Jesus scholar to give three talks at USC March 27-28

COLUMBIA - Well known writer, speaker and Bible scholar Ben Witherington III will give a series of talks on Jesus for the University of South Carolina's annual Nadine Beacham and Charlton F. Hall Sr. Lectureship in New Testament Studies and Early Christianity, March 27- 28

The lectureship features three talks, all of which are free and open to the public. Witherington, professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., is well known for his books, public lectures and frequent appearances on national radio and television.

His primary public talk, "What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories and Bad History," is based on his latest book and is set for 8 p.m. Thursday, March 27, in the university's Russell House ballroom. In this talk, Witherington will tackle modern images and interpretations of Jesus, with examples ranging from the DaVinci theories to new-age programs on satellite radio.

Earlier Thursday, Witherington will address clergy from all faiths at 10 a.m. in Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia for a talk titled "Jesus the Seer," which focuses on Jesus as a visionary prophet. His concluding talk will be at 10 a.m. Friday in Stavros Lecture Hall at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. Titled "Jesus the Sage," the talk will focus on the historical Jesus and how Jesus presented himself as an early Jewish sage, using sayings and parables.

Witherington is one of the most widely published evangelical New Testament scholars in the world. His books, "The Jesus Quest" (1997) and "The Paul Quest" (2001) were selected as top biblical stud- ies by Christianity Today. His companion books, "Jesus the Seer: The Progress of Prophecy" (1999) and "Jesus the Sage: The Pilgrimage of Wisdom" (2000) are among his popular works. His most recent book is "What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories and Bad History."

For more information, call the department of religious studies at 803-777-4100.