Scholar-Activist Encounter: Remembering John H. "Jack" Elliott at SBL

Scholar-Activist Encounters

November 21, 2021, 7pm Eastern Time ~ 6pm Central Time ~ 4pm Pacific Time

How do activism and scholarship contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today?

Rev. Dr. John H. “Jack” Elliott (1935–2020) was known internationally for his research on 1 Peter (especially A Home for the Homeless, Wipf and Stock, 2005) and as a leading proponent of the social-scientific study of the Bible. Less well known is his 4-volume work on the “Evil Eye” tradition as it informs our understanding of the bible, that he was a co-founder and longtime Board President of CLBSJ, and the many activist efforts he participated in—including labor organizing and immigrant solidarity work.

On Sunday, November 21, at 6pm Central Time (7pm Eastern Time), please join CLBSJ and members of the Context Group to reflect on Jack’s legacy — his contribution to social scientific biblical interpretation and its relevance to social justice organizing — and to dialogue about how we can best work together to carry it forward.

This facilitated conversation will be both online and in person, and there will be space for open sharing. It is organized in concert with the 2021 Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL).

To register online, please click here:

If you will be attending AAR/SBL in person in San Antonio, we will gather at the Marriott Rivercenter, Conference Room 20-21. A group will also be gathering at CLBSJ’s main collection in Stony Point, NY. To RSVP to an in person gathering, please email clbsjorg@gmail.com

Click here to read more about Jack.

Photo: Jack speaks at CLBSJ’s inaugural gathering. © Tim Nafziger, used with permission.


The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice invites you to join us for an interactive dialogue exploring the interfaces between scholarship and activism. How do these ways of being contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today? Let’s come together to learn from each other. Most events take place on the third Thursday of the month at 4:30pm Pacific Time / 7:30pm Eastern Time. We do not meet every month, and occasionally meet on a different night.

See the full schedule of the Scholar-Activist Encounter series. For questions, email info@clbsj.org.

This series is co-sponsored by the Community of Living Traditions.