The first time I met her was at one of the Bible Fests. Because we have professors coming and going every hour, we are on a very tight schedule during the Fests, and the lectures have to start and stop on time. Anyone who has ever heard Jodi lecture knows that she only stops when she is finished giving you all the information she wants to give you. Her hour was up, I was giving her the signal that she needed to stop, and she kept on talking…only faster and faster. I finally turned off the slide projector and turned the lights up in the room, but she still kept lecturing. It was only when I went up to her and took the microphone away that she stopped!

If you can believe it, there once was a time when Bart Ehrman was not as famous as he is now, and he did not have his very own Ehrman Book-of-the-Month club. Bart is one of BAS’ most popular lecturers, and everyone flocks to his seminars. We have had great times at a brew-pub in Greensboro, which we dubbed the BAR bar. Every evening after a day’s worth of studying, a group of participants and Bart would walk over to the bar to continue the discussion of the day. We always got odd looks from the other customers when we would have heated discussions about religion and which beer was the best.

Professor James Hoffmeier of Trinity University is another favorite lecturer. He has a sly sense of humor, and it takes a few minutes to realize that he has told a clever, clever joke. Then you laugh out loud and the people around you wonder why. This year, my family and I journeyed to Egypt for a 10-day study-tour with Jim. It was one of the best trips we have ever taken. We went to Cairo, Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh, Mt. Sinai and Tanis. The trip was exhausting, but we acquired an incredible amount of knowledge.

I will close my trip down memory lane by saying a few words about Hershel Shanks. One of the first things I noticed when I started working with BAS was the connection he has made with his subscribers. At every meeting, someone always comes up to me and asks whether Hershel is coming. Notice that they ask if Hershel is coming. They don’t know him, yet they don’t ask if Mr. Shanks is coming. They don’t ask if Hershel Shanks is coming. They call him by his first name as though they have a personal relationship with him. And that is what is so great about Hershel and the magazine. He has provided a service that people have desperately wanted, and for that they are thankful.

So for the past 14 years it has been my privilege to run the BAS seminars, and I love it. I get to meet and hear and question the greatest professors in the world, and I get stay abreast of the latest and most up-to-the-minute breaking news in the field of archaeology and Biblical studies. Oftentimes, participants come up to me and volunteer to take over my job if ever I should quit. NO, YOU CAN’T HAVE IT.

To learn about exciting upcoming travel/study seminars, go to www.bib-arch.org/bswbTravel.html.