Concordia College

Religion 329

Christians and Jews: Tradition and Conflict 

Office Hours: 
 Monday and Wednesday 10:30-11:40 
 Tuesday and Thursday 1:00-2:00 
 Telephone: (office) 3425 
 e-mail: aageson@cord.edu 
 and by appointment 

Description: 

The focus of this course is the relationship between Christians and Jews. It is designed to explore this relationship from a variety of perspectives. The methodological tools associated with the modern study of social history, literature, and religion will be applied to the study of these two historic communities and their respective religious traditions. Students in this course will be exposed to their own tradition (in most cases Christianity), but will be expected to investigate the other tradition (in most cases Judaism) as well. Because Christianity and Judaism are so closely related, the subtle and formative 
relationship between them is often obscured or distorted. By understanding more clearly the nature of their own tradition, students will be better equipped to comprehend the complex, and often tragic, relationship between these two religions and their respective communities. This course will familiarize students with the relationship between Judaism and emerging Christianity within the pages of the New Testament and also explore representative "turning points" in the history of that relationship: e.g. early centuries of the church, Reformation, holocaust, and modern Jewish Christian dialogue. 

Objectives: 

1) to develop an appreciation for the way early Christian theology reflected and contributed to the animosity between Jews and Christians (also consider Jewish responses to Christians and Christianity). 

2) to help students make a connection between the origin and formation of Christianity and at least one example of anti Judaism drawn from the history of the Jewish people. 

3) to assist students in developing an appreciation for the connection between Judaism and Christianity today. 

4) to enhance student's moral and ethical sensibilities regarding the relationship between a theology and the consequences of that theology, especially with respect to Christian theology and Judaism. 

Course Books (common texts): 

1) Walter Harrelson & Randall Falk--Jews & Christians: A Troubled Family 
2) Jacob Neusner --A Rabbi Talks with Jesus 
3) Leo Trepp--Judaism: Development and Life 
 Course Requirements: 

1) Abstracts and Discussion Guides 
 (30% total). 

2) Three examinations (20% each). 

3) Class attendance and participation in the common investigation 
 of the class (10%). 

4) Read the common course books. 

Course Outline: 

Week 1 :  August 30 
    Introduction to the Course 

Week 2:  September 4 & 6 
  The Rabbi and Jesus: A Dialogue 
   Read: Neusner, pp. xi-57 

Week 3:  September 11 & 13 
   The Rabbi and Jesus: A Dialogue 
    Read: Neusner, pp. 58-154 

Week 4:  September 18 & 20 
 The Rabbi and Jesus: A Dialogue 
  Return Take-Home Exam September 20 

Week 5:  September 27 
 The Jews and the Fabric of Judaism 
               Read: Trepp,  pp. 1-35 

Week 6:  October 2 & 4 
 The Impact of Christianity and Judaism in the Middle Ages 
 Read: Trepp,  pp.  36-93 (Justin Martyr, “Dialog with Trypho” & Martin Luther, “On the 
 Jews and Their Lies”) 

Week 7:  October 9 & 11
 Tanakh and Oral Torah 
 Read: Trepp,  pp. 224-275

Week 8:  October 16 & 18 
 God, Humanity, and Eternity 
 Read: Trepp,  pp. 276-312 

Week 9:  October 25 
 Life as Mitzvah 
 Read: Trepp,  pp. 323-377 

Week 10:  October 30 & November 1 
   Life as Mitzvah 
   Read Trepp,  pp. 378-410 

Week 11:  November 6 & 8 
   Life as Mitzvah 
  Return Take-Home Exam November 8 

Week 12:  November 13 & 15 
    How We View Each Other 
    Read: Harrelson/Falk, pp. 9-51 

Week 13:  November 20--No Class 

Week 14:  November 27 & 29 
   Scripture, God, and Jesus 
   Read: Harrelson/Falk, pp. 53-124 

Week 15:  December 4  & 6 
    Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust 
    Read:  Harrelson/Falk, pp. 127-142, Trepp. pp. 177-185 
    View: “Triumph of the Human Spirit” TBA 

Week 16:  December 11 & 13 
    The State of Israel 
    Read: Harrelson/Falk, pp. 145-166, Trepp, pp. 157-176 

Finals Week: 
     Return Take-Home Exam at the Time of the Scheduled Final Exam 

Abstracts and Discussion Guides: 

For each chapter or major section of the assigned readings, a member of the seminar will be assigned to write a 400-500 word abstract and discussion guide. These will include two parts: 1) a clearly  written abstract of the content of the assigned reading, and 2) a paragraph raising questions of interest for discussion by the seminar. These abstracts and discussion guides shall be duplicated and handed out to the other members of the seminar who shall keep them as study aids for the take-home exams. These shall be well written, referenced as necessary, typed, and double spaced. They are due the day of the seminar discussion on the material. In addition, the student writing the abstract, along with the instructor,  will be responsible for leading the discussion.