Christian theologian Richard B. Hays of The Divinity School at Duke University will give a series of public lectures for the 11th-annual Nadine Beacham and Charlton F. Hall Sr. Lectureship in New Testament Studies and Early Christianity at USC April 6 and 7.

Hays, the George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament at Duke, is recognized by scholars internationally for his research and teaching on the letters of Paul, New Testament ethics and the innovative ways in which early Christian writers interpreted Israel's Scripture. His book, "The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation," was selected by Christianity Today as one of the 100 most important religious books of the 20th century. Another of his books, "The Art of Reading Scripture," was chosen as one of the Top 10 Books of the Year in 2004 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. Hays is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

The Hall Lectureship is held annually the week before Palm Sunday during Lent to make leaders in the field of New Testament research available to South Carolinians and clergy. It is one of the College of Arts and Sciences' premiere events.

Hays' lectures on April 6 and 7 are free and open to the public. He will answer audience questions after each lecture. Many of his books will be for sale at the University Bookstore in USC's Russell House April 6 and 7.

Hays has lectured widely, from rural churches to London's Westminister Abbey and in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, and Australia. A prolific scholar, he has written nine books and more than 100 articles and reviews. His other books include "The Conversion of the Imagination: Essays on Paul as Interpreter of Scripture," "The Faith of Jesus Christ: The Narrative Substructures of Galatians 3:1-4:11," and "Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul."

Hays earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University, his master's degree in divinity from Yale Divinity School and his doctoral degree from Emory University. He is president of the New England Region of the Society of Biblical Literature and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Biblical Literature. He convened the Consultation on Teaching the Bible in the 21st Century and led the Scripture Project, a research initiative sponsored by the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton.

USC's Nadine Beacham and Charlton F. Hall Sr. Lectureship in New Testament Studies and Early Christianity is sponsored by the department of religious studies in USC's College of Arts and Sciences. It was established by Columbia businessman Charlton F. Hall Jr. in memory of his father, Charlton F. Hall Sr., and in honor of his mother, Nadine Beacham Hall.

For more information on Hays and USC's 2006 Nadine Beacham and Charlton F. Hall Sr. Lectureship in New Testament and Early Christianity, call USC's department of religious studies at 7-4100 or go to www.cas.sc.edu/relg.

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