“Amen: Closing the Creed, Opening Doors”

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022 • 7:30-9 a.m.
F.K. Bemis International Center | Hendrickson Dining Room
St. Norbert College

Watch the recording. Two handouts are referenced during the lecture: 1st handout and 2nd handout

Thomas M. Bolin, Ph.D.
Thomas M. Bolin is a Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College. 

Thomas M. Bolin has been at St. Norbert since 2002. Trained in Hebrew Bible and biblical languages, he teaches courses on the religious practices and literature of the ancient Near East and the Classical world. Since 2018 he has taken part in excavations of Roman remains in Rome and Pompeii. The author of three books and numerous essays and articles, his research focuses on the literature of early Judaism, the Books of Job and Ecclesiastes, and the history of biblical interpretation. A first generation college student and graduate of a Catholic, Liberal Arts institution, he loves being in the classroom with SNC students and considers it a privilege to be part of their undergraduate experience.

Andrew O’Connor, Ph.D.
Andrew O’Connor is an Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College. 

Andrew O’Connor joined St. Norbert College in fall 2019. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame in world religions & world church with an emphasis on Islamic studies. He never thought he would end up teaching world religions and theology—his undergraduate degree was in history and his master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies. He started taking Arabic on a whim during his undergraduate studies and was able to make a trip to Egypt for the first time in December 2009 to conduct research for his senior thesis. Andrew began to grow enamored with the Arab world, and later went on to travel to Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco. During his master’s program, he started to spend more time reading the Qur’an and discovered his chief academic interest: the Qur’an and its relationship to Jewish and Christian traditions.

His current projects including writing a book about the notion of “prophethood” in the Qur’an and a book chapter about the Qur’an’s presentation of Saul, David and Solomon.

At SNC, Andrew teaches courses on world religions and comparative theology. He particularly enjoys fostering appreciative knowledge of different religious traditions and encouraging students to seek the betterment of their Religious Other.

Andrew’s other hobbies including traveling, reading fiction, brewing, camping and spending time with his family.

About the Lecture
The final word of the Apostles’ Creed–indeed the final word of many prayers–is, “Amen.” This deceptively small word has both a fascinating backstory and an inspiring afterlife, originating in Judaism and later finding a home in both Christianity and Islam. Discover how the ending of the Apostles’ Creed invites us through an open door into an encounter with our Jewish and Muslim sisters and brothers.