HIS 578 Messiah: The History of an Idea
Originating in ancient Israel, the notion of an anointed figure who will redeem the Jewish people in some way, shape, or form has been an ongoing part of Jewish theology. This course traces the messianic idea in Judaism from antiquity to today, including its epochal transformation at the hands of the earliest Christian thinkers. This investigation will reveal the extent to which important Jewish ideas are historical in nature—to wit, that they change over time and are shaped by social, political, and economic circumstances.