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Course
Description
Christianity has been a major shaping force in western
history and in the history of the United States. Its sacred
scriptures, and the way these scriptures were interpreted
in the foundational centuries of late antiquity, have played
a major role in constructing social values and norms today.
This course takes one social construct, the notion of gender,
and examines how it was understood and practiced in the
worlds in which Christianity was born. What did Jesus have
to say about men, women, the body, and sexuality? Was his
teaching on this topic revolutionary or commonplace in the
Jewish world? How did Greek and Roman ideas and practices
influence and change this early Christian teaching? Why
were the early Christian texts that extolled virginity so
patently erotic? How did early Christians view and manage
the desires of the flesh? As we pose these questions to
our texts, we will also address the impact of these issues
on gender debates today, both in the Christian church and
in society.
How to Use this
Web Site
The
tabs at the left guide you to course resources. Use
them to access directions, schedules, research tools and grades
throughout the quarter, as needed. The Class Prep
pages provide introductions to each day's readings and questions
you will be expected to prepare in advance of each class.
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