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Who were Jesus, Peter, Mary, and Paul in the Roman empire of the early first century? How did these Jews of the Second Temple Period become the earliest generation of a 2,000 year history of Christianity? How did early Christian understandings of God and humanity shape or constrain their interpretations of and responses to affliction, healing, and death, both conceptually and in practice? Finding answers to these questions requires students to study the literature of the New Testament and other early Christian literature, along with scholarly analyses of key issues related to authorship, dating, textual analysis, literary genres, historical contexts, and varying interpretations. The purpose of the course is to train students in the content of the texts as well as critical tools related to documentary analysis, archaeological methods, and various literary and social scientific approaches, interdisciplinary tools which also enhance one's skills in a variety of careers and professions.