Certificate in Jewish-Christian Relationship Program

CIM.11 INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE This course exposes students to the wide array of literature in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), as they learn about the historical and literary circumstances out of which the writing arose. As the course moves through the various sections of the Hebrew Scriptures—Torah, Prophets, and Writings—assigned readings discuss both the history and the theology of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings; lectures highlight major themes and examine particular texts; student discussions explore questions of interpretation.

CIM.12 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT This course provides an overview of the New Testament to assist students in their teaching, preaching, and service in the church. Particular attention is given to the Gospels, major Pauline writings, and Revelation. Through lectures and assigned readings, students learn key concepts and themes while exploring the historical and cultural contexts that shape these texts.

Additional information about the Certificate in Ministry Program is available from the Seminary’s Office of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies.

CERTIFICATE IN JEWISH-CHRISTIAN RELATIONSHIP

This certificate program is focused on the deepening of relationships between Christians and Jews through close readings of sacred texts, increased familiarity with these religious traditions’ respective histories, theologies, and liturgies, and an emphasis on ethics in both traditions. In order to successfully complete the basic certificate, students take four courses, most of which are conducted on-line (though some of the courses may include an optional face-to-face component as well). This program has courses from four overriding areas: History and Theology; Worship; Justice and Ethics; and Sacred Texts.

Courses in the History and Theology area explore the development of these religious traditions over time, including the perennial -and changing- questions of faith. Worship courses deepen students’ understanding and engagement of the worship life of each tradition. Courses in this area might include an intensive face-to-face session that involves exposure to liturgy in one or both traditions. The Justice and Ethics area explores the question of the good life, ethical teachings of each tradition, the call to mend the world, and to love one’s neighbor. Courses in this area might include an intensive face-to-face session that includes a service project. And, finally, courses in the Sacred Texts area emphasize the practice of reading biblical texts together and the new horizons that open when we listen to each other interpret these texts. Courses in the CJCR program may be added no later than one week after a term has begun.

COURSES

CJCR.001 A PASTOR, PRIEST, AND RABBI WALK INTO A BAR (MITZVAH): WORSHIP IN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY This course examines the histories, theologies, and modern practices of Jewish and Christian worship. With attention given to Jewish-Catholic-Protestant dialogue, the aim of this course is to deepen participants’ understanding of and appreciation for Jewish and Christian worship traditions and the possibilities for building local relationships. Profs. Covington, Freedman, and Leedy

CJCR.002 READING EXODUS TOGETHER: JEWISH AND AFRICAN AMERICAN

WITNESS Using the Exodus story’s movement from slavery to freedom as a frame, this course explores the religious and social witness of Jews and African American Christians in the United States. Through close reading and conversations, we come to see narratives—both shared and distinctive—about suffering and thriving, resilience and challenge, as indispensable to understanding the lived experience of both communities within the larger narrative of US history. How do story, music, oratory, and public exhibit resound with the themes of these narratives? What invitations are still outstanding in them for us to envision relationships and greater mutual understanding? Profs. Blumofe and Horton

CJCR.003EXPLORING WOMEN IN THE BIBLE AND THEOLOGY This course dives deeply into the core texts of Judaism and Christianity from feminist perspectives. During our textual study, we read from Genesis and Luke. We uncover feminist theologies that we explore more broadly in the second half of the course. Profs. Cohen and Leedy

CJCR.004 JERUSALEM: THE HOLY CITY IN HISTORY, THEOLOGY, AND CONFLICT This course surveys the history of Jerusalem from biblical times to the present, with attention to its place(s) in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theologies. We consider the nature of pilgrimage and sacred space, the role of Jerusalem in liturgy, theology, and eschatology, and relations among the Abrahamic religions.Profs. Blumofe and Bodman

CJCR.005 BEGINNINGS, SINNINGS, AND UNDERPINNINGS: READING GENESIS TOGETHER Genesis is beloved and well-known to Christians and Jews. The text is full of complexities about the origins of humanity, the divine/human relationship, and the development of social and theological structures. This cross-religious exploration examines Genesis and how it is read similarly and differently across traditions. We also explore Genesis’s use in New Testament texts to examine Jewish and Christian interpretive approaches to scripture. Profs. Han and Morgen

CJCR.006RITES OF PASSAGE: RITUALS OF LIFE AND DEATH IN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY This course explores liturgies of the life cycle in Jewish and Christian communities, such as baptism, bar and bat mitzvah, marriage, and funerals. Students examine the theologies that shape these distinctive practices, their meanings in a religiously diverse society, and the ways in which these rituals shape the lives of Jewish and Christian congregations. Profs. Jensen and Peretz

CJCR.007THE PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGY OF EMMANUEL LEVINAS The highly original thought of the preeminent Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906–1995) continues to have major influence upon cutting-edge philosophy,

theology, and ethics. The goal of this class will be to stimulate creative theological, ethical, and philosophical reflection through close engagement with select essays from Levinas’s mature philosophical writings. Students explore major elements of Levinas’s thought and consider constructive contributions to current theological, ethical, or political understandings. Prof. Greenway

CJCR.008 MODELING APPROPRIATE RELATIONS WITH THE TEXTS:

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BOOK OF JUDGES In this course, we engage closely with the stories and narratives in Judges where “texts of terror” have posed challenges to readers shaped by both Christian and Jewish traditions. Students explore the many questions, conversations, and interpretations that the stories have inspired, as well as the voices that may have been neglected in the story world and in communities of practice. Students join in conversation and develop their own appropriate practices for listening to, engaging with, and speaking about the Judges stories. Profs. Talbot and Lippe

CJCR.009 FROM POLEMIC TO POSSIBILITIES: PROPHET-ABLE READING Jewish and Christian understandings of justice are firmly rooted in scripture, but our traditions do not always agree on their readings. Do such differing readings lead to different guidance for living? Students read texts that both Jews and Christians encounter to see what can be learned from variant traditions of interpretation. Profs. Lippe and Bodman

CJCR.010 IN THE IMAGE OF GOD: SEXUALITY AND GENDER IN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY This course explores the changing historical, theological roots of Jewish and Christian understandings of sexuality and gender with a focus on subjects of discussion and debate from the twentieth century to today. Topics of exploration include: gender and gender “roles,” marriage, erotic desire, sexual orientation, gender identity, the body, and the family. The course considers how these subjects are uplifted and/or ignored in Jewish and Christian life, worship, ethics, and theology. Prof. Jensen

CJCR.011 UNDOING ANTI-JUDAISM This course identifies the problem of anti-Judaism in Christian churches. Students learn about the history of anti-Jewish thought and practice and learn how to identify it. From there, students examine specific areas of Christian life where anti-Judaism continues to manifest itself and learn how to develop strategies to develop positive alternatives. Faculty

CJCR.012 STANDING IN THE BREACH: PROPHETIC SPEECH IN JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS Who wants to talk both religion and politics? This course examines the long history of political engagement within Jewish and Christian traditions and helps participants discover their own capacity for public engagement rooted in faith. For those able to travel to Austin during the course, the professors and students plan a visit to the Texas Capitol. Profs. Blumofe and C. Helsel

Students can also earn an advanced certificate by completing three additional courses in at least two of the four areas of study. Additional information about the Certificate in Jewish-Christian Relationship Program is available from the Office of the Academic Dean.