JBU to Host Paul Trebilco for 19th Abila Lecture

SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (Feb. 3, 2026) - John Brown University's "Abila Lecture in Biblical Archaeology" series is pleased to welcome Paul Trebilco, Ph.D., to campus for its 19th lecture.

Trebilco will present "New Insights into Christianity in Ephesus" on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Ozarks. This lecture will provide attendees with the fascinating archaeological evidence of the Cemetery of the Seven Sleepers and the Cave of Paul and Thecla.

Trebilco is professor of New Testament studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand. From 2013-2017, he was the general editor of the Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, published by Cambridge University Press. In 2017, Trebilco was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

He has published work on the Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds of the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Paul, Early Christians in Ephesus, the relationship of scripture and church tradition, and the self-designations used by the earliest Christians in the New Testament.

"Dr. Paul Trebilco is eminently qualified to give our lecture this year. He is a specialist in the New Testament and Early Judaism and has published extensively on the material cultural and literary world of Early Christianity, especially in Ephesus," said Dave Vila, Ph.D., director of the Abila Archaeological Project and JBU distinguished professor of religion and philosophy. "His lecture on the early Christian account of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus and the Cave Church of Paul and Thecla is sure to be both interesting and informative. I'm so very happy that Dr. Trebilco is able to join us this spring at John Brown University."

Vila said the purpose of the "Abila Lecture in Biblical Archaeology" series is to connect both the JBU community and the broader community in Northwest Arkansas with the best and latest in the archaeology of the biblical and Early Christian worlds.

The biannual lecture series promotes the understanding of archaeology and history of the biblical world. Lectures in the fall semester typically focus on the Old Testament and its world, while lectures in the spring semester focus on the world of the New Testament and Early Christianity. The series is funded by donors to JBU's Abila Archaeological Project, which excavates in Northern Jordan at Abila of the Decapolis. The project started in 1980 and was adopted by JBU in 2013.

The lecture is free and open to the public, and JBU invites students, faculty and community members to attend.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas' top-ranked regional university (U.S. News) and No. 2 private university (The Wall Street Journal), JBU enrolls more than 2,500 students from 34 states and 43 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers over 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including business, nursing, visual arts, engineering, teacher education, psychology, computer science, construction management, graphic design, family and human services, and engineering. Twelve graduate degrees are available in business, counseling and cybersecurity.

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