Skip to main content
Intellect

Ancient Biblical texts topic for guest lecturer at BYU Sept. 20-21

The Brigham Young University David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies will be hosting guest speaker Paul V. M. Flesher, professor of religious studies and the founding director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Wyoming, for two lectures this week.   

On Thursday, Sept. 20, Flesher will discuss “Are the People of Israel God’s ‘Second Adam’? Adam, Israel, and the Torah in the Ancient Jewish Targum Translations of the Adam and Eve Story” at 11 a.m. in 3104 Jesse Knight Building.

On Friday, Sept. 21, he will address “Should Scripture Be Understood? How Different World Religions View the Translation of their Sacred Texts” at noon in 238 Herald R. Clark Building.  

Flesher is an expert in late-Antique Judaism whose research focuses on the early synagogues and on the literature created for that institution, the Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible known as the Targums. He has been serving as a two-term president of the International Organization for Targumic Study.

He studied at both Oxford University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before receiving a doctorate in the history of Judaism from Brown University.

This lecture will be archived at kennedy.byu.edu/archive. For more information, contact Lee Simons at (801) 422-2652 or lee_simons@byu.edu. 

Writer: Hwa Lee

flesherpvm.jpg
Photo by Pleasant Grove Chapter, Daughters of Utah Pioneers

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Learning students’ names boosts belonging at BYU, study finds

August 28, 2025
The start of a new semester brings more than fresh syllabi. It brings the challenge—and opportunity—of learning the names behind each new face in a classroom.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

The next chapter in BYU's origami engineering: Student-discovered patterns unfold like blooming flowers, have major applications

August 19, 2025
BYU Engineering is well known for origami-inspired research and innovations, including foldable antenna systems used in space. Recently, an undergraduate student made a significant discovery—a new family of origami patterns with promising applications across a range of fields, including space systems, medical devices, bulletproof shields, architecture, furniture and aerodynamic components for transportation.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Impossible Burgers at a summer BBQ? Impossible! Why plant-based alternatives are still just beyond reach for most people

August 14, 2025
Plant-Based Alternatives (PBAs) — such as the Impossible Burger — are becoming more common, and those who try them say they are actually quite good. And while companies are pouring billions into making PBAs taste just like their meat counterparts, they still aren’t catching on. So what’s the hold-up?
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=