The Parting of the Ways?: Questioning Jewish/Christian Difference

Catalog description

How did a small apocalyptic Jewish movement from the backwaters of the Roman Empire turn into something that “we” might call Christianity? In other words, how and when did Judaism and Christianity “part ways?” While such questions might present themselves as straight-forward investigations into a historical event, they are not, in fact, as innocent as they might first appear. In this course, we will not seek to answer the question of the “Parting of the Ways” as much as we will critique it. Our aim is to reframe this crucial question by reflecting on the categories of religion, conversion, origins, narrative, and history, among others. We will read through a wide variety of ancient literature (including canonical and non-canonical Christian texts, rabbinic literature, Jewish poetry) and broach modern forms of “Jewish Christianity.”