Angels and Demons: Past and Present

Catalog description

What are angels and demons, what roles do they play in religious thought, and how do their roles change or remain consistent over time? These are only a few of the questions this course seeks to address. Texts to be considered include the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic literature, the Kabbalah, records of the Salem Witch Trials, Milton’s Paradise Lost, Goethe’s Faust, the Book of Mormon, contemporary Evangelical literature and New Age writings, and representations of angels and demons in film and television. No prior knowledge of the Bible, Judaism or Christianity is assumed.