In a presentation that resonated deeply with listeners, Dr. Jennifer T. Kaalund, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Iona College, spoke on March 21 about the Book of Hebrews and how the development of Christianity as a “new Jewish identity” can be viewed through the lens of the “New Negro,” a literary trope created during the Great Migration of the early 20th century.

Dr. Kaalund’s presentation was the Seminary’s annual Carew-Purdy Lecture, an endowed lectureship named after Joseph and Eliza Carew of South Hadley, MA, who made a donation in 1873 for a special lectureship, and Dr. Alexander Purdy, a Hartford Seminary Professor of New Testament from 1923 to 1960 and Dean from 1954 to 1960. It brings a leading scholar to offer Christian perspective on thought and life.

The full video of Dr. Kaalund’s lecture can be viewed below.