NES 1920

FWS: Pagans, Jews, Christians, and Muslims: Being Religious in Late Antiquity

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2014-2015 Catalog.

This class will explore the ways that people in the late ancient world of the Near East were  "religious," focusing especially upon the ways in which monotheistic religious communities and identities were created and maintained through a variety of religious rhetorics and practices. We will explore the category of "religion," what was involved in this category in the ancient world, and what it meant to be a pagan, Jew, Christian, and/or Muslim in the late ancient Near Eastern context(s). Our sources will include primary sources from the ancient world, including (amongst many others) the Hebrew Bible, the Greek New Testament, and the Arabic Qur'an; modern academic research and theory; as well as archaeological evidence. These tools will allow us to see that "religions" in the late ancient world were complicated, dynamic, interconnected systems: thus providing us a fascinating set of case studies for the exploration of the ever-changing nature of religious definitions and practices.

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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