Tag Archives: Scripture

Abrahamic Notions of the Afterlife

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COURSES > CONGREGATION

Although many people assume that a concern with the afterlife is as old as religion itself, a careful reading of the oldest Abrahamic scriptures shows that this is not so.  Rather, a consideration of the possibility of an afterlife — and then finally a conviction in the ultimate reality of an afterlife — developed over time.  This course will trace the development of this idea by considering key passages from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Talmud and Qur’an, as well as other relevant literature. Continue reading →

(Cinematic) Visions of Christ

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COURSES > LIFELONG | COURSES > UNDERGRADUATE [→ ONLINE ARCHIVE MATERIAL]

Although the very first depictions of Jesus were textual, pictorial representations of him were not far behind. At the turn of the 20th century, Jesus rose on the silver screen, first as simple recordings of theatrical “passion plays” and then as full-blown features depicting a wide variety of “Jesuses”. This course introduces students to the range of textual and cinematic depictions of Jesus by a close examination of a number of canonical and non-canonical gospels as well as of a number of major “Jesus movies”. Continue reading →

One-Day Qur’an

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COURSES > LIFELONG [→ ONLINE ARCHIVE MATERIAL]

This seminar is an opportunity to consider the Qur’an in a relaxed yet focused environment. What exactly is this work and where did it come from? Who wrote it? What are the main ideas contained in it? This one-day course will discuss these and other questions through a hands-on introduction to, and an overview of, one of the cornerstones of Western civilization and the “Abrahamic religions.” No prior knowledge or experience of any kind is required, although completion of the advance readings is expected. The reading assignment will be posted online at least one month before the seminar date. Continue reading →

One-Day New Testament

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COURSES > LIFELONG [→ ONLINE ARCHIVE MATERIAL]

This seminar is an opportunity to consider the New Testament in a relaxed yet focused environment. What exactly is this work and where did it come from? Who wrote it? What are the main ideas contained in it? This one-day course will discuss these and other questions through a hands-on introduction to, and an overview of, one of the cornerstones of Western civilization and the “Abrahamic religions.” No prior knowledge or experience of any kind is required, although completion of the advance readings is expected. The reading assignment will be posted online at least one month before the seminar date. Continue reading →

“The Holy Trible”: Coordinated Readings from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Qur’an

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COURSES > LIFELONG | COURSES > ONLINE [→ ONLINE ARCHIVE MATERIAL]

From a literary perspective, the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur’an constitute an “Abrahamic scriptural trilogy” in which the later works build upon — and depend upon — the earlier works. Yet, although the paired “Old and New Testaments” are often read together (as “The Holy Bible”), the trilogy as a whole (which might be termed “The Holy Trible”) rarely is. This course will be devoted to the close reading and literary analysis of coordinated selections from all three of the major Abrahamic scriptures in an effort to better understand each of the works in its own right and in its relationships to the other two as well as the “Abrahamic scriptural trilogy” as a whole. No prior knowledge or experience of any kind is required. All readings and discussions will be in English. Continue reading →

“Even His Angels He Charges with Error”: The Hebrew Bible as a National Literature of Self-Castigation

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LECTURES > PREVIOUS

Although many ancient peoples created national literatures of self-glorification, the Israelites were perhaps unique in adding a large measure of self-castigation to theirs. The Hebrew Bible thus has something of a Tale of Two Cities stance toward the “chosen people” as both “the best” and “the worst” of peoples. This lecture will survey these themes in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as well as the ways they manifest themselves in the New Testament. Continue reading →

Books That Didn’t Make It into the Bible

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COURSES > UNDERGRADUATE

Although many people think of the Bible as containing all of the sacred literature of the Judeo-Christian tradition, many books of “scripture” that could have been included in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament were left out by the committees that put those anthologies together. In this seminar course we will examine a selection of such “lost” books (drawing from the Apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library) in order to better understand what was left out of the Bible as well as what was kept in and why. Students will be responsible for doing close, thoughtful reading of each assignment and actively participating in each class discussion. In addition, students will be asked to write several papers and to make a presentation related to the themes of the course. The second essay is to be revised based on class and instructor feedback. Continue reading →

The Book of Job and the Invention of Faith

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LECTURES > PREVIOUS

This lecture will explore how the Book of Job transforms the Hebrew Bible’s concept of God (from a large-but-finite and explicable deity to an infinite and fundamentally inexplicable one) and therefore, the proper behavior of both humans and God in the relationship they share and the possibility of a covenant between them. Continue reading →

Book of Job and the Invention of Faith

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COURSES > CONGREGATION [→ ONLINE ARCHIVE MATERIAL]

This course will explore how the Book of Job transforms the Hebrew Bible’s concept of God (from a large-but-finite and explicable deity to an infinite and fundamentally inexplicable one) and therefore, the proper behavior of both humans and God in the relationship they share and the possibility of a covenant between them. Continue reading →

East is East and West is West? The Bible as an ‘Asian Classic’

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LECTURES > PREVIOUS

Despite its Eastern origins, the Bible is widely accepted as a foundational text of Western civilization. This lecture will uncover the Eastern roots of a “Western” classic and challenge common misconceptions about the Bible. What are the underlying assumptions that cause people to think of the Bible as a “Western” work? What problems do these assumptions create when we seek to understand the Bible and other texts related to it, such as the Qur’an? This lecture is an opportunity to explore a familiar text from a fresh perspective. Continue reading →