HIST3548W

Islam has a long history of engagement with the figure of Christ, who is viewed as the last prophet before Muhammad. This course examines that engagement from the beginnings in the Qur’an and Hadith and into the medieval and early modern history. It will focus on texts in their social and political/sectarian context, from Sufi poetry and Stories about the Prophets to the Gospel of Barnabas and its relation to Spanish and European history in the sixteenth century.

The course ends with a study of 20th- and 21st-century writings by Muslim authors about Christ, who used Christ to reflect/criticize modern political and social change in Egypt and the rest of the Arab World. The course also includes excerpts from the 20-hour Iranian TV series about Christ (and a shorter one on Mary) and will touch on the controversies that surrounded these and other depictions of religious figures. The last session will be devoted to some "puzzle" poems and Zealot by Reza Aslan.

02356

Periodic Spring