• Bible & Archaeology Fest XIV, November 18-20, 2011
  Ancient History vs. Modern Stereotype: Reconsidering Jesus in his Jewish Context
  What are the major incorrect descriptions of early Judaism that appear in Christian Biblical interpretation, why did they develop, and how does our better knowledge of Jewish history correct them? What are the major incorrect descriptions of Christian history that surface in modern Jewish contexts, why did they develop, and how does our better knowledge, again of Jewish history, correct them?

• Seminar at Sea, January 23-30, 2011
  Jesus, Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations: Ancient Misunderstandings and Modern Consequences
  
  
  Women in an Ancient Jewish World: Separating Fact from Fiction
  In looking to Jesus as a champion of women’s rights, Christian commentators occasionally portray his Jewish context and the status of women in his world as comparable to - if not worse than—conditions under the Taliban. How did this incorrect view of women’s roles in early Judaism develop and what were Jewish women’s lives really like at the time of Jesus? What were the roles of the women who followed Jesus?
  Wrathful God vs. Loving God: A Theological Puzzle Resolved
  The “Old Testament Deity of Wrath” versus the “New Testament Deity of Love” is a false, but popular, theological claim. How did it develop, how might it be corrected, and how might a better understanding of first-century Jewish theology improve Jewish-Christian relations today?
  Jesus, Torah Law and Entry into Heaven: Misconceptions Laid to Rest
  In many Christian settings, the Law (Torah) is seen as a burden, and Judaism is seen as a religion that states one must follow the Law in order to earn one’s way into heaven. Jesus is then seen as coming to end the burden of the Law. Both views are false. How does a more accurate understanding of first-century Jewish practices and beliefs both correct unfortunate stereotypes and serve to inspire both Jews and Christians today?
  Christianity’s Take on the Jerusalem Temple: What History Really Tells Us
  Recent studies of Jesus depict the Jerusalem Temple as the site of all evil: Over-taxation, Roman collaboration, elitism, Pharisaic legalism and peasant exploitation. How and why is the Temple used as a negative symbol of Jewish tradition in Christianity, and what corrections to this picture does history offer?
  Jews and Gentiles in Antiquity: How Did They Get Along?
  The view of Jesus and the Church as universalistic, multicultural and open to all versus that of the synagogue as xenophobic, ethnocentric and restricted remains a popular - and false - stereotype. What were the various early Jewish views of the Gentiles, what was Jesus’ relationship to Gentiles, and how do these views relate to the questions of "chosen people" and “salvation”?
  Who Killed Jesus? Re-examining the Evidence
  Jesus of Nazareth, convicted of sedition, died on a Roman cross. How then did the Jews, rather than the Romans, become known as “Christ-killers”? What accounted for the increasing vilification of the Jews in the New Testament, and what can be done to insure that these stories do not promote anti-Judaism today?

Books by Amy-Jill Levine

BAS Articles and Book Reviews by Amy-Jill Levine