Organized by the Research Group “Scriptures and Theology” of that university, the Symposium aimed to revisit the traditional notion of inspiration within the scope of a broad theological reflection that takes into account the challenges of biblical criticism and contemporary hermeneutics. What does it mean to speak of an inspired text when manuscript evidence reveals that it is fluid, and when historical criticism shows that it contradicts itself or is fictitious? Is there "theology" in the Bible, despite its interior plurality? Should the reception of the biblical text be considered an integral part of the revelation and/or inspirational process? These questions were raised not only in relation to Christianity, but also in relation to Judaism and Islam.
The Symposium had the contribution of speakers specialized in the subject from different perspectives: Benjamin Sommer (The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York), Emmanuel Durand (Université de Fribourg), Konrad Schmid (Universität Zürich) and Mark Elliott (Wycliffe College, Toronto) and UCLouvain professors Benoît Bourgine, Matthieu Richelle, Mehdi Azaiez and Régis Burnet. Several other researchers in the research group offered thematic contributions.
In addition to the responsibility of co-organization, Pedro Valinho Gomes also presented, with three other researchers, the communication entitled “The Breath of Scripture. Can there be inspiration without expiration?”.