RLB43 Early Christianity between Judaism and Hellenism

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2021

The course is not taught in Spring 2021

Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is focused on two cultural phenomena in religious life of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean - Judaism and Hellenism. It follows the transformations of Judaism under the infiltration of the Greek culture after the impact of Alexander the Great, under the control of the Egyptian Ptolemies, the Syrian Seleucides, and the Romans. A due attention is paid to the detailed differentiation of the earliest Christianities in the very context of the Judaizing and Hellenizing lines.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
  • demonstrate the basic factual knowledge of the Hellenistic context of early Judaism and early Christianity;
  • analyze relevant written sources of different religious and cultural origin;
  • analyze broader cultural context of early Christianity on the basis of relevant archaeological sources;
  • distinguish particular streams in early Christianity considering their cultural plurality;
  • revise the dichotomy of Judaism and Hellenism as a disputable interpretative scheme.
    • Syllabus
    • Introduction to the course.
    • Dichotomy of Judaism and Hellenism.
    • The Hellenization of Palestine during the 3rd - 1st century B.C.
    • The attempt of the Hellenistic reform and the Maccabean wars.
    • The Hellenistic diaspora in Egypt.
    • Messianism and the Hellenistic conception of ideal ruler.
    • Gnosis and esoterism.
    • The Hellenization of Jerusalem.
    • Jesus movements.
    • Christ movements.
    • Paul of Tarsus between Hellenism and Judaism.
    • Antisemitism in early Christianity.
    • Early Jewish and early Christian fine arts in the context of Hellenistic culture.
    Literature
      recommended literature
    • POKORNÝ, Petr. Řecké dědictví v Orientu :Helénismus v Egyptě a Sýrii. 1. vyd. Praha: ISE. 377 s., 10. ISBN 80-85241-50-1. 1993. info
    • MARTIN, Luther H. Helénistická náboženství : Hellenistic religions: an introduction (Orig.). Translated by Iva Doležalová - Dalibor Papoušek. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita. xx, 161. ISBN 80-210-1702-3. 1997. info
    • LEVINE, Lee I. Judaism and Hellenism in antiquity : conflict or confluence? 1st print. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. xiii, 227. ISBN 1565634888. 1999. info
    • Paul beyond the Judaism/Hellenism divide. Edited by Troels Engberg-Pedersen. 1st ed. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press. x, 355. ISBN 0664224067. 2001. info
    • Hengel, Martin. Judaism and Hellenism: studies in their encounter in Palestine during the early Hellenistic Period. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Fortress Press 1974.
    Teaching methods
    Lectures; semestral written commentaries on assigned texts; class discussions on commentaries; presentation and defense of colloquial essay.
    Assessment methods
    Requirements for the colloquium:
  • six semestral written commentaries on assigned texts;
  • at least three presentations in class discusion concerning commentaries;
  • colloquial essay, including its defense.
    The final assessment includes: semestral commentaries and participation in class discussions (100 points in a ratio 60:40 = 50 %, limit 60 points); colloquial essay (100 points = 50 %, limit 60 points).
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Follow-Up Courses
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    The course is taught once in two years.
    The course is taught: every week.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
    Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
    The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2006, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2019.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2021, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2021/RLB43