RELS 130 Jewish Communities in Antiquity

A survey of Jewish communities in antiquity from the fifth century BCE to the thirteenth century CE.  The first half of the course will focus on the origins of various Jewish factions and movements.  We will begin by studying the central religious beliefs, texts, practices, and institutions that were held in common, yet also the source of deep division between sects.  Next we will study how sectarian movements -- such as apocalypticism and messianism -- were formed in response to Empire (Greek and Roman).  In the second half of the course we will consider issues of orthodoxy and heresy, as well as categories of insiders and outsiders.  Finally, we will study the crystallization of orthodoxy in the rabbinic movement, considering issues of conversion, inter-religious polemic, conflict, and persecution.