THE LEGACY OF ABRAHAM

Instructor: Dr. M.F. Austin
Phone: 931.510.2755
Email: austin@columbiastate.edu

Judaism, Christianity and Islam – these major world religions are marked by many contrasting features, yet they also display some striking similarities. One of the most interesting of these similarities is that all three religions trace their roots back to the ancient patriarch Abraham. The purpose of this course is to examine the history of that common connection and to review the basic beliefs and practices that characterize each religious tradition.

WEEK ONE

Judaism

I. Early History

II. Kingdom and Loss

III. Basic Beliefs

WEEK TWO

IV. The Transition from Levitical to Rabbinical Judaism

V. Torah

VI. Judaism Today

WEEK THREE

Christianity

I. The Ministry of Jesus and the Social/Political Context

II. A New Jewish Sect

III. Paul and the Birth of a New Religion

IV. The Early Church – Establishing Dogma and the Canon Amid Persecution

V. Religious and Secular Triumph

WEEK FOUR

VI. The Medieval Church

V. The Reformation

VI. The Enlightenment Challenge

VII. Modern Developments

WEEK FIVE

Islam

I. Muhammad – A New Prophet

II. Triumph and Expansion

III. Conflict with the West

IV. Basic Beliefs and the Sacred Text

V. The Five Pillars of Islam

VI. Variations in the Faith