JUC Online Summer Institute

The book of Deuteronomy is rubbed through with the soil and rocks of the land of the Bible while also projecting the potential of what the land can be. The land's potential is intertwined with how God's people live in the place, taking responsibility for the land and for each other.

In this class we will not only pay attention to the organization of the book of Deuteronomy but also explore how Deuteronomy describes what an ideal "place" is. As we grapple with the Theology of Place portrayed in Deuteronomy we will ask each other how this translates into our lives that are in a different place and time.

Instructor: Dr. Cyndi Parker

Thursdays 6:00pm-7:30pm Eastern Time

The book of Exodus is foundational for understanding how God delivers his people from bondage in Egypt in order to establish a special covenantal relationship with them. For six weeks we will explore the literary and historical-geographical contexts of Exodus with keen interest in teasing out these theological themes. Our overarching goal will be to read Exodus in its ancient context to understand better how it might be applied to life today.

Instructor: Dr. Oliver Hersey

Thursdays 12:00pm-1:30pm Eastern Time

The Bible is a book of life, a book that is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), teeming with life: Creative life, striving life, flourishing life, and redemptive life. One of the things that makes the Bible alive for us is that it is fully immersed in the world of creation, a world that is real, that can be marked on a map, that can be visited, and that can be lived in. While the Psalms are for everyone, they are embedded in experiences of people who lived at particular times and in particular places in the land of ancient Israel. The realities of that land, many of which can be experienced yet today, provided ready images for the psalmists who used them as voices to point to larger realities, those of God, us, and the journeys that bind us together.

Instructor: Dr. Paul Wright

Wednesdays 8:00pm-9:30pm Eastern Time

In the book of Leviticus, the Lord speaks from the tent of meeting to call his people to transformative worship and a life of holiness fueled by his indwelling presence. We will study Leviticus with special attention to its historical setting and cultural context to discover how its message shaped life in the land for ancient Israel, informed the world of the New Testament, and how its theological vision continues to have relevance for God’s people today.

Instructor: Dr. Christine Palmer

Wednesdays 7:00pm-8:30pm Eastern Time

In six sessions the course will examine how the Shabbat developed throughout the ages as a vital institution of religious practice and spirituality. Texts from the Tanach, New Testament, Classical Rabbinic Literature, Kabbalah and Jewish liturgy in English translation on the Sabbath will be studied together in class with the instructor. The liturgical music and piyut texts of the various Jewish ethnic communities that make up the rich tapestry of Jerusalem Shabbat observance will also be shared and taught during these sessions.

Instructor: Rabbi Moshe Silberschein

Tuesdays 9:30am-11:00am Eastern Time