ROME - Founded by Pius X in 1909 as a center of scripture scholarship in Rome, the Pontifical Biblical Institute has been at the service of popes for 110 years and will be at it again in May with a conference aimed at debunking prejudices surrounding the Pharisees, the ancient precursor of the rabbis who feature in the New Testament.I'm glad the Pope is meeting with them. For some past posts defending the Pharisees from negative stereotyping, see here and links.
Ironically, one figure who might find the program especially interesting is the current pope, since the Pharisees are a frequent rhetorical trope for Francis and rarely in a positive vein.
The May 7-9 event, titled “Jesus and the Pharisees: An Interdisciplinary Reappraisal,” was presented at a news conference on Wednesday at the Jesuit-sponsored Pontifical Biblical Institute, located adjacent to the Gregorian. The scholarly meeting will culminate on May 9 with a private audience for participants with Francis.
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