REL 252 - The Epistles of Paul (1)

This course situates the life and writings of the apostle Paul, one of the most formative intellects of Christianity, within his Greco-Roman and Jewish cultural contexts. The ethical vision, apocalyptic proclamations, Christian theology, and political rhetoric of Paul will be put in conversation with ancient Roman philosophy, mystery cults, the imperial cult, and Jewish apocalyptic literature from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Students will be also introduced to the field of archaeology and the interpretation of material remains in our discussion of such ancient Greek and Roman cities that Paul visited including Philippi, Ephesus, Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Rome (and those he didn’t including Pergamon and Aphrodisia). This course fulfills requirements for Classical studies and Religion majors. Alternate years.
(Humanities)