Section three looks at how religious groups have tried to come to grips with the contemporary American society. It will cover a number of different responses, from the positive thinking of Norman Vincent Peale to the evangelical revivals of Oral Roberts and Billy Graham, to the social and political activism of Martin Luther King and Jerry Falwell. The role of newer personality cults will also be explored. The course will be conducted in a lecture format with large blocks for discussion. Films and research projects will round out the offering.
Class meets once per week.
See GNE 362 . The course, which is based on readings in English translation of the Hebrew text, begins with an examination of prophecy in the Ancient Near East. The course explores the rise of prophecy in Israel and considers the prophetic response to the crisis posed by the imperial expansionist policies of the Assyrians and Babylonians, focusing, in particular, on the effects of the exile of the Israelites into Babylon and this great tragedy on the prophetic tradition. The course concludes with the transformation of the prophecy during the period of the Second Temple. Classes will meet twice weekly for lectures and once a week for discussion.