The Martin Distinguished Professorship in Religious Studies Lecture Series is presenting a series of talks titled \u201cHoly Lands in Classical Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.\u201d Each of the speakers will examine one of the three western religious traditions concerning the development of the notion of a holy land or lands.\u00a0All the lectures in the series begin at 7 p.m. in the UTC University Center Auditorium. These lectures are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, February 1, <\/strong>Jeremy Cohen, Abraham and Edita Spiegel Foundation Professor of European Jewish History at Tel Aviv University will discuss the development of the concept of a holy land in classical Judaism. \u201cStrange as it may seem, the notion that Israel is a\u2014or the\u2014holy land has no firm foundation in the Hebrew Bible, which pays far more attention to specific holy places (like Beth El) or holy cities (like Jerusalem),\u201d Dr. Irven Resnick, Professor and Chair of Excellence in the UTC Department of Philosophy and Religion.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, February 2, <\/strong>Robin Darling Young, Professor of Theology at University of Notre Dame, will expand on the idea of a holy land in early Christianity. \u201cRobin Darling Young will explore the theme from the standpoint of early Christian communities which, in the first three to four centuries, sought to transfer the Jewish concept of\u00a0holy place or holy land to a heavenly, spiritual realm in order to emphasize the universal nature of the Christian community, which was not to be tied too closely to a single place or geography,\u201d Resnick said.<\/p>\n