Judaism and Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.

The MPhil in Judaism and Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World is ideal for students wishing to learn more about the origins of Christianity by coming to grips with the complex evidence for the state of Judaism in the Graeco-Roman World in the first century.

An emphasis is placed on the detailed study of primary evidence for both Judaism and Christianity in the first and early second centuries CE. You will therefore require a good existing knowledge of both Hebrew and Greek.

The structure and content of the course ensures that you have the opportunity to pay equal attention to the history and primary texts of both religious traditions.

Core modules examine the literature, history, and institutions of each tradition and you may choose to specialise in one further theme within each tradition:

Judaism from 200 BCE to 200 CE
Christianity to 200 CE
You will choose to specialise in one further theme within each tradition. In the case of Judaism, these themes are:

Jewish Historiography
Jewish Bible Interpretation
Jewish Eschatology
Jewish Wisdom Literature
In the case of Christianity, these themes are:

The Gospels and the Historical Jesus
The Acts and the Pauline Corpus
The Apostolic Fathers
The Apologists

You may choose a dissertation research topic which explores a facet of one or other tradition or inter-relating aspects of the two traditions in the period.

The Oxford Faculties of Theology and Religion and of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, together with Oxford’s wider library resources and collections, provide an unmatched research environment for the study of Judaism and Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World. Many graduates of this course have found their in-depth engagement with the Jewish background to early Christianity an excellent preparation for doctoral study in New Testament, in the history of religions in the early Roman Empire and in Jewish studies.