The annual Marston Lecture at Seattle Pacific University is presented by the faculty member appointed to the C. May Marston professorship, named in honor of C. May Marston, whose influence extends back to the earliest years of Seattle Pacific. During a remarkable 45 years as a faculty member, Dr. Marston instilled a love for language through her classes in Latin, Greek, French, German, and English. The quintessential scholar, Dr. Marston was a methodical drillmaster whose sharp sense of humor, deep concern for students, and simplicity of faith won over many a reluctant intellect.
“Joys of the Greek Bible”
Owen Ewald, C. May Marston Assistant Professor of Classics
Tuesday, February 7, 2 p.m.
Upper Gwinn Commons
Dr. Owen Ewald will share his experiences reading and teaching the Bible in ancient Greek — both the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek. Despite some small differences between the Septuagint and the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the messages of Scripture to God’s people remain strong and consistent. When the New Testament authors quote the Septuagint, they carry and amplify earlier Scriptural messages to a new group of God’s people — Christians.
Owen Ewald, Ph.D., grew up in Washington, D.C., a city with abundant Greco-Roman-inspired architecture. After reading historian J. David Bolter’s work Turing’s Man, he studied Latin for 17 years, Greek for 13 years, and some Sanskrit. He received a doctorate in classics from the University of Washington in 1999, and his dissertation explored Roman historiography. His articles on ancient funerary practices, ancient roads, and Vergil’s rhyme schemes have appeared in Athenaeum, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, and Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. Dr. Ewald has taught Latin, Greek, classical literature, ancient history, and art history at Seattle Pacific University since 2001, and he was named to the C. May Marston Professorship in 2005.
To listen to past Marston Lectures please visit Digital Commons @ SPU.