Reading St. Paul in Greece

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course is a collaboration with the Department of Theology & Religious Studies and is open to all undergraduate students in the sophomore, junior, and senior classes. This course studies the urban character of the missionary activity of the apostle Paul in the Eastern Roman Empire with an emphasis on Greece. The first seven weeks of the course will focus on the letters that Paul wrote to the communities he established in Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Philippi. Using historical–critical methods, the course will situate Paul’s letters in the historical, social, and religious contexts in which they were composed. This will prepare students for the immersion experience during spring break, where we will follow in the footsteps of St. Paul. Thus, a close reading of his letters and related other material is essential for gaining sufficient knowledge of Paul and his associates, as well as of the people to whom he was preaching in the Greek cities that we will visit.