THL-2590-001: Holy Wars
THL-2590-001: Holy Wars
The
events of September 11, 2001 brought into sharp and tragic focus the long
history of violence, hatred, and misunderstanding between Islam and
Christianity. Historical exploration of the origins of this history assist in
understanding the ‘how’ questions – the historical precedents for such acts of
violence, etc. However, the issue is also, and maybe largely, a theological
one: how have Christianity and Islam both have in their tradition understood
wars against the other as ‘holy’? This question sheds light on the complex
relationship between faith and practice, between the universal claims of
religious faiths like Islam and Christianity and the particular cultures and
regimes that espouse them. It may also shed light on our own blind spots in
liberal democratic regimes to the serious claims that religions make on such
issues, and thus (hopefully) begin to illuminate the webs of significance that
are intertwined around this most recent darkness.
The
course will engage in historical and comparative theology to study not only the
events of the Crusades in the Middle Ages, but also the theological and
historical roots of these events. Thus it will begin with a study of the
formation of European ‘Christendom’ and the birth of Islam in the Early Middle
Ages, with the theological accounts offered in each tradition of the limits and
responsibilities of its faith and culture. Of particular focus will be each
tradition’s response to/relation to political violence, or war. Then it will
study some accounts of the Crusades, from both Christian and Muslim authors.
Thirdly, we will explore the theological implications of modern liberalism,
arguably conceived as an antidote to violent religious conflict. The course
will end with theological reflection on modern fundamentalisms and the
‘religious’ uses of violence and explore some contemporary invocations of the
Crusades in contemporary encounters between Christianity and Islam.
This course provides a new and unique opportunity to stretch the limits of our inquiry, since it is twinned with PSC 6140, Religion and Politics, taught in the same time slot by Dr. Thomas W. Smith. The courses will follow a similar curriculum, but will address the texts and issues from within the disciplines of theology and political theory, respectively. Several times throughout the semester, we will combine the classes for a shared lecture or discussion. Also, since we have received a grant from the Villanova Institute for Teaching And Learning (VITAL), we have a small budget to sponsor a lecture series for the Villanova community.
Pending administrative approval, the course will meet Diversity (3) and Writing-enriched requirements.
Course Schedule (subject to revision)
Week of August 26
M Introduction, syllabus, etc.
W Richard Dawkins, “Religion’s misguided missiles” (Xerox)
F Alan Wolfe, “Religion with a Grain of Salt” (Xerox)
Week of September 2
M Labor Day: Class will not meet
W A critical understanding of what religion is and isn’t. (Handout)
Recommended: Griffiths, Problems of Religious Diversity, pp. 1-20 (Reserve)
F Approaching the Qur’an: (audio & handout)
Recommended: Sells, Approaching the Qur’an, Introduction
Week of September 9
M Qur’an, Suras 1; 53:1-8; 81-114
W Qur’an, Suras 2 (all); 3:156-168; 4(all); 8:39; 9:5-45; 22:39-40.
F The Sunnah (excerpts); Muhammad, Last Sermon; Esposito, Ch. 3.
Week of September 16
M Covenant and Promise: Genesis 2-4; 11-12; 15
W The Promised Land: : Exodus 12-13; 19-24; Deuteronomy 29-30; Joshua 6-12.
F The Deeper Promise: Isaiah 40-44:5; 49:1-6; 50; 52:13-53:12.
Week of September 23
M Gospel of Mark
W Gospel of Mark
F LECTURE: the Christian Scriptures: from Wandering to Way. Connelly Cinema
Week of September 30
M Augustine, City of God, I.1, 8; II.20,21; III.1
W Augustine, City of God, V, preface, 1, 12-21, 24-26
F Augustine, City of God, same as 10/2
Week of October 7
M City of God, X.1-3; 6; 14; XV.1; XIX.first paragraph of chapter 1; 6-8; 11; 14-17; 21; 24-27
W City of God, XIX.first paragraph of chapter 1; 6-8; 11; 14-17; 21; 24-27
F Lecture, Dr. Smith, City of God (Connelly Cinema)
Recommended: Rowan Williams, “Politics and the Soul: A Reading of the City of God” Milltown Studies 19:20 (1987), 55-72. (on reserve)
FALL BREAK
Week of October 21
M The Christendom Ideal: Gelasius “Two Swords” (online: Two Swords), Gregory VII, Letter to Hermann of Metz (Xerox); Riley-Smith, Ch. 2
W R. Wilken, "Gregory VII and the Politics of the Spirit." (online)
F Song of Roland (excerpts, online: Song of Roland (excerpts)), Riley-Smith, Ch. 4
Week of October 28
M Medieval Islam: Culture and Empire, Esposito, Ch. 2; Riley-Smith Ch. 10
W Crusades: Riley-Smith, Ch. 3, and primary source readings TBA.
F Crusades, Same.
Week of November 4
M The Cultural Contradictions of Christendom: Lecture, Hughes
VII. Holy War, Just War, Pacifism: Traditional Religious Approaches to the Problem of Violence
W Thomas Aquinas; “Idea of Just War in the Middle Ages”
F Suarez; “Jihad” texts, and James Turner Johnson, John Kelsay (TBA)
Week of November 11
M Hobbes
W Hobbes
F Hobbes
Week of November 18
M Hobbes
W Hobbes
F LECTURE: Dr. Smith on Hobbes.
Week of November 25
M No Class
IX. Responding to Modernity
Week of December 2
M “Violence as a Sacred Duty” (Appleby)
W “Violence as a Sacred Duty” (Appleby)
F Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, chapters 5 and 6
Week of December 9
M John Paul II, Gospel of Life (excerpts, online)
T Same
W Closing Lecture: Dr. Smith and/or Dr. Hughes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The prior offering, Spring 2002.
Week of January 14
M Introduction, Syllabus, etc.
I. Imagining the Other: Christianity and Islam Now
W Linda Chavez, "A War Against Militant Islamic Fundamentalism"; Bill Murchison, "The new religious war: who’s winning and losing" and "Islam and the making of Christian martyrs."
F Jihad vs. McWorld, Benjamin Barber
Week of January 28
M "Clash of Civilizations?", Samuel P. Huntingdon.W Michael Sells, "Taliban, Image-war, and Iconoclasm"; "The Interlinked Factors of a Tragedy."
F Bernard Lewis, "License to Kill" (LEXIS-NEXIS); "The West and the Middle East" (LEXIS-NEXIS)
II. The "Straight Path": IslamWeek of February 4
M Qur’an, Suras 1; 53:1-8;
W Qur’an, Suras 81-114. Esposito, Ch. 1.
F The Sunnah (excerpts); Muhammad, Last Sermon
Week of February 11
M Al-Ghazali, Munkidh min al-Dalal; Esposito, Ch. 3.
W Islamic theology: al-Ghazali; Zamakhshari.
F Esposito, Ch. 2., Accounts of the conquest of Egypt.; Battle of Tours.
III. Christian Faith and Western Culture
Week of February 18
M Joshua 6-12; Mt 4-7, Ephesians 6.
W Book of Revelation
F Augustine, City of God (excerpts); Gelasius, Two Swords
Week of February 25
M Gregory VII, Letter to Hermann of Metz. Robert Wilken: "Gregory VII and the Politics of the Spirit."
W Cowdrey, "The Genesis of the Crusades"; Ps. Methodius, "Revelations" (excerpts).
SPRING BREAK
IV. The Crusades
Week of March 11
M Oxford Illus, ch. 2; Urban II, Calling 1rst Crusade.
W Oxford Illus., Ch. 3-4;
Popular Crusade.F For and Against Crusading:
Franciscan texts; Sermons for Crusaders, "Criticism of Crusading, 1095-1274" by Elizabeth Siberry (Oxford, 1985).Week of March 18
M
W
F
Week of March 25
M Oxford, Ch. 10; Maalouf 1-55
EASTER BREAK
Week of April 1
W Oxford, Ch. 6, 9
, Crusading Orders texts: Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Tyre, Rule of Knights TemplarF
Just War and Holy War
Week of April 8
M Just War
: Handouts:" Holy War" and "Just War in the Middle Ages"W Just War: Thomas Aquinas, Suarez, Darrel Cole, "Good Wars"
F
Just war.The end of the crusades? Jonathan Riley-Smith; H.Richard Niebuhr, "War as Crucifixion" (handout)Week of April 15
M Jihad: Koran, 2:190-218; 3:156-168; 4:72-95; 8:39; 9:5-45; 22:39-40.
W Jihad: Kelsay (handout), Chs. 2 & 3
F Jihad: Kelsay (handout), Ch. 4
Week of April 22
M Fundamentalisms and violence.:Appleby, "Violence as a Sacred Duty."
W
Fundamentalisms, cont'dF Peace traditions.
Week of April 29
M Wrap-up
W Wrap-up
F READING DAY
Week of May 6