New Testament Responses to Violence

A variety of recent political events have confronted students of theology with the spectre of violence in recent years, inevitably raising the question of how to engage the issue theologically. This course will aid students' engagement with various forms of violence (imperial, gender, economic, etc.) through the various New Testament authors and their own dealings with the issues. Indeed, insofar as the Bible is accorded significant political value, it is vital - regardless of one's own religious proclivities - to understand what the texts contained in the New Testament have to report on these issues in their own era. This course surveys various points at which New Testament authors encountered the violence. It aims to acquaint students with the social world of the New Testament, to familiarize students in major issues in the study of the New Testament, and to aid students in the development of a biblical hermeneutic conscious of its implications.