Angels, Demons and Dreams in Ancient Judaism and Christianity

Catalog description

What did early Jews and Christians believe about angels, demons, and dreams? How did they understand heaven, hell, the afterlife, illness and healing, and the end of the world? The course introduces students to a broad range of writings (both within and outside of the Bible) that ancient Jews and Christians considered to be their inspired Scriptures in the late Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman eras (ca. 500 BCE-200 CE). We will utilize interdisciplinary methodologies from biblical studies to explore Jewish and Christian apocalypses, biblical retellings, magical texts, and other genres of literature, as well as archaeological artifacts and remains, as we weigh the evidence for early Jewish and Christian beliefs about the afterlife, heaven, hell, God, Satan, angels, illness and healing, dreams and visions, the soul, magic, revealed secrets, and the end time. A major unit will focus on what archaeology and an ancient library can tell us about the members of the Dead Sea Scrolls community and their struggles with Hellenistic and Roman cultures, which culminated in war. The course is ideal for any students interested in Biblical Studies, ancient Mediterranean studies, Classical Studies and mythology.