Published on March 12, 2019 by Andrew Russell  
Valerie Duval Poujol

Valérie Duval-Poujol, a Baptist biblical scholar from France, will deliver the annual Biblical Studies Lectures at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School next week, March 19-21.

Duval-Poujol is the chief editor of the revision of the French Bible called “Bible en Français courant” for the French Bible Society and teaches on textual criticism and the New Testament at several theological universities. She serves as vice president of the Protestant Federation of France and in various roles with the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), including having represented the BWA as a fraternal delegate at the extraordinary synod on the family in the Vatican.

She will preach a sermon on John 20:1-18, “Encountering Mary Magdalene: From Outcast to Apostle of Apostles,” in Hodges Chapel on Tuesday, March 19, during the school’s weekly community worship service. Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, March 20-21, she will present a two-lecture series entitled, “The Challenges of Translating the Bible Today: Does Translating Mean Betraying?” Both lectures will be held in Divinity N-101.

Duval-Poujol makes her home in the South of France, in “La Camargue” near Montpellier, with her husband, who is a Baptist pastor, and their son.

“Dr. Duval-Poujol is a wonderful scholar and a deeply committed evangelical Christian,” said Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity. “She has a great desire to see the Holy Scriptures translated and widely read by God’s people everywhere.” 

The Biblical Studies Lectures are one of the divinity school’s three annual lectureships and are held to enrich the spiritual life of our community and to enhance the educational experience of Beeson students. Guest speakers committed to the proclamation of the Holy Scripture are chosen because they pursue their study of the Bible with the utmost academic rigor and integrity. Their scholarship serves as an example of the faithful and diligent attention to the study of Scripture that Beeson hopes to instill in its students.

These lectures are free and open to the public.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.