Michael Strmiska, Phd., will deliver a talk about the points of contact between Temple and Rabbinical Judaism and Classical Paganism at the Vilnius Jewish Public Library next Wednesday.
He plans to present striking parallels shared by the two religious traditions which haven’t been considered related since Justin the Apologist, later Justin the Martyr’s times, commonly called pre-Christian Paganism and simply Judaism. He will present common aspects of both which overcome the popular perception Paganism is polytheism and Judaism is mono, and never the trwain shall meet.
His talk will include discussion on the marginalization and also the survival of both traditions through the course of history, the view both traditions take regarding Nature, conceptions of the feminine divine and the traditions both schools share at their mystical extremities.
This perhaps provocative lecture could serve to foster greater understanding of how these two religions are able to intercommunicate in surprising ways. Both Paganism and Temple Judaism together form the context in which the fathers of the Early Church operated.
Michael Strmiska is a scholar of Religious Studies with a focus on mythology, modern Paganism and New Religious Movements. Strmiska holds a PhD from Boston University and an MA in South Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His doctoral dissertation explored beliefs in the afterlife in ancient India and Scandinavia. He has taught in the United States, Japan, Lithuania and the Czech Republic and has been awarded two Fulbright Fellowships for his academic work in Iceland and Lithuania. Since 2008 he has taught Global History and Religion at SUNY-Orange where he has also developed new courses and led educational trips to Eastern Europe. A frequent speaker at international conferences, Strmiska has published in leading journals such as Nova Religio and the Pomegranate, and edited the volume Modern Paganism in World Cultures. His scholarly achievements have been recognized by the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.
To register, click here.
Time: 6:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 21
Place: Vilnius Jewish Public Library, Gedimino prospect no. 24, Vilnius