CCU, Herzl Institute Partner on Political Philosophy of the Bible Course
Colorado Christian University, the leading interdenominational Christian university in the Rocky Mountain region, is partnering with the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem on a groundbreaking initiative to develop an introductory course in the political philosophy of the Hebrew Bible.
While Israel is defending itself against its enemies and responding to the worst terror attack on Jews since the Holocaust, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic movements are on the rise on Western university campuses.
In these dark times, universities contribute to the illiteracy of the Jewish tradition and its importance to Western nations. The Bible is not studied as a source of ideas on university campuses. While the Hebrew Bible is taught as a religious text in Christian institutions, no university offers an introductory course in the political teachings of the Hebrew Bible that can be studied alongside other political theories. And yet these ideas deeply influenced the Western world as well as the American founding fathers.
CCU Chancellor Donald W. Sweeting, Ph.D., and two additional CCU professors will join American and Israeli scholars to workshop this course in Jerusalem. The course will introduce students to the biblical narrative from Genesis to Kings and the political wisdom that it teaches.
Students will learn:
- Hebraic political concepts including monotheism and its implications,
- Abraham’s covenant,
- The shepherd nation’s stand against empire,
- Biblical conception of the family,
- The Israelite exodus from slavery,
- Mosaic rule of law and limited government,
- David’s just reign through repentance,
- Solomon’s successful succession.
Yoram Hazony, president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem said, “In developing this course, CCU and the Herzl Institute are offering a way to reconstruct political philosophy, teaching students to appreciate the contribution of the Jewish people to Western political philosophy by introducing them to biblical concepts that enable them to recognize the challenges facing the family, the nation and the transmission of tradition.”
Sweeting added, “In this unusual collaboration of evangelicals and orthodox Jews, we will be meeting in Jerusalem, at this very tense political moment, not only to stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends, but to do something constructive for our universities and the rising generation of students.”