JUC Online Summer Institute

This six-week course offers a focused and theologically informed study of the Book of Joshua. Beginning with Joshua’s mentoring under Moses, the course traces Israel’s transition from nomadic to settled life, explores intertextual relationships between Joshua and the broader biblical canon, and examines the entry into and settlement of Canaan within their geographical, historical, literary, and theological contexts. Students will engage major interpretive issues such as conquest traditions, land distribution, divine warfare, and ethical questions surrounding violence. The course concludes with a close reading of Joshua’s farewell speeches, highlighting covenant theology and leadership legacy.  
 

Instructor: Dr. Petra Heldt
Lecture Day and Time: TBA

Western theology has never just gazed from afar at the Land of Israel. It has wrestled with it, walked it, and written it into doctrine. From early pilgrimages to contemporary politics, this course maps how the Land of Israel has shaped Christian thought—and vice versa. Explore the sacred terrain where geography meets theology.

Biblical stories do not often present thoughts, feelings, and inner struggles of the heroes of the stories. This is particularly true of the women in these narratives. In the course Dr. Laderman will take the class on a journey through Jewish and Christian artistic representations of Eve, Sarah and Hagar, Rebecca, Miriam, Ruth and Esther. These works of art will enable  us to expand the biblical text and to delve into the emotional depth of these biblical heroines.  

Where is the Lost Ark? We can explore what the ancient Judeans believed about the Ark’s current location and its promised resurrection. A more important question, however, is “What is the Ark of the Covenant?” This question can be answered emphatically from both a biblical and an archaeological perspective. This course will address these two questions through an exploration of the “life” or “biography” of the Ark of the Covenant, or what I like to call the “incarnation of the Hebrew Bible.” 

Historical Geography found what archaeology alone could not. The preliminary five-year report of the work at el-Araj (Bethsaida) is moving toward publication. It has chapters on historical geography, Rabbinic literature, Roman roads, toponymy, and archaeology. Join Dr. Notley for insights into current developments on the ground.