RELG 312 - Social Scientific Approaches to the New Testament

Credit(s): 3
The New Testament is a collection of ancient documents written for readers who were socialized in the Mediterranean world during the time of the Roman empire. As such, the cultural resources upon which the authors and readers draw can seem foreign to modern interpreters. What is needed is an interpretive framework that enables modern readers to understand the world in which the biblical text was written. This course examines the social and cultural dimensions of the New Testament and explores how the perspectives, theories, and models generated by research in the social sciences can inform the modern interpretation of the New Testament.

Course Level: UG