On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, Dr. Adele Reinhartz will speak on “Holy Words in Hollywood: The Ten Commandments and American Identity.” The epic Bible films of the 1950s used the Hebrew Bible much as the Puritans did in an earlier era: as a prophecy of America’s role on the world stage. This lecture, illustrated by movie clips, will focus on Cecil B. DeMille’s classic 1956 film The Ten Commandments and its portrayal of Moses as a Jesus-like redeemer who champions liberty and democracy, American-style.

The lecture will take place at McCord Auditorium, on the third floor of Dallas Hall, a large domed building on the north side of SMU campus (street address 3225 University Blvd. Dallas). It will begin promptly at 7:30 pm. The lecture is free and open to the public. No reservations or RSVPs are necessary, and free parking is available.
Adele Reinhartz is Professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa, in Canada and an internationally renowned expert in New Testament, early Jewish-Christian relations, and the Bible and Film. She is the author of numerous articles and books, including Befriending the Beloved Disciple: A Jewish Reading of the Gospel of John (Continuum, 2001), Scripture on the Silver Screen (Westminster John Knox, 2003), Jesus of Hollywood (Oxford, 2007), Caiaphas the High Priest (University of South Carolina Press, 2011; Fortress 2012) and Bible and Cinema: An Introduction (Routledge, 2013). Adele was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2005. She is the editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, the world’s most prestigious publication in biblical studies.