AN 395: Archaeology of Israel Part II (From Roman Ruins to the Modern State of Israel)
Tuesdays 6:30-9:50p
168 South Foundation Hall
CRN: 42985
Course Description: This course begins with an overview of how archaeology is done in Israel (methods, concepts and practices). We begin with the Roman Destruction of the Jewish Second Temple and how it affected Judaism and early Christianity. We will ask how Judaism reacted and changed after the Temple's destruction: we'll focus on how the ancient rabbis made the transition from sacrifice to prayer by focusing on topics like the Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls community), the reshaping of the Passover story and how and why the rabbis chose to "de-militarize" Judaism and its holidays like Hanukkah. Then, we move on to the archaeology of New Testament sites and about how archaeology has been used to tell the stories that are central to both Christianity and Judaism. Next, we'll learn about the Byzantine period and how some religious sties were discovered or "made", like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We'll also learn about the spread of Islam into the region and some associated Muslim holy places. What is the Muslim view of archaeology in Israel? Also, the Crusades left a significant mark on the land and its history, and we will study conditions in Jerusalem during this time and how Jerusalem was forever changed by both Moslems and Christians as they fought over this cherished city. Finally, a few case studies about antiquities law, fraud, and how archaeology and history are used in concepts of religious identity and Zionism. This course combines archaeology, history, religious history and theology as well as more recent concepts of the state of Israel and its citizens. The course will be taught using primary and secondary readings, in-class discussions and visual presentations of Jewish, Christian and Moslem sites. This course is ideal for those students who wish to have a grounding in the importance of archaeology in Israel, religious archaeology, and some background to the modern complex problems of the country of Israel.
No need to take Part I first, but Part I covers the most ancient periods of Israel, and is offered in winter.
Mike Pytlik has traveled to Israel nearly 20 times and co-leads an OU student team to Israel to dig at a biblical site. He teaches in Anthropology and Religious/Jewish Studies.