Undergraduate Major Presents Research at Conference

Aren Wilson-Wright, a triple major in Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, and Mathematics, traveled to Bourbonnais, Illinois, to present a competitively selected academic paper at the third annual Student Religious Studies Conference, which the Midwest Regional Society of Biblical Literature hosted on February 13, 2009.  Titled "1 Kings 12: A Satire on the Exodus," Aren's paper brilliantly shows how the narrative depicts the rebellion of the Israelite king Jeroboam as a satire, a reversal of the Exodus.  While the Exodus brought freedom to the ancient Hebrews, the author of 1 Kings portrays Jeroboam as ushering in the Assyrian capture and enslavement of the Israelites in the northern kingdom.  The thesis challenges much biblical commentary on the passage.  Aren wrote the essay for a 400-level course, "The Bible and Slavery," taught by Professor J. Albert Harrill, who also served as his regional meeting faculty sponsor.  The essay has already won multiple awards at IU: the Jewish Studies Bern Essay Award and the Religious Studies Gallagher Essay Second Place Prize.  The Jewish Studies Conference Fund provided financial support for Aren's participation in the conference.  The Society of Biblical Literature is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States, founded in 1880.  The Midwest region includes Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Iowa.