King’s and Herzl Institute Collaborate on Study Program in Jerusalem

As part of its newly developing Center for Studies in the Middle East (CSIME), The King’s College is pleased to announce the first collaborative project of the Center, a major partnership with The Herzl Institute in Israel to design and deliver a summer studies program in Jerusalem.

A pilot of the program will be offered to students in summer 2015, with plans to roll out the program in full for summer 2016. Christian students from The King’s College and other universities will be guided toward appreciating the value of the “Judeo” in the “Judeo-Christian” intellectual tradition.

This will involve critically reading the Hebrew biblical texts, investigating the Hebraic tradition as it extends into Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, following those contributions into the mainstream of Western ideas to the present, and exploring the impact of biblical ideas on modern-day Israel and the Middle East, as well as on the relationship between Jews and contemporary Christianity and Islam. The program will be rounded out by visits to key historical and archaeological sites and museums to enrich the Scriptural and Jewish cultural components.

The program is co-directed by Jewish philosopher and political theorist Dr. Yoram Hazony of the Herzl Institute, author of The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, and Christian Bible scholar Dr. Dru Johnson, assistant professor of Biblical Studies at The King’s College in New York City and author of Biblical Knowing.

“We see this program as launching a new kind of Jewish-Christian partnership,” says Hazony. “People always talk about the ‘Judeo-Christian’ heritage. But the truth is that that has mostly been a polite way of saying ‘Christian Heritage.’ What we are seeing at the Herzl Institute is a very deep change, in which many Christians across denominations are saying: Maybe Jews and Judaism have something to contribute to our lives. Maybe we could gain something important by hearing what Jews have to say about the Bible, our history and our world. The new ‘Hebraic Heritage’ program aims to offer just that to Christian students who are looking for that kind of experience.”

“This joint initiative is very exciting for two reasons,” says Johnson. “First, Christian students will be studying the new field of biblical philosophy with Christian and Jewish scholars in Israel. Second, right now, our two institutions are uniquely situated to direct this program. Yoram Hazony has worked for over a decade to move Hebraic thought from the periphery of political, philosophical, and theological discussions to the status of partner. There is a growing field of scholars who see the Hebrew Bible a source of philosophical thought worth including in intellectual story of the West. We have even created a new section within the Society of Biblical Literature titled ‘Hebrew Bible and Philosophy.’ As a biblical theologian who has been writing on biblical philosophy, I’m personally enthusiastic about walking through the Hebrew Bible with undergraduates, using it to engage a variety of philosophical traditions.”

The Herzl Institute is a leading research institution and training center in Jerusalem dedicated to intellectual renewal, content development, and capacity building in the areas of Jewish theology, philosophy and political thought as well as the history of Jewish ideas in the Christian and Islamic worlds.

Students interested in studying in the program can find more information at its website.

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The Herzl Institute aims to contribute to a revitalization of the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the family of nations through a renewed encounter with the foundational ideas of Judaism. The Herzl Institute strives to honor the memory of Theodor Herzl: statesman, political thinker, and champion of his people, whose vision and deeds initiated the rebirth of Israel.