This course aims to examine the transformations Judaism has undergone throughout history, including its sacred texts, religious institutions, theological teachings, and cultural structure, using a scholarly approach. By examining the fundamental periods of Jewish history, religious leadership structures, creeds, religious practices, and transformations in the modern era, students are expected to grasp the Jewish tradition in its historical and theological integrity.

Early Jewish history: Ancient Israelite tradition and the First Temple period. Religious reconstruction after the Babylonian exile, the Second Temple period, and social movements. The formation of Rabbinic Judaism: the Misna, the Talmud, and the Midrash traditions; the structure of sacred texts; the canonization process and theological themes. The Jewish belief system: the concept of God, election, covenant, prophecy, and Messianic belief. The structure of Jewish worship: the synagogue, the Shabbat, holidays, prayer system, and halakha. Medieval Jewish thought: Saadia, Maimonides, Nachmanides, and the mystical tradition of Kabbalah. Modern Judaism: the Haskalah, Reform Orthodoxy, Zionism, post-Holocaust transformations, and contemporary Jewish identity.