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Theocracy: God, Power, and Authority

  • All levels
  • 21 and older
  • $315
  • Online Classroom
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions

Start Dates (0)

  • $315
  • Online Classroom
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this lecture class:

Anathema secular society, the term theocracy—meaning, “rule by God”—was coined circa 100 CE by Roman historian Flavius Josephus to defend Jewish governance from its Roman detractors. He extolled the virtues of Moses as lawgiver and grounded the superiority of theocratic law in the idea that religion makes it widely accessible and inscribes it in practice. Yet, God cannot rule directly, so what, exactly, does theocracy entail? Is theocracy, despite its persistence on the world stage, outmoded by modernity and destined for the dustbin of history? Or, are religion and politics never entirely separable? What can a study of theocracy teach us about the connection, perhaps indissoluble, between religious thinking and “secularized” ideas of power, legitimacy, right, and sovereignty?

In this course, we will plumb the complicated dynamics of theocracy by exploring the Mosaic constitution as elaborated in the Bible itself. Taking our cue from Josephus, we will look at texts that tell us about the lawgiver and the laws. Who, we’ll ask, governs? We will look at the king’s relationship to God and explore the dynamic power relationships between priests and political leaders. Where does the law come from? We will look at the role of priests and judges in interpreting and applying the law, as well as the political, religious, and economic implications when laws are couched in religious terms. We will see that law is not static and look at strategies that were used to overcome anxiety about what really comes from God. How is power negotiated and exercised? We will consider whether theocracy is necessarily repressive, how those on the margins or outside a religion’s universal claims are understood, and the role of rhetoric and interpretation in jockeying for power. Finally, our foray into the ancient world—a world before Enlightenment ideals, before “church” was imagined to be separate from “state”—will show us that, although political theory has changed, we still confront many of the same tensions and dynamics that marked Biblical theocracy. As we consider these questions and more, we will look to thinkers such as Baruch Spinoza, Niccolo Macchiavelli, Seyla Benhabib, John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, Bethany Moreton, and Talal Asad to pose incisive questions and suggest provocative framings that will help us engage deeply in the complexities of politics and religion.

Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

  • Upon request, we will refund less 5% cancellation fee of a course up until 6 business days before its start date.
  • Students who withdraw after that point but before the first class are entitled to 75% refund or full course credit.
  • After the first class: 50% refund or 75% course credit.
  • No refunds or credits will be given after the second class.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

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Brooklyn Institute for Social Research

The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research was established in 2011 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Its mission is to extend liberal arts education and research far beyond the borders of the traditional university, supporting community education needs and opening up new possibilities for scholarship in the...

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