Dr. Beverly Cushman, Westminster College assistant professor of religion and Christian education, is the author of a paper that was accepted for presentation at the 2009 annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).

Cushman's paper, "Constructing Jerusalem: Time and Space in I Kings 6-7," uses Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the chronotope to analyze the description of Solomon's building project found in I Kings 6-7. The description of the construction of the First Temple and the royal complex provides a text rich in a variety of levels of time and space which can be further appreciated by means of the chronotope. The use of the chronotope provides a methodology for exploring the values expressed in the architecture and design of Solomon's acropolis.

SBL's annual meeting is the largest gathering of biblical scholars in the world. The 2009 event will be Nov. 21-24 in New Orleans.

Cushman will deliver a similar paper at the annual meeting of the Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society March 26-27 in Cambridge, Ohio.

Cushman, who has been with Westminster since 2004, earned an undergraduate degree from Stetson University and masters and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

Contact Cushman at (724) 946-7127 or e-mail cushmabw@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr. Beverly Cushman