Reflections of an Annual Meeting novice

Looking back at SBL Chicago 2012. My first Annual Meeting, my first time in the USA. What did I learn?

1) That it is not a problem if a hotel makes a reservation mistake, 

as long as there are suites on the 33d floor with a view on Lake Michigan.

2) That Erasmus used funny reference signs for passages he wanted to insert in the draft of his Annotationes:

 (Above: the 1519 supplement to the annotatio on 1 Cor 7:39. Right: three passages, written on a separate folio, that had to be inserted at the indicated places in the text.)

 3) That of buying many books there is no end.

   

 

  

 4) How it feels to be with too many textual critics in one cab (contest: find Tommy Wasserman on this picture.)

 5) That they were glad we were there!

Of course I learned a lot more, such as the fact that Parker not necessarily sides with Ehrman ("you hope"); that when Jesus rescues Adam and Eve from Hades Abel as a rule has a clean chin, but may as well have grown a beard; and that New Testament textual criticism sessions are more interesting and lively than any of the other sessions (but that comes as no surprise to me).

We are very much looking forward to further encounter and exchange this year!