Syllabus
1/ The People: Israel in the Desert, Synagogue, Christian Church, Umma muslima; 2/ The Holy Book: Torah, Tanakh, New Testament, Qur´an; 3/ The Holy Place: Desert Sanctuary, Temple of Jerusalem, Synagogue, Syriac churches, Mosque; 4/ The Rites: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim feasts, ceremonies and daily prayers; 5/ The Creed: Deuteronomy 5 (Hear o Israel, Decalogue) – The Christian Creed, Five Principles of Islam.
Annotation
The teacher´s introductory lectures comprise geographical location of the ancient cultures of the Middle East, languages, scripts, cult, or types of sacred literature, highlighting the phenomenon of strict monotheism as observed in the canonical texts of the Jewish and the Christian Holy Books and that of the Quran. These will be seen in the stream of apocryphal and “heretical” substrate, particularly documented in the stories of essential Biblical figures as Abraham, Solomon, Joseph, John the Baptist, or Jesus Christ himself.
Respective interpretations of these will show the appearance and main teachings of the three “heavenly religions” – Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The seminar will combine the students´visual presentations of the mentioned topics, their interpretive reading of primary texts, as well as an attempt on their clarification viewed from the stories´ varied religious and cultural background.
Methods applied are those of comparison, critical assessment of sources and reference to a range of commentaries in multiple languages. The students are expected to give a twenty-minute entry on their chosen topic, using visual materials and practising academic oral performance.
Written resume is expected of each oral-visual presentation.