Emma Morehart | Staff Writer

When Amy-Jill Levine was little, she wanted to be the pope. Pope John XXIII was “good for the Jews,” as Levine’s mother said, got to live in Italy and eat spaghetti, was loved by everyone, got to ride around in a cool car and wave to people and was always on TV.

“You can’t,” responded Levine’s Jewish mother jokingly, “because you’re not Italian.”

Since that dream, Levine always has known she wanted to be in the business of religion; she just didn’t know how, she said.

This week’s Interfaith Lecture Series features Levine and discussions of how different stories of the Bible can spark creative thought about religion. Levine will discuss some of her favorite stories, like the Parable of the Prodigal Son or the story of the Good Samaritan, at 2 p.m. today through Friday in the Hall of Philosophy.

When people think of creativity, as in this week’s theme, “Human Creativity, The Spark of the Divine,” the initial reaction is art, music or writing. But the spoken word can be expressed just as creatively, Levine said.

Authors or tellers are inventing scenarios and characters and then trying to touch the audience with the story, but each listener interprets the story differently, Levine said.

“Anytime we read or write, we are always engaged in an act of creativity, because we are always engaged in an act of interpretation,” Levine said, adding that Jesus is one of the more creative storytellers she thinks the world has ever seen.

The interpretations of Jesus’ stories vary across religion, as well. But Levine was taught in Hebrew school to be open to different interpretations.

Levine was raised in a Jewish household that taught her to analyze the readings she was taught in school and to be open to the different interpretations of these readings. When she was in Hebrew school, a teacher would tell her to read a passage and then determine what it meant to her, not what it was supposed to mean to all people.

“(It taught me) that my own views are limited, and I can only see from my own perspective; therefore, it is essential that I learn to see through other people’s eyes and hear through other people’s ears,” Levine said.

She took this lesson with her throughout life, developing an appreciation for being humble and well-informed along the way. Now, she is a professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School, a predominantly Christian environment.

As a professor, she is able to teach students how to guard themselves against stereotyping other religions. Despite their inherent similarities, Jews and Christians often misunderstand each other and resort to stereotyping instead of openly communicating, Levine said.

When it comes to biblical interpretations, Levine said there cannot be one correct interpretation.

“For me personally, the biblical word is too rich and too manifold to be restricted to any one singular meaning, and if we restrict biblical interpretation … then I think we’re selling the divine word short,” Levine said.

The goal, then, is to share the different interpretations, so that even if people’s minds are not changed, at least they participated in open, interreligious discussion and took the time to consider other opinions, Levine said.

On Monday, Levine will open the weeklong conversation with an introduction on how to read a parable. The stories included will be the parables of the Pearl of Great Price, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the Parable of the Leaven.

Tuesday through Friday, Levine will discuss one parable each day, and these will include the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Widow and the Judge and the Laborers in the Vineyard, Levine said.

It is not necessary that the audience know the parables before the lecture, because the main point Levine will make is that these same stories have been interpreted different ways by different people in different eras.

A Good Samaritan, for example, is thought of today as someone who helps a stranger or is generous. Jews in the first century would have thought of Samaritans as the enemy. These stories take on new meaning as they are told by different people in different cultures.

“I would like Jews and Christians to be able to see better … how we share stories in common and how through stories … we have shared views, ethical interpretations and the shared ability to appreciate a good story,” Levine said.

Emma Morehart | Staff Writer

When Amy-Jill Levine was little, she wanted to be the pope. Pope John XXIII was “good for the Jews,” as Levine’s mother said, got to live in Italy and eat spaghetti, was loved by everyone, got to ride around in a cool car and wave to people and was always on TV.

“You can’t,” responded Levine’s Jewish mother jokingly, “because you’re not Italian.”

Since that dream, Levine always has known she wanted to be in the business of religion; she just didn’t know how, she said.

This week’s Interfaith Lecture Series features Levine and discussions of how different stories of the Bible can spark creative thought about religion. Levine will discuss some of her favorite stories, like the Parable of the Prodigal Son or the story of the Good Samaritan, at 2 p.m. today through Friday in the Hall of Philosophy.

When people think of creativity, as in this week’s theme, “Human Creativity, The Spark of the Divine,” the initial reaction is art, music or writing. But the spoken word can be expressed just as creatively, Levine said.

Authors or tellers are inventing scenarios and characters and then trying to touch the audience with the story, but each listener interprets the story differently, Levine said.

“Anytime we read or write, we are always engaged in an act of creativity, because we are always engaged in an act of interpretation,” Levine said, adding that Jesus is one of the more creative storytellers she thinks the world has ever seen.

The interpretations of Jesus’ stories vary across religion, as well. But Levine was taught in Hebrew school to be open to different interpretations.

Levine was raised in a Jewish household that taught her to analyze the readings she was taught in school and to be open to the different interpretations of these readings. When she was in Hebrew school, a teacher would tell her to read a passage and then determine what it meant to her, not what it was supposed to mean to all people.

“(It taught me) that my own views are limited, and I can only see from my own perspective; therefore, it is essential that I learn to see through other people’s eyes and hear through other people’s ears,” Levine said.

She took this lesson with her throughout life, developing an appreciation for being humble and well-informed along the way. Now, she is a professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School, a predominantly Christian environment.

As a professor, she is able to teach students how to guard themselves against stereotyping other religions. Despite their inherent similarities, Jews and Christians often misunderstand each other and resort to stereotyping instead of openly communicating, Levine said.

When it comes to biblical interpretations, Levine said there cannot be one correct interpretation.

“For me personally, the biblical word is too rich and too manifold to be restricted to any one singular meaning, and if we restrict biblical interpretation … then I think we’re selling the divine word short,” Levine said.

The goal, then, is to share the different interpretations, so that even if people’s minds are not changed, at least they participated in open, interreligious discussion and took the time to consider other opinions, Levine said.

On Monday, Levine will open the weeklong conversation with an introduction on how to read a parable. The stories included will be the parables of the Pearl of Great Price, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the Parable of the Leaven.

Tuesday through Friday, Levine will discuss one parable each day, and these will include the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Widow and the Judge and the Laborers in the Vineyard, Levine said.

It is not necessary that the audience know the parables before the lecture, because the main point Levine will make is that these same stories have been interpreted different ways by different people in different eras.

A Good Samaritan, for example, is thought of today as someone who helps a stranger or is generous. Jews in the first century would have thought of Samaritans as the enemy. These stories take on new meaning as they are told by different people in different cultures.

“I would like Jews and Christians to be able to see better … how we share stories in common and how through stories … we have shared views, ethical interpretations and the shared ability to appreciate a good story,” Levine said.