Joint Jewish-Christian-Muslim Religious Studies Programme:
A
Religious Mosaic in the
July 2 - August 5, 2008
“A
Religious Mosaic in the Holy Land” is a unique interfaith seminar that will
utilize the Galilee in the north of
The participants will
spend five weeks in the Holy Land studying the three great monotheistic
traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam (as well as other traditions which
are present in Israel), the history of these traditions, its connections to the
Land of Israel / Palestine and its relevance to Modern Israel and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Special attention will
be given to the challenge of religious leaders and educators in our days to
develop interfaith dialogues, both in
The program will be
composed of 150 academic hours, divided into four mini-seminars: the first
three will be devoted to the three Monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity
and Islam
The fourth part will
deal with
The emphasis of the
program will be placed firmly on activities and studies outside the lecture
halls. Therefore, the program will include study tours to major point of
interest in the
In addition the program
will include panel discussions and workshops where the students explore past
and present differences and points of dispute between these traditions and
discus possible ways to overcome current interfaith conflicts.
The summer programme is intended for graduate
students preferably, though not essential, who are in the process of studying
courses associated with Religious Studies. All participants must be fluent in
English.
Judaism:
The
Bible and the
·
The narrative of the Hebrew Bible and its
significance to all Monotheistic traditions.
·
The Prophets and Prophetic Literature, “Ethical
Monotheism” and its significance to all Monotheistic faiths
Biblical and Rabbinic
narratives of the Jewish people
·
Exodus and Covenant, the formation of the Hebrew
people, The Idea of Israel’s divine election and of Jewish solitude.
·
“The
·
·
Jewish & Christian Messianism, the Galilee and
Jewish zealots in the Roman era, the destruction of
·
The narrative of “Sin and Exile” and its role in
the formation of Jewish identity, “Tisha Be’Av” tradition
Rabbinic Judaism,
Dilemmas of Modernity and Zionism
·
Rabbinic Judaism and its formation in Jabne and
later on in the Galilee (Usha, Shefaram, Beit-Shearim, Zippori, Tiberia and
other
·
Jewish Law and hallachic literature, the formation
of Talmudic literature (Tiberius) and
Jewish Yeshivot (Houses of Learning)
·
Jewish Daily and Shabbat rituals, major Jewish
holidays
Philosophical and
Mystical Judaism
·
Medieval Jewish philosophy and its ongoing dialogue
with Muslim philosophy, the case of Maimonides .Maimonides’ connection to
Tiberius
·
The dialogue between Jewish Messianism and
Christian tradition in the Galilee and around the
·
Jewish Mysticism and its renaissance in the
Zionism and Modern
Judaism
·
Zionism and its relations to historical Judaism,
Jewish return to the Holy Land, modern Jewish life in the
·
Jews – who are they today? Where are the Jews
today? The shock of the Holocaust and post Holocaust Judaism, Streams in
Judaism: Ultra Orthodox, Modern-orthodox, Conservative, Reform,
Reconstructionist, Humanistic Judaism and Secularism.
Christianity:
The
Cradle of Christianity
·
Jesus of the
·
History and origins, persecution, the establishment
of Christianity and the Christian Church, Western and Eastern churches -
origins, history and theological differences.
·
The literature of the New Testament and its roots
in the
·
Creeds & Beliefs: Jesus Christ, Death and
Resurrection , Salvation, The Trinity, Eschaton and afterlife,
·
Christian ethics, Christian life
·
Worship and practices –, Liturgical worship,
Sacraments, Eucharist, Liturgical Calendar
·
The
·
Christian Jerusalem,
·
·
‘Mar Elias’ vision of Christianity and its place in
modern
Islam:
The Islam Era
·
What is Islam - Etymology and meaning
·
Beliefs: God, Qur'an, Muhammad, Sunnah, Hadith,
Afterlife, Salvation
·
Five Pillars of Islam: Shahadah, Salat, Zakat,
Sawm, Hajj
·
Islamic law (the Sharia)
·
History from early years to Modernity
·
Denominations: Sunni, Shi'a, Sufism, Others
·
Community: Mosques, Customs and behavioral, laws,
Islamic ethics, Islamic calendar and
·
Islam in
Tradition and Modernity
·
Islamic Education
·
Islamic civilization:
Art and architecture, Philosophy and literature, Science and technology, Islam
in the media
·
Contemporary Islam,
Political and religious extremism, Islam and other religions, Related faiths
·
Criticism of Islam and
Muslim Response to Criticism
·
History of
·
Comparative study of Jewish, Christian and Islamic
Jerusalem
·
The different churches in the
·
Islam and the State of
·
The inspiration for local movements, Jewish,
Christian and Islamic fundamentalism
·
The management of the Holy Places in
·
·
The peace talks and the status of
Pannell Discussions and
Concluding Workshop
Why has religion become
a cause of hostility? What went wrong?
What is the possible
role of the different Holy Land religious traditions in conflict resolution and
peace education in
Tuition Fees: $2,850
Living Expenses Fee: $3,900
A limited number
of tuition scholarships will be available to qualified candidates.
Payment for the
programme includes a registration fee which is non-refundable and equals 20% of
the total sum of the living expenses fee. Should you decide to cancel your
participation, payment will be refunded as follows:
20 days or more
before date of course commencement – 80%
10 – 20 days
before date of course commencement – 50%
No refunds are
possible 10 days or less prior to course commencement.
Mrs. Shoshi
Norman
Programme
Director