Along with the Bible and the Talmud, The Zohar was one of the pillars of medieval Judaism. Unlike those earlier works, however, The Zohar (or “The Splendor”) purports to provide a mystical path to God. This class will read and discuss portions of The Zohar, in order to both learn about Kabbalah and about the connections between this and the other pillars of Judaism. No prior knowledge or experience of any kind is required. Continue reading
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Although “Christianity” is often thought to have been part of God’s plan from the beginning of time, the historical emergence of religions centered on Jesus Christ looks in hindsight to have been anything but foreordained. On the contrary, the emergence of “Christian Judaism” and its transformation into “Jewish Christianity” and beyond entailed several hundred years of creative and contentious development by a number of schools of proto-Christian thought. In this course, we will examine the formation of what we know today as Christianity through a close reading of early Christian texts — some of which made it into the victors’ New Testament and some of which did not. Continue reading
Although 27 books were included in the fourth century anthology known as the New Testament, early Christians produced a great many more books considered sacred by various communities. Among these other books were additional gospels, acts of the apostles, epistles and apocalypses. In this course, we will read and discuss a selection of the surviving “lost books” that did not make it into the Bible (as well as several of the canonical books that did) in order to get a sense of the works themselves, the similarities and differences among them and between them and the canonical works, and of the process that led to the creation of the Christian canon. Continue reading
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This course will provide a brief introduction to one of the most important — and yet one of the least accessible and least read — texts of the Jewish tradition. After a brief overview of the origin and history of this monumental work, the course will focus on reading and discussing a few important sections and considering their connection with the Hebrew Bible. No background knowledge of any kind is required. Continue reading
Despite the traditional belief that it has remained unchanged since its fundamental principles were given to Moses at Mt.Sinai, what is today known as Judaism is the product of several thousand years of evolution. During this time a number of distinct “Judaisms” have come into being, some of which (including “Christianity”) survive until this day. Beginning in ancient times and concluding in the present, this course will survey the development of these various forms and the people associated with them by examining a range of primary and secondary sources. The course will consist of both lectures and class discussions. In addition, students will be required to write three short papers on assigned topics and to make a presentation related to the themes of the course. Continue reading
Despite our habit of talking about it in the singular, “the Bible” is an anthology of many books from different times and places. But not every book that could have made it into the Bible did so. This lecture will survey the processes by which the biblical anthology was put together and explore some of the books that were left “on the cutting room floor.” Continue reading
Although discovered in the late 1940s, the Dead Sea Scrolls — a collection of Judaic texts dating from roughly 200 BCE to 100 CE — have only recently become fully available to scholars and the public. In this course, we will explore these ancient documents both by reading a selection of them (as well as secondary texts that put them in context) and by comparing them to traditional biblical texts from the same era. In addition to seeking an appreciation of the scrolls themselves, we will also seek greater understanding of various strands of thought current at the dawn of both rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. No prior knowledge or experience of any kind is required. Continue reading