Good and Evil in Qumran

Professor

Dr. Tupa Guerra

COURSE PREVIEW

The Qumran Scrolls is a fascinating library of ancient documents found in the 20th century in the caves of the Judean desert. We have learned so much about the ways of life and beliefs of ancient Jews from those fragments. Though we realize that these particular fragments represent only a segment of Jewish society, they provide a unique window into the ancient world. In this course, Dr. Tupa Guerra takes you on a journey of exploring the beliefs about good and evil as they are represented in this Dead Sea Scrolls collection. How much did the ancients think about the daily dangers of evil and snares of sin? Does evil have anything to do with sickness? What can be done to escape evil? What remedies and protections did good provide? Can evil be banished? Qumran is Dr. Guerra’s area of specialty, so amid the passages that are often quoted from Qumran texts and the Bible, prepare to encounter some fragments and translations you may have never seen. Understand the world of ancient Jews a little better by exploring the topic of good and evil in the Qumran Scrolls!

Course Features

Sessions 16
Duration 5 hours
Language English

- Lecture1.1
  Introduction
- Lecture1.2
  Anxiety Over Evil
- Lecture1.3
  Pious Life in Qumran
- Lecture1.4
  A Place to Pursue Good
- Lecture1.5
  Community and Rules
- Lecture1.6
  The Daily Threat of Evil
- Lecture1.7
  The Children of Light
- Lecture1.8
  The Children of Darkness
- Lecture1.9
  Good and Evil Agents (part 1)
- Lecture1.10
  Good and Evil Agents (part 2)
- Lecture1.11
  The Origin of Evil
- Lecture1.12
  The Struggle Between Good and Evil
- Lecture1.13
  Fending off Danger (part 1)
- Lecture1.14
  Fending off Danger (part 2)
- Lecture1.15
  Evil, Disease and Sickness
- Lecture1.16
  The End of Evil

Dr. Tupa Guerra

The Qumran Scrolls is a fascinating library of ancient documents found in the 20th century in the caves of the Judean desert. We have learned so much about the ways of life and beliefs of ancient Jews from those fragments. Though we realize that these particular fragments represent only a segment of Jewish society, they provide a unique window into the ancient world. In this course, Dr. Tupa Guerra takes you on a journey of exploring the beliefs about good and evil as they are represented in this Dead Sea Scrolls collection. How much did the ancients think about the daily dangers of evil and snares of sin? Does evil have anything to do with sickness? What can be done to escape evil? What remedies and protections did good provide? Can evil be banished? Qumran is Dr. Guerra's area of specialty, so amid the passages that are often quoted from Qumran texts and the Bible, prepare to encounter some fragments and translations you may have never seen. Understand the world of ancient Jews a little better by exploring the topic of good and evil in the Qumran Scrolls!

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