JEWISHST 161 – Interreligious Encounters: Jews, Muslims and Christians from Late Antiquity to the Medieval Period

JEWISHST 161 – Interreligious Encounters: Jews, Muslims and Christians from Late Antiquity to the Medieval Period

Semester: Spring
Offered: 2023
Instructor: Miriam Goldstein
Meeting Time: Th 12:00pm-2:45pm

The development and spread of Islam and the accompanying diffusion of the Arabic language brought religions in the Near East into contact in unprecedented ways. Judaism, Islam and Christianity were shaped and in turn shaped each other on the basis of the Arabic language, which was the shared medium of written scholarship as well as being the lingua franca of daily life.  In this course we will examine various aspects of this interreligious exchange, focusing on major topics in the dialogue between these three religions against the backdrop of a shared Islamicate culture, representing the pre-Islamic period through the early Ottoman period. Class sessions will focus on the close reading of primary sources in translation. Depending on enrollment and student interest, some primary sources may also be read in the original Hebrew, Arabic and Judeo-Arabic. Students with backgrounds in Arabic will be introduced to the Hebrew alphabet for this purpose.

Course Notes: Texts in this course will be read in English translation. Depending on enrollment, class sessions may include attention to Arabic, Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew primary sources.

For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.