Judaism and Christianity Duke — Jason Hensley, PhD, DMin

Syllabus: Judaism and Christianity

Mondays, 3:30pm–4:45pm EST

Meeting Dates: January 29; February 5, 12, 19, 26; March 4

Duke University OLLI, Online-Zoom Platform

Instructor: Jason Hensley, PhD, Dmin; jason.n.ruthie@gmail.com

Relevant Readings:

If you are interested in some background information, you may find it helpful to read the following before or after each class (this is not required, however). The extra-biblical readings can be downloaded from this page by clicking on the title of the book.

Week 1, January 29: Genesis 1–12; To Life! by Harold Kushner pgs. 1–15; Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin chapter 5–10 (not provided)

Week 2, February 5: Exodus 1–4, 2 Samuel 7; A Short History of the Jewish People by Raymond Scheindlin pgs. 1–14

Week 3, February 12: 1 Kings 12, Jeremiah 29–31; A Short History of the Jewish People by Raymond Scheindlin pgs. 14–23

Week 4, February 19: 1 Maccabees 1–4; A Short History of the Jewish People by Raymond Scheindlin pgs. 38–49; Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin chapters 64–70 (not provided)

Week 5, February 26: Matthew 5–7 (from the Jewish Annotated New Testament); The Misunderstood Jew by Amy-Jill Levine pgs. 17–33; Jesus the Jewish Theologian by Brad Young chapter 7

Week 6, March 4: Faith without Prejudice by Eugene Fisher; “Distorted Scriptures” by Jason Hensley, chapter 6

Course Description:

Judaism and Christianity are two of the world’s major religions. Many individuals are familiar with one of these religions or the other––but generally do not consider the relationship that exists between Judaism and Christianity. In the first century, Christianity developed out of Judaism, and for many years, Christians saw themselves as Jews. Because of this shared heritage, in which Judaism serves as the root of Christianity, the two religions have much in common. This course will seek to go back in time to see the foundations of Judaism and the foundations of Christianity––acknowledging what these two faiths have in common and how they can learn from one another.