Students will understand and evaluate various models for how the Church negotiates its position vis-à-vis those deemed outside the community. This course will utilize the methods of the social sciences, including, social-identity theory and social psychology, for the purposes of better understanding how the early Church addressed its own distinctives in diverse cultures and contexts. This will be done for the purpose of translating the earliest practices into the contemporary Church in its worldwide diversity. Student evaluation will include reading, lectures, discussion forums, an essay, an exam, and a service project.

Traces the religious and political developments concerning Jews in antiquity by focusing on the inter-testamental period. Special emphasis is laid on Hellenistic culture and Roman administration, as they come to inform and influence the political and religious arenas in the period of the Second Temple Judaism. The original sources are drawn from religious as well as secular texts from the period, including Jewish authors, such as Philo and Josephus, and other non-Jewish historical writings, such as Tacitus and others.

Examines the varied relations between Jews and Christians from antiquity to the present, focusing on the ways in which Jews and Christians have thought about and represented the other, and the issues that have divided the two communities. We will trace the origins of Christian anti-Judaism and examine how theology, culture, politics, and economics contributed to the formation of anti-semitism in the ancient, medieval and modern periods. We will also study how Jews have understood Christianity and responded to Christian claims about Jews and Judaism.

Covers the development of ancient Greek and Roman religions from their inception to the rise of Christianity in the first century. The student will examine the continuity between Greek religion and Roman religion, as well as the rise of the imperial cult after the end of the republican regime, and the incorporation of oriental cults into the framework of Roman society and religious practices.

Will examine the interaction between Jesus’ ministry and the Roman imperial context to learn how churches today can understand and practice mission. Students will explore imperial themes and patterns of dominion, economics, and cultural conformity, and gain insight for interpreting 21st century systems and relationships. Students will be engage in analytical discussions, research papers, and class presentations.

Focuses on religious art in the Judeo-Christian tradition, including ancient Jewish and early Christian art, as well as tracing the later developments of Christian art through the ages. The student will explore and evaluate the issues of debate and controversy regarding religious art in the monotheistic traditions of Judaism and Christianity, such as the iconoclastic conflict and the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787. The distinct eastern and western traditions that emerge in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions will be highlighted, as well as the effect of the Protestant Reformers on Christian art in the West.