The Rothberg International School (RIS) was proud to announce the opening of a new study track, “Judaism and Christianity in Late Antiquity,” in the Autumn of 2011. This program focuses on the context and evolution of early Christianity and will draw courses from the Undergraduate and Graduate Divisions of the RIS as well as other departments of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Areas of study will include:
1. The Socio-Historical Context of Early Christianity (Hebrew Language, History of Late Antiquity, Archaeology of the Holy Land)
2. Bible (Biblical and Extra-Biblical Literature)
3. Judaica (Jewish Thought and Practice, Rabbinic Literature)
4. Christianica (Patristics, Christian Thought and Practice)
5. Jewish-Christian Relations during the Medieval/Modern Periods
Program
Students may come for an autumn semester, a spring semester or the entire academic year.
Students take a four-week intensive Hebrew language course (Ulpan) before the beginning of their first semester. Autumn students may take two such sessions for a total of 200 hours. Each session awards 5 credits.
During the semester, students will take a minimum of 15 credits including the following:
Hebrew language (6-7 credits)
3-4 courses in the areas listed above (9-12 credits)
Additional Components:
Students will also receive a package of extracurricular activities, counseling services and medical coverage. A special program advisor will assist students in their social and academic acclimation.
Undergraduate Course List for 2012-13
(Additional courses are offered by the Graduate Division)
1. The Socio-Historical Context of Early Christianity
Modern Hebrew
Archaeology of Jerusalem (offered in both Autumn & Spring)
Biblical Archaeology: Did the Monarchy of David and Solomon Really Exist? (Autumn)
Introduction to Roman-Byzantine Archaeology (Spring)
The Emergence of Biblical Israel (Spring)
Conflict and Compromise: Jews in the Greco-Roman World in the Second Temple Period (Autumn)
Hope and Change: Jews, Judaism and Society in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (Spring)
Jerusalem's Architectural Heritage; A Tale of a City and Its Buildings (Spring)
Introduction to the Cultural History of Jerusalem (Spring)
2. Bible
The Battle Over the Bible: The Bible in the Eyes of Jews, Christians and Muslims (Autumn)
Genesis and its Ancient Interpreters (Spring)
Identity and Politics in the Bible (Spring)
The Jewish Life Cycle in Art (Spring)
3. Judaica
The Evolution of Jewish Philosophy: From Saadia Gaon to Maimonides(Autumn)
Culture of Conflict: The World of the Talmud (Autumn)
The Jewish Philosophy of Maimonides (Spring)
Critical Readings in the Classical Literature of the Talmud (Autumn)
Issues in Contemporary Halacha (Jewish Law) (Spring)
4. Christianica
Early Church History: From the 1st to the 5th Century (Autumn)
From Jewish Jesus to Christianity (Autumn)
Christians and Jews in Late Antiquity: Amid the Battling Empires (Spring)
5. Jewish-Christian Relations during the Medieval/Modern Periods
Continuity and Change in Modern Jewish History (Autumn)
Issues in the Study of the Holocaust (Autumn)
Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust (Autumn)
Jewish–Non-Jewish Relations and Rescue during the Holocaust (Spring)
