Early Christian Worship in its Jewish Context
SB HIST 404 3 Credits*
Course Instructor and Meeting Time:
Instructor: Brittany Löwenstein The course will meet on Wednesdays 9 – 11:10am Eastern Time (1600 – 1810 Israel Time) starting October 11th, 2023 for 12 weeks. Lectures will be recorded and made available within a few days of each lesson for those who can not make the live sessions.
Course Description
Ancient Biblical and Jewish worship and prayer serve as great windows into the theology and practices of ancient Israel and early Judaism and the life-changing perspective of just how much of this inheritance is still found in the daily worship and prayer of all denominations. In this course we will unpack what is known of first-century Jewish Temple and synagogue music and liturgy, and trace it forward to the earliest prayers and orders of worship of the Christian Church. Students will gain tools to identify the inheritance of temple and ancient synagogue worship still identifiable today in many modern expressions of Christian and Messianic Jewish worship and strengthen their understanding of the Jewish roots of the faith.
Ancient Biblical and Jewish worship and prayer serve as great windows into the theology and practices of ancient Israel and early Judaism and the life-changing perspective of just how much of this inheritance is still found in the daily worship and prayer of all denominations. In this course we will unpack what is known of first-century Jewish Temple and synagogue music and liturgy, and trace it forward to the earliest prayers and orders of worship of the Christian Church. Students will gain tools to identify the inheritance of temple and ancient synagogue worship still identifiable today in many modern expressions of Christian and Messianic Jewish worship and strengthen their understanding of the Jewish roots of the faith.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to connect with the rich ancient Jewish Temple roots still recognizable in all Christian and Messianic worship settings today.
- This course aims to provide students with the tools to make educated opinions about the music, worship and prayer of the ancient Jewish Temple and Synagogue as well as the Early Christian Church.
- Students will be exposed to and be able to articulate a healthy sample and familiarity of the interdependencies and influences therin.
- Students will gain the ability to recognize these influences as they appear in modern worship settings and references to these influences in the wider modern and ancient worlds.
- Finally students will gain the appropriate tools and references to continue research in these areas.
Required Text:
Werner, Eric. The Sacred Bridge: Liturgical Parallels in Synagogue and Early Church. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970. [Note: The 1970 volume comprises Part I of The Sacred Bridge, originally published by Columbia University Press in 1959.]
Werner, Eric. The Sacred Bridge: Liturgical Parallels in Synagogue and Early Church. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970. [Note: The 1970 volume comprises Part I of The Sacred Bridge, originally published by Columbia University Press in 1959.]
Expectations:
Weekly quizzes and assignments.
Weekly quizzes and assignments.
*Jerusalem Seminary (JS) courses are engagingly academic and taught by experts in their field living in Israel. While JS’ courses are not externally accredited, they can be taken for internal JS credit. Any internal JS credit will accrue and at a later time would hopefully, through articulation agreements and accreditation bodies, receive official accreditation; a process that JS is beginning.
Course Content
Section I: Music of the Ancient World
Section II: The Orders of Prayer
Section III: Cycles of Repentance and Redemption
