Israel and the Other

From The Capital Region Theological Center:

Israel and the Other: A Biblical Model for Interfaith Dialog
Thursday, April 26, 2007

We live in an ever-changing world surrounded by cultural as well as religious diversity. Relating to each other is an important part of living together, as well as understanding God. As "people of the book", Jews, Christians, and Muslims have a starting place for conversation.

This course will be a study of selected biblical texts in which the relationship to the stranger, the foreigner, and "other" is addressed. We will look at figures like Noah, Hagar, Ishmael, Esau, Joseph, and Jesus, as both part and separate from Israel. We will explore these figures as key to relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims and discuss how the Bible presents the relationship to the "other" as a touchstone for the relationship to God.

Instructors: Dr. Peter Zaas has an A.B. from Oberlin College, and both a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago's Department of New Testament and Early Christian Literature. He is a beloved CRTC professor.

Dr. Zaas is the director of the Kievel Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies at Siena College, and a Professor of Religious Studies at Siena. He is nationally and internationally known for his work in interfaith dialogue and Jewish-Christian relations, and an accomplished author and presenter on interfaith dialogue. Dr. Zaas has taught at Siena College and Hamilton College for over 25 years and has lectured at a multitude of other institutions of higher learning around the country, including Yale Divinity School, Duke University, and Lexington Theological Seminary. Dr. Zaas has written numerous publications for Jewish and Christian publications including the Journal of Biblical Literature.

Cost: $35 if registered by March 27, 2007, or $45 thereafter

Location: Siena College, Sarazen Student Union Building

You can learn more, or register, here.