Venue: The Jewish Center (New York, NY) The Jewish Center (New York, NY)

Machshava:

Texts 

Collections: Rabbi Secunda Interfaith Dialogues in Iran

Description

The Babylonian Talmud, the central work of Judaism for over a millennium, was not compiled in a vacuum, but in the dynamic, effervescent world of late antique Bavel (Mesopotamia). At that time, the Sasanians, an Iranian dynasty, ruled over Iran and parts of what is today Iraq, an area inhabited by adherents of many other faiths. Many Jews lived in close proximity to these faith communities, and debated them in formal and informal contexts. These interactions shaped the Jewish community. In this course, we will look at how these "interfaith dialogues" were conducted and consider the new beliefs and ways of thinking the Jews developed as a result of these encounters- ideas that are still part of the Jewish tradition today.