Jewish Childhood in Ottoman and Hashemite Iraq
James West Alumni Center Conference CenterThe talk follows the lives of children and young adults in the modern cities of Iraq, as well as in towns and in villages. I will explore the schools, libraries, cafes, and streets in which children interacted with other children, and present the different kinds of childhood Jewish children experienced based on their class, gender...
Is Freemasonry a Religion or a Pioneering Interfaith Society?
Bunche Hall 6275 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesThe relationship between Freemasonry and religion is quite a complex one. Some might think Freemasonry is a religion or at least a sect. For others it is an association that has nothing to do with religion, qualifying it as a charity club when it is not a political think-tank. If Freemasonry is not already a...
The Joshua Generation: How David Ben-Gurion and his Political Successors Read the Biblical Book of Conquest
Royce Hall, Rm 306In the name of enshrining the Bible as the central text in Israeli life, Israeli Prime Minister Ben-Gurion convened a study group at his residence dedicated to interpreting the book of Joshua. The study group participants asserted that the true meaning of the Bible could only be unlocked by Jews living in their ancient homeland....
From the Arc of Ascent to the Arc of Descent: Writings of Baha’u’lla, the Founder of Baha’i Faith
Humanities Bldg, Rm 365Baha'u'llah the founder of the Baha'i Faith has written a multitude of letters and books. Written during 40 years of his ministry (1852-1892), these writings can be divided into three distinct stages, each emphasizing a certain mystical and social principle. In this talk the chronological and logical order of these stages will be explored. Seminar...
Divine Law and Community Boundaries in Jewish Antiquity
Royce Hall, Rm 314Royce Hall, 314 In late antiquity, two radically distinct conceptions of divine law—Greek natural law grounded in reason and biblical law grounded in revelation—confronted one another with a force that reverberates to the present. This talk explores these responses and highlights their role in creating and maintaining distinct communities in the world of late antique...
Lucas Cranach and Martin Luther: Sacred Art at the Dawn of the Reformation
Charles E. Young Research Library 280 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles , United StatesThe allegorical paintings and altarpieces that Lucas Cranach made in Wittenberg during his association with Martin Luther reveal a Reformation that is different from the one we know in books. This lecture examines the iconography of some of the earliest protestant artworks, made by some of the greatest artists of the German Renaissance, with an...
The Spirituality of Jesus in the New Millennium: A Fourth Quest for Jesus
Humanities Bldg, Rm 348 348 Humanities Bldg, Los Angeles , CA, United StatesOver the last century and a half, the one conclusion of critical biblical scholarship is actually twofold: the dehistoricization of John and the de-Johannification of Jesus. The problem with these two platforms, however, is that despite being different and theological, the Fourth Gospel is also mundane and topographically grounded, conveying more archaeologically attested details than...
Book Talk: Muslims and the Making of America: A Conversation
Royce Hall, Rm 314There has never been an America without Muslims. Yet in our current political climate, there is ignorance and fear about Muslims. Join us for a conversation with Amir Hussain, a professor at LMU and expert on America’s Muslims. He will talk about his new book, Muslims and the Making of America, which discusses the contributions...
The Indian Roots of Global Buddhism
Haines A 39 375 Portola Plz, Los Angeles, United StatesRSVP HERE
Beyond Honor and Shame: Rabbinic Control of Jewish Women in Medieval Egypt
Royce Hall, Rm 314Restrictions imposed on women in Mediterranean societies both past and present are often understood to reflect a gendered model of “honor and shame” that conditions men’s status on their female relatives’ sexual purity. This talk will use legal documents from the Cairo Geniza, an enormous corpus of everyday papers preserved in a synagogue in Cairo,...