Shadow of Empire: Jesus & Empire

Catalog description

TAUGHT BY PSR. Shadow of Empire: Jesus and Empire in the Gospels: The purpose of this course is to study the impact and influence of the Roman Empire on the New Testament texts. We will explore the intimate but often tense relationship between the gospel writers and the Roman Empire and its impact on the depictions of Jesus. Major textual issues and contemporary methods of studying and interpreting these texts will be introduced in this course. This class will also introduce lenses such as empire criticism, gender and sexuality, postcolonial theory to help read, interpret, and gain a better understanding of Jesus in these four gospels. This course is an upper level exegesis course which means that some familiarity with regards to the content and history of the text is assumed and as a result a pre-requisite is required for this course. [Faculty Consent required]