XXXIII Colloquium Biblicum

XXXIII Colloquium Biblicum April 8–10, 2026, Faculty of Protestant Theology of Charles University

I am excited to announce my participation in the XXXIII Colloquium Biblicum, which will take place from April 8–10, 2026, in Prague. The event will be hosted at the Faculty of Protestant Theology of Charles University and will focus on the theme “Image, Image-Making and the Creation of (Un)Likeness”:

The colloquium deals with concepts of image and image-making in the Biblical World and its reception. Despite being the only means to see what others see, as true embodiments of particular ontological properties, images are typically studied under generalising frameworks and schemes. Such approaches assume not only that humans share the same semiotic beliefs but also an ontological constitution. However, while anthropological studies have challenged the idea of a shared ontology between all humans, biblical scholarship has for a long time historicised and nuanced how ancient Levantine peoples have understood their visual artefacts. In this sense, the conference invites scholars to discuss how ancient conceptions of images, methodological approaches, and hermeneutical readings in different theological contexts have helped to forge (un)likeness.

It is also an honor to be part of the preparatory team for this conference, alongside my esteemed colleagues Prof. Dr. Filip Čapek and PD Dr. Thomas Wagner.

On Wednesday, April 8, I will be presenting the lecture “Simulacra and Presence: Mechanisms of (Un)likeness in Ancient Levantine Visual Culture”.

I look forward to meeting colleagues and friends in Prague! The conference will also be transmitted online (register here). For the program, see below.

Conference program

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

16:00–16:15 · Welcome and opening
I. Image, Image-Making and the Creation of (Un)Likeness
16:15–17:15 · Klein Cardoso, Silas (Vitória/BR): Simulacra and Presence: Mechanisms of (Un)likeness in Ancient Levantine Visual Culture
17:15–18:00 · Wagner, Thomas (Wuppertal/DE): Image, Appearances, Likeness: Semantics of Imagery and Their Conceptual Background

Thursday, April 9 (Room E, 3rd floor)

II. Images of YHWH and Beyond
9:00–9:30 · Dubbink, Joep (Amsterdam/NL): Images of YHWH’s Spouse
9:30–10:00 · Niesiolowski-Spano, Lukasz (Warsaw/PL): The Yahwists and the Surrounding Imagery in Yehud Circa 350 BCE
10:00–10:30 · Prudký, Martin (Prague/CZ): The Narrative Portrayal of God in the Abraham Stories
III. Deities – Animals – People
11:00–11:30 · Harris, Caleb (Prague/CZ): Resheph: Fire and Plague (or nothing at all)
11:30–12:00 · Sláma, Petr (Prague/CZ): “…and cast an image of a calf” Ex 32:4: Who is being criticized here?
14:30–16:00 · Kindl, Eva-Martina (Bonn/DE): Close Reading Session
16:30–17:00 · Kellenberger, Edgar (Basel/CH): The Bear As an Icon For Human and Divine Behaviour
17:00–17:30 · Page, Emily (St. Andrews/UK): The Embodied Self in Proverbs and Egyptian Iconography
17:30–18:00 · Lukáš, Jan (Prague/CZ): I am black and/but comely: Song of Songs 1:5

Friday, April 10

IV. Broader Contexts
9:00–9:30 · Pickströer, Daniel (Dortmund/DE): The Normative Interpretation of The Image of God Through Time
9:30–10:00 · Gallus, Petr (Prague/CZ): Man as a Imago Dei
10:00–10:30 · Tops, Thomas (Wuppertal/DE): Metaphors and Visualisation: Ps-Longinus, De Sublimitate as an Analytical Tool for Interpreting Metaphors in the NT
11:00–11:30 · Nogueira, Paulo (Campinas/BR): The Survival of Biblical Images in the History of Culture: Contributions from a “Science Without a Name”
11:30–12:00 · Čapek, Filip (Prague/CZ): Imagine All the Temples: Case Study Lachish in Iron Age II
13:30–15:00 · Guided tour of the Jewish Museum in Prague (by Jan Šteffl)
16:00–17:30 · Final discussion, evaluation, plans