Codex Judas Congress funded by Rice Faculty Initiative Grant

Rice University just announced that it will fund the Codex Judas Congress, a colloquium to be held in March 2008. I will post more details as the event is organized over the summer. But here is the grant announcement and description which I copy below too.

I want to say that I am extremely appreciative of the support that Rice University has shown to me and to Religious Studies with this very generous award, one that will allow me to bring twenty scholars to campus for the event.

From Rice News:

DeConick, the Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies, will use her funding to gather 20 of the world's leading experts on early Christianity and Gnosticism at Rice for The Codex Judas Congress.

The two-day conference will examine the newly discovered ancient Christian papyrus book known as the Tchacos Codex or the Judas Codex. The book includes the Gospel of Judas, which was first made public in 2006.

"It is extremely important for scholars to come together as a community and share their insights and training, to examine this ‘new’ ancient book collectively. This congress will give us an opportunity to do so and move forward the study of early Christianity and Gnosticism," DeConick said. "It is one of those events that puts Rice on the cutting edge of research in early Christianity."