GREENEVILLE – Dr. Joel Van Amberg, professor of history and chairman of Tusculum University’s Department of History, Museum Studies and Religion, will deliver a special presentation on the Renaissance and Reformation at the prestigious Cicero Lecture Series.
Dr. Joel Van Amberg
The informative presentation, a longtime tradition on the Tusculum campus, will take place Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. in the Meen Center lecture hall. The title of the lecture is “Themes of Renewal, Restoration and Rebirth in the Renaissance and Reformation.” The event is part of Tusculum Acts, Arts, Academia’s diverse Performance and Lecture Series for the 2019-20 school year.
“Dr. Van Amberg is an exceptional professor, scholar and leader at Tusculum, and his lecture will enrich our guests’ understanding about a pivotal period in European history,” said Wayne Thomas, dean of the university’s College of Civic and Liberal Arts. “He is highly respected within his profession, and everyone in the audience will quickly observe his extensive knowledge. We will experience a stimulating evening, and I strongly encourage the community not to miss this wonderful opportunity.”
The lecture’s namesake, Cicero, was a Roman statesman, lawyer, teacher and orator. He established an academy at the former Roman town of Tusculum, where he outlined principles of civic virtue in a republic to vote, volunteer, serve the community above oneself and work to achieve excellence. His principles serve as the inspiration for Tusculum University’s focus on civic engagement, a key part of the institution’s mission statement.
Previewing his lecture, Dr. Van Amberg describes the 15th and 16th centuries as transitional for Europe. During his presentation, he will examine how Europeans held deep feelings of yearning and affinity and sought to restore the best of their ancient past. He said they hoped that would lead to the birth of a new Europe to meet that period’s challenges.
“The political, economic, and intellectual structures of the Middle Ages seemed increasingly ill-suited to accommodate the new realities with which Europeans were grappling,” Dr. Van Amberg said. “However, the contours of a new arrangement, one that we will come to call Modernity, was not yet in view. To think their way forward, Europeans who were associated with the age’s two great movements, the Renaissance and the Reformation, reached backward.”
Dr. Van Amberg has served as a Tusculum professor since 2005. He has served as chairman of history since 2006 and was entrusted with oversight of museum studies and religion in 2012 and 2018, respectively.
He is a historian of 16th century Europe and the author of “A Real Presence: Religious and Social Dynamics of the Eucharistic Conflicts in Early Modern Augsburg 1520-1530.” He delivered the lectures for Tusculum’s Theologian-In-Residence series in 2018 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Bowdoin College, a Master of Arts in church history from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a doctorate in European history from 800-1648 from the University of Arizona.
“I am honored to be selected to deliver this important lecture and carry on the tradition of the Cicero Lecture Series,” Dr. Van Amberg said. “History is a fascinating subject, and the period in Europe we will discuss holds many key moments people have studied during their education. The dialogue the audience and I will have will provide a thoroughly enjoyable evening for everyone.”
Tickets are $10 for anyone older than 12 and $5 for everyone else. Tickets can be reserved by calling Tusculum Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620 or emailing Jennifer Hollowell at jhollowell@tusculum.edu. Those who choose that option will pick up and pay for tickets at the door. Those who do not reserve tickets can still purchase them at the door. Payment is by cash or check only. The box office will open an hour before the lecture.
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.