How Religions are Born: The Origins of Judaism and Christianity

3 credits · Undergraduate credit

Together in this course, we will explore how Judaism and Christianity formed within the context of the Ancient Mediterranean world. Surveying the period of history that spans from the Maccabees (2nd century BCE) to the rise of Muhammad (7th century CE), we will ask: When do "Judaism" and "Christianity" emerge as religions with a self-defined identities? What attitudes did Jews and Christians develop toward one another as they sought to differentiate, and how did those attitudes sometimes translate into harsh rhetoric about the other?