It’s not surprising that many of the familiar Hebrew Bible tales concerning the four Matriarchs portray them very favorably.  However, the Book of Genesis also relates some episodes about these women that seem to imply mixed or even negative judgments about particular aspects of their moral characters.  We’ll examine how the contributions of classical rabbinic...

Sound—whether thunder or psalmody—plays a role in the formation and perception of the sacred. Religions acknowledge the importance of sound, manifested in the voice of God, the call to prayer, collective chant, and other profound ways. Sound unifies communities in sacred worship and arms sacred hierarchies. It is captured in images and contained in built...

What does it mean to serve a city? "Faith in Service of the City" is an event designed to create dialogue on--and offer potential models of--how residents of Los Angeles use their faith commitments, tools, resources, beliefs, practices, and so forth to mobilize service acts to our city. Panelists representing significant faith-motivated organizations in the city...

CSR Calendar of Events - Winter 2018

Sara Milstein is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern Studies in the Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia. She published Tracking the Master Scribe: Revision through Introduction in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature (Oxford UP, 2016), and in 2010, she co-authored with Daniel Fleming The Buried Foundation of...

The Center for the Study of Religion invites students to participate in Heart & Sole, an innovative workshop designed to educate students about religious diversity, help them explore their own beliefs and values, and teach the skills needed to engage in inter-religious dialogue with their peers on campus. Join us in our effort to make Heart...

Throughout the ages, Satan has been seen as God’s implacable enemy, fiercely determined to keep as many human beings as he can from entering the heavenly kingdom. But according to Henry Ansgar Kelly, this understanding dates only from post-biblical times, when Satan was reconceived as Lucifer, a rebel angel, and as the serpent in the...

Open to students of RELIGN M50: Join Professor Bakhos for a reading and discussion of Biblical passages of your choosing over lunch. PLEASE RSVP BELOW: