EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

 

 

CONSTITUTION

 

 

 

   I.  Preamble

 

There shall be a professional body known as the European Association of Biblical Studies (abbreviated EABS), covering the whole of Europe but open to membership from anyone with scholarly interests, regardless of nationality or place of residence.

 

 

  II.  Functions

 

1) To promote the cause of Biblical Studies and related areas (e.g., ancient Near Eastern studies, Jewish studies, Semitic philology) in Europe.

      

2) To receive and circulate information for the benefit of members.

 

3) To encourage and advise co-operative initiatives among related regional, national, and international organizations, as well as individual EABS members.

 

4) To foster the development of younger scholars and provide a context that allows and encourages their participation in scholarship, discussion, and debate.

 

5) To undertake such other collective representation or action as the Committee or the Association shall from time to time determine.

 

 

 III.  Membership

 

Anyone with an interest in biblical studies or related areas shall be entitled to apply for membership in the Association.  Nationality or place of residence shall not be a criterion for membership.  Election to membership shall be by the Committee, with the advice of members of the Association.

 

 

  IV.  Meetings

 

1) The Association shall meet at least once a year.

 

2) Each member present shall be entitled to one vote at meetings.

 

3) The Committee, or the President acting on its behalf, shall call meetings as they are required, but four weeksÕ notice shall normally be given for a meeting.

 

4) An annual business meeting shall normally take place at the annual conference of the EABS.  The annual general meeting is the chief decision-making body of the Association.

 

5) A meeting shall be deemed properly consituted when it is called by the Committee and has the attendance of at least twenty-five members.

 

6) Except for amendments to the Constitution, voting issues shall be settled by a majority vote at a meeting.

 

7) Business for a meeting shall normally be delivered to the Committee no less than four weeks before the meeting in which it is to be considered.

 

 

   V.  Officers and the Secretariat

 

 1) The Association shall have five officers: a President, an Executive Officer, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and an Information Officer.

 

 2)  The President shall give overall direction to the activities of the Association and preside at any meetings of the Association.

 

 3) The Executive Officer, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Information Officer shall make up the Secretariat which shall have the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the AssociationÕs businesss.  It is expected that the Executive Officer will take the lead in this partnership.

 

 4) The President and Secretariat shall make up the Committee which shall have the task of planning and calling meetings, producing and circulating agendas and minutes of meetings and an annual statement of accounts, and circulating such other information that it deems useful or appropriate.  The Committee may co-opt up to three additional individuals to assist in its business.

 

 5) The Committee, or the President acting on its behalf, shall call for nominations for the President and other Committee members.  Voting shall be by a show of hands at the business meeting.

 

 6) The Committee shall normally put forward a recommended candidate for President.  Any candidate for President is expected to be a recognized and respected scholar of experience and stature in biblical studies or a related area.  Nominations of other candidates will also be permitted in the business meeting.  The President shall normally serve one three-year term of office; only in exceptional circumstances shall there be a re-election for a second term of office.  However, the President may be elected from among past or currently serving Secretariat members.  Upon completion of the term of office the President shall be an ex officio member of the Committee for one further year.

 

 7) The other officers shall be elected for a five-year term of office.  No Committee member shall serve more than two terms consecutively (with the exception of the President in the circumstances noted above).

 

 8) The President and Committee members shall normally serve their terms from annual meeting to annual meeting (normally August to August).

 

 9) The Association shall have the power to appoint further sub-committees or individuals for specific projects from among the membership of the EABS.

 

10) The EABS website shall be the normal means of communication with members.

 

11) For purposes of communication between the Committee and the membership, English shall be the official language (see also IX 2 below).

 

 

  VI.  Dues

 

There shall be an annual subscription which shall be determined by the Association from time to time.

 

 

 VII.  Amendments to the Constitution

 

The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of an Association meeting, provided that four weeks` notice has been given about proposed changes.

 

 

VIII.  Review

 

The Association shall review its role at least every five years.  Included in that review shall be the question of whether the Association still has a useful role to play.

 

 

  IX.  The Annual Conference

 

 1) The EABS shall normally organize an annual conference to promote biblical studies in Europe.  The Committee shall solicit invitations from interested institutions, cities, and individuals and shall work with the local conference office and a local EABS liaison individual in organizing the details of the conference.

 

 2) The core of the conference shall be sessions or seminars organized by the participants themselves.  The Association shall encourage a variety of formats.  Contributions and discussions shall be in any languages deemed appropriate by the session organizers.

 

 3) The Secretariat shall issue a call for session proposals and shall encourage interested individuals to organize individual sessions or seminars.  Members may also propose individual papers, for which the Secretariat shall endeavour to organize sessions but without any compulsion to do so.  The Committee shall have final say over admission of a session, seminar, or individual paper to the conference programme.

 

 

Draft September 2004