GALILLEE COLLEGE,    MAR ELIAS COLLEGE

Joint Jewish-Christian-Muslim Programme:
A Religious Mosaic in the Holy Land

Students and faculty from all parts of the world are invited to a unique interfaith seminar that will utilise the Galillee in the north of Israel - the origin of religious traditions and the living place of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze (and other religious groups) - as a living example of interfaith dialogue and co-existence.

The participants will spend five weeks in the Holy Land studying the three great monotheistic traditions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam (as well as the other traditions/different sects which are present in Israel), the history of these, their connections to the Land of Israel / Palestine and its relevance to Modern Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Special attention will be given to the challenge of religious leaders and educators in our days to develop interfaith dialogues, both in Israel and in other parts of the world, in order to foster mutual understanding, tolerance and pluralism instead of hatred and violence.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The programme is comprised of 150 academic hours, divided into four mini-seminars: the first three are devoted to the three Monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The fourth deals with Jerusalem, its religious and national meaning to all monotheistic traditions and its challenge to all who try to develop interfaith understanding and cooperation.

The emphasis of the programme is placed firmly on activities and studies outside the lecture halls. Therefore, the programme includes study tours to major points of interest in the Galillee, which are relevant to our multicultural study. Participants will be able to meet people of the Galillee directly together with various representatives of the pertinent religions. In addition the programme includes panel discussions and workshops where the students explore past and present differences and points of dispute between these beliefs and discuss possible ways to overcome current interfaith conflicts.

PROGRAMME PARTICIPANTS

The summer programme is intended for academics associated with Religious Studies. All participants must be fluent in English.

                                                                         

CURRICULUM


JUDAISM:
The Bible and the Holy Land
The narrative of the Hebrew Bible and its significance to all Monotheistic traditions
The Prophets and Prophetic Literature, “Ethical Monotheism” and its significance to all 
       Monotheistic faiths
Biblical and Rabbinic Narratives of the Jewish People
Exodus and Covenant, the formation of the Hebrew people, The Idea of Israel’s divine election
       and of Jewish solitude
“The Land of Israel” and its significance in Biblical and Rabbinic literature
Second Temple era, Pharisees and Sadducees, early formation of Rabbinic Judaism
Jewish & Christian Messianism, the Galilee and Jewish zealots in the Roman era, the
       destruction of Jerusalem, Masada
The narrative of “Sin and Exile” and its role in the formation of Jewish identity, “Tisha Be’Av”
       tradition
Rabbinic Judaism, Dilemmas of Modernity and Zionism
Rabbinic Judaism and its formation in Jabne and later on in the Galilee (Usha, Shefaram,
       Beit-Shearim, Zippori, Tiberia and other Galillee communities)
Jewish Law and hallachic literature, the formation of Talmudic literature  (Tiberius) and
      Jewish Yeshivot (Houses of Learning)
Jewish Daily and Shabbat rituals, major Jewish holidays
Philosophical and Mystical Judaism
Medieval Jewish philosophy and its ongoing dialogue with Muslim philosophy, the case of
       Maimonides, Maimonides’ connection to Tiberius
The dialogue between Jewish Messianism and Christian tradition in the Galillee and around
       the Sea of Galillee (the Kinneret)
Jewish Mysticism and its renaissance in the Galillee
Zionism and Modern Judaism
Zionism and its relationship to historical Judaism, Jewish return to the Holy Land, modern
       Jewish life in the Galillee
Jews – Who are they today? Where are the Jews today? The shock of the Holocaust and
       post-Holocaust Judaism, Streams in Judaism; Ultra Orthodox, Modern-orthodox,
       Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Humanistic Judaism and Secularism

CHRISTIANITY:
The Cradle of Christianity
Jesus of the Galillee
History and origins, persecution, the establishment of Christianity and the Christian Church,
       Western and Eastern churches - origins, history and theological differences.
The literature of the New Testament and its roots in the Land of Israel.
Creeds & Beliefs: Jesus Christ, Death and Resurrection, Salvation, The Trinity, Eschaton
      and the Afterlife
Christian ethics
Christian life
Worship and practices – Liturgical worship, Sacraments, Eucharist, Liturgical Calendar
The Holy Land and Medieval Christianity, Pilgrimage, the Crusades; Christianity versus
       Islam, the clash in the Holy land
Christian Jerusalem, Bethlehem and other Christian sites in the Holy land
Galillee Centres and Traditions
Nazareth
‘Mar Elias’ vision of Christianity and its place in modern Israel

ISLAM:
The Islam Era
What is Islam - Etymology and meaning
Beliefs: God, Qur'an, Muhammad, Sunnah, Hadith, Afterlife, Salvation
Five Pillars of Islam: Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj
Islamic law (the Sharia)
History from early years to Modernity
Denominations: Sunni, Shi'a, Sufism, Others
Community: Mosques, Customs and behavioural, laws, Islamic ethics, Islamic calendar and
       Holiday, Jihad
Islam in Palestine; related faiths (Druze, Bahai) 
 Tradition and Modernity
Islamic Education
Islamic civilisation: Art and architecture, Philosophy and literature, Science and technology,
       Islam in the media
Contemporary Islam, Political and religious extremism, Islam and other religions, related
       faiths
Criticism of Islam and Muslim Response to Criticism

JERUSALEM

History of Jerusalem (multimedia presentation – Beit Agron)
Comparative study of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Jerusalem

Jerusalem – where Religion and Politics meet
The different churches in the Holy Land
Israel and the Vatican
Christian organisations and activities in the Holy Land
Islam and the State of Israel; religious attitudes towards the Arab-Jewish conflict and the
       Jewish state
The inspiration for local movements, Jewish, Christian and Islamic fundamentalism
The management of the Holy Places in Jerusalem
Jerusalem and the State of Israel
The peace talks and the status of Jerusalem

PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUDING WORKSHOP

Why has religion become a cause of hostility?
What went wrong?
What is the possible role of the different Holy Land religious traditions in conflict resolution       and peace education in Israel and world wide?

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

 

 

NOTE: The above curriculum outline is intended as a guide only. The sequence and course offerings are subject to change at the discretion of the administration.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Programme of Study, Fees, Requirements,           Click Here
Location and Certificate. 

REGISTRATION

A link to the online registration form.                        Click Here