Course Description
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Title? It strikes me that this is not really a “dialogue” class – as you pointed out today, we probably will not have enough Jewish students to generate real interfaith dialogue. And the focus – at least as we’ve discussed it so far – is not symmetrical. Perhaps it is a class that tries to help students imagine a Christianity that does not depend on anti-Judaism. But what would it be called? Or: do we want to strive (in planning and recruiting) for a class that is more symmetrical, more dialogical? I think we can do that, if we set our minds to it and work with Jewish Studies to make it happen. [I’d see an aims paragraph here, once we clarify the questions from the above graf] The class begins with a recognition that much of the anti-Jewish activity of VDS students is done without conscious intention. Students and alumni do not want to be anti-Jewish, and they often do not think of themselves as such. But there are critical gaps between intentions and consequences, gaps that parallel disjunctions between learning in classrooms and practice in other spheres of life. This class seeks to close some of those gaps. In particular, the class asks students to engage academic work from many disciplines in relation to the various kinds of religious leadership in which VDS graduates often find themselves. In particular, the class asks students to do five kinds of writing: • a personal reflection paper • a sermon or a lesson plan for Bible study • a very short academic paper • a film review for a broad public readership • an analysis of -- and plan for action in relation to -- some contemporary situation OR a long academic paper. Possible texts Scott Bader-Saye, The Church and Israel after Christendom: The Politics of Election (Wipf & Stock, 2005). Alain Badiou, Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2003). Mary C. Boys, Has God Only One Blessing? Judaism as a Source of Christian Self- Understanding (New York: Paulist Press, 2000) Mary C. Boys (ed.), Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity’s Sacred Obligation (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005) James Carroll, Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001). Jeremy Cohen (ed.), Essential Papers on Judaism and Christianity in Conflict: From Late Antiquity to the Reformation (NYU, 1991) Naomi W. Cohen (ed.), Essential Papers on Jewish-Christian Relations in the United States: Imagery and Reality (SUNY, 1990). Frank E. Eakin, Jr. What Price Prejudice? Christian AntiSemitism in America (New York: Paulist Press, 1998). Eugene Fisher (ed.), Interwoven Destinies: Jews and Christians Through the Ages (New York: Paulist Press, 1993). David F. Ford and C. C. Pecknold, eds. The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning (Directions in Modern Theology) (New York: WileyBlackwell, 2006). Tikva Frymer-Kensky et al., Christianity in Jewish Terms (Westview Press, 2002) Michael Goldberg, Jews and Christians: Getting Our Stories Straight, the Exodus and the Passion - Resurrection (Trinity Press International, 1991) ISBN 1563380048 Irving Greenberg, For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter between Judaism and Christianity Susannah Heschel, The Aryan Jesus. Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany (Princeton University Press, 2008) Marc Hirshman, A Rivalry of Genius: Jewish and Christian Biblical Interpretation in Late Antiquity (SUNY, 1996) Jacob Katz, Exclusiveness and Tolerance: Studies in Jewish-Gentile Relations in Medieval and Modern Times (Behrman House, 1961) Pinchas Lapide and Jurgen Moltmann, Jewish Monotheism and Christian Trinitarian Doctrine. Translated by Leonard Swidler (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1981) Amy-Jill Levine, The Misunderstood Jew (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006). Ora Limor and Guy G. Stroumsa (eds.), Contra Iudaeos: Ancient and Medieval Polemics between Christians and Jews, ed. Limor and Stroumsa (Leiden: Brill, 1996). Hyam Maccoby, Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1982, rpt. 1996). David Novak, Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification Adele Reinhartz, Befriending the Beloved Disciple: A Jewish reading of the Gospel of John. Fritz Rothschild (ed.), Jewish Perspectives on Christianity: Leo Baeck, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Will Herberg, and Abraham Heschel (Crossroads 1990) Michael A. Signer (ed.), Humanity at the Limit: The Impact of the Holocaust Experience on Jews and Christians (Indiana University Press, 2000). Ariel Yaakov, Evangelizing the Chosen People: Missions to the Jews in America, 1880-2000 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000). John Howard Yoder, The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited (Eerdmans, 2003). Schedule 1. Introductions August 25 – Introduction On the gap between intention and consequence The syllabus A working vocabulary August 27 – Motives for dialogue Mary C. Boys (ed.), Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity’s Sacred Obligation David Novak, Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification Assignment 1 is due on September 1. Writing: Each student should write a short (2-3 page) reflection paper considering at least these four questions: what are my motives in taking this class? what kinds of things are not my motives? what kinds of things will my motives help me see, do and hear? and what sorts of “blind spots” might they create? 2. Section title September 1 – First Century Judaism and Jewish Messianic Expectations September 3 – Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets The Gospel of Matthew September 8 – Children of the Devil The Gospel of John September 10 – The Passion Screening outside of class: “The Passion of the Christ” Amy-Jill Levine, “Take the Log Out of Your Eye…” In Miramax: Perspectives on the Passion of the Christ: Religious Thinkers and Writers Explore the Issues Raised by the Controversial Movie (New York: Miramax, 2004). September 15 – Paul and after: Gospel and Law, Universal and Particular Galatians Romans 9-11 Alain Badiou, Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism (selections) September 17 – Hebrews and Supersessionism September 22 – Early Christian uses of the “Old Testament” Assignment 2 Reading: Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, Notes on the Correct Way to Present Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Teaching in the Roman Catholic Church. http://www.ccju.org/ccju_notes_corrrect.htm U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, God’s Mercy Endures Forever: Guidelines on the Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching (Washington, DC: USCC, 1988.) (ISBN: 1-55586-247-0) Writing: Each student should prepare one sermon or bible study on a passage that the student judges to be at high risk for use in anti-Jewish ways. Students should turn in their sermons and bible studies at the beginning of class on Sept. 24. 3. Section title Assignment 3 will be due throughout this section of the course. Writing: Each student will write a 5-7 page academic paper analyzing one of the primary sources featured in this section. The paper should attend to the historical situation of the author, the rhetoric of the text itself, and the history of the text’s reception. The essays will be due at the beginning of class on the day the primary text is considered in class. September 24 -- Adversos Ioudaios Literature Epistle of Barnabas John Chrysostom, Sermons I. (recommended II-VI): http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/chrysostom-jews6.html Melito of Sardis Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 1-29 (http://ccel.wheaton.edu/fathers2/ANF-01/anf01-48.htm#P4043_787325) September 29 – Augustine Guest lecture by Prof. Patout Burns October 1 – Disputation “Jewish-Christian Polemics," The Encyclopedia of Religion 11: 389-395. Daniel J. Lasker, Jewish Philosophical Polemics against Christianity in the Middle Ages, pp. 45-51, 93-125, 134. David Berger, "The Barcelona Disputation: A Review Essay." AJS Review: 20 (1995): 379-388 Hyam Maccoby, Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages (Littman Library, 1982, rpt. 1996) – Barcelona, Paris, and Tortosa – Jewish and Christian accounts. Ecclesia and Synagoga (art) Toldot Yeshu (The History of Jesus) and other Jewish texts: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/JewishJesus/toledoth.html October 6 – Blood libels, massacres, and crusades. Jewish Crusades Chronicles: Soloman bar Samson: The Crusaders in Mainz, May 27, 1096 http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1096jews-mainz.html Ephraim of Bonn on the York Massacre (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ephr-bonn1.html) On the blood libel cult around Anderl von Rinn (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rinn.html) William of Norwich: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1173williamnorwich.html Massacre at Blois: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1171blois.html “Jews in Medieval Sermon Stories, ” Ch. 4 of Joan Young Gregg, Devils Women and Jews: Reflections of the Other in Medieval Sermon Stories (SUNY, 1997), 169-233. October 8 – Protestant Reformations Martin Luther, “On the Jews and Their Lies” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/luther-jews.html John Calvin, from the commentary on Romans Anabaptist sources October 13 – Christians through Jewish eyes Jewish accounts of Christianity from the Reformation era October 15 – Early modern developments John Wesley The “Jewish Question” and the rise of the modern state Wendy Brown, Regulating Aversion, ch. 3, “Tolerance as Supplement: The ‘Jewish Question” and the “Woman Question” 4. Section title October 20 – The Shoah October 22 – Revisiting the saints Susannah Heschel, The Aryan Jesus (chapter on the confessing church) James Carroll, Constantine’s Sword (chapter on the monks of Maria Laach) Screening out of class: “Weapons of the Spirit” (on Le Chambon-sur-Lignon) October 27 – Speaking of the unspeakable: The Shoah in contemporary memory Politics: Liturgy: John T. Pawlikowski “Liturgy and the Holocaust: How do we worship in an Age of Genocide” in Donald J. Dietrich (ed.), Christian responses to the Holocaust: moral and ethical issues, Syracuse 2003, 168-176 Assignment 4 is due at the beginning of class on October 29. Writing: Film has become one of the primary media through which people in the United States engage memories of the Shoah.