Dr. James Tabor will speak on February 11

UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies will host a talk on “What Kind of Jew was Jesus? How Texts and Archeology Tell Us a New Story,” by noted religious scholar James Tabor, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at the UNC Asheville Reuter Center. Tabor will explore the historical Jesus within the context of his Jewish first century environment, based on textual and archaeological evidence. The event is free and open to the public.

Tabor, who holds a doctorate from the University of Chicago, held positions at the University of Notre Dame and the College of William and Mary before joining the staff of UNC Charlotte in 1989, where he currently serves as department chair of religious studies. Tabor has combined his work on ancient texts with extensive field work in archaeology in Israel and Jordan, including work at Qumran, Sepphoris, Masada, Wadi el-Yabis, the “John the Baptist” cave at Suba and the “Tomb of the Shroud” in Jerusalem. He is currently involved in excavating at Mt Zion in Jerusalem.

Tabor is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including his newest book, “The Paul Factor: How Paul Shaped All We Think about Everything,” which will be published this year. Tabor has also been featured in several TV documentaries, including PBS Frontline’s “Apocalypse!” and “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” on Discovery Channel.

For more information, call the Center for Jewish Studies at 828/232-5027 or visit www.unca.edu/cjs.