Program Purpose

This program enables students to develop a basic understanding of the history, religion, literature, languages, and culture of the Jewish people during the classical, formative period and its antecedents in post-exilic biblical times. It offers courses that explore Jewish society, Jewish Bible interpretation and introduces students to the vast amount of Jewish writings from the Second Temple and Rabbinic periods. Included in the program are also comparative investigations of the developments of Judaism and Christianity, and the relevance of Jewish Studies for the understanding of scripture. Finally, the program offers theoretical and practical opportunities to learn about the history, geography and archaeology of ancient and modern Israel/Palestine.
 

Program Goals

• The development of an understanding of Classical Judaism and its literature.
• A comparative understanding of early Judaism and Christianity and the role of Bible interpretation in this process.
• Explorative learning of the geography and archeology of Israel/Palestine.

Admission Requirements

• A B.Th. degree or other bachelor’s degree major in Christianity or equivalent from an institution recognized by LTS.

Further Study

If a Master of Arts in Classical Judaism degree holder continues to study for the Master of Divinity (M.Div.2-yr) at LTS, a maximum of 12 credits can be exempted.

(course credits in brackets)

i) Guided Electives on Jewish Studies (JS)

4 courses (12)

ii) Free Electives

4 courses (12)