Program Overview

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The Study of Judaism and Christianity (MLitt)

Overview

Gain comparative and cross-cultural perspectives on these two religious traditions through a joint qualification from the University of St Andrews and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.

Duration and School

• Duration: Two years full time
• School: School of Divinity

Fees

To be confirmed.

Why Study This Course?

The MLitt in the Study of Judaism and Christianity is a two-year taught programme run jointly by the School of Divinity at St Andrews and the Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

• The programme will allow you to explore both the breadth and depth of the Jewish and Christian religious traditions, encompassing languages, history, theology, and philosophy.
• You will spend your first year in Israel and your second year in Scotland.

Highlights

• As members of two world-class universities in very different settings, you will immerse yourself in two unique and rich cultural, linguistic, and religious environments.
• The programme will introduce the comparative study of Judaism and Christianity and allow you to develop your own expertise through modules that cross a wide range of sub-disciplines.
• Language courses will equip you with the skills to study Jewish and Christian literature in the original languages, both ancient and modern.
• The programme is taught by a group of internationally renowned experts in all major areas of the study of Judaism and Christianity from ancient Israel to the 21st century.
• The combination of rigorous intellectual training with extensive cross-cultural experience will prepare you to go on to PhD research or to enter a range of top-level graduate careers.

Language Teaching

• Students are required to show an intermediate proficiency in at least one ancient or modern language other than English by the end of the programme.
• Teaching is available in biblical and modern Hebrew, Greek, classical Latin, classical and modern Arabic, German, French, and Italian.

Teaching and Assessment

• Delivered through lectures, one-to-one discussions, seminars, and class presentations.
• A mix of seminar presentations, extended essays, and end-of-semester written exams.

Modules

• Details of the modules taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will be available in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem module catalogue.
• The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment.
• Students take three or four optional modules both in Jerusalem and in St Andrews.

Jerusalem - Compulsory

• Issues in the Comparative Study of Judaism and Christianity
• Topics in the Relations between Judaism and Christianity

Jerusalem - Optional

• Selected Topics in Biblical Law
• Selected Topics in Biblical Prophecy
• Law in the New Testament
• New Testament as a Witness for Broader Second Temple Judaism
• Approaching Classical Jewish Texts from Medieval to Modern Times
• Reading Medieval Jewish Exegesis
• Monarchy in Classical Jewish Thought
• Kabbalah and German Idealism
• German-Jewish Thought and Culture
• The Legacy of German-Jewish Modernism
• Hannah Arendt and Rahel Varnhagen
• Ethics and Jewish Education in the Thought of Emmanuel Levinas
• Dangerous Liaisons: The Vatican and the Jews after WWII
• Ineffability

St Andrews - Optional

• Hebrew Readings
• Hellenistic Greek Readings
• Biblical Themes
• King and Messiah in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism
• Epistle to the Hebrews
• The Book of Revelation
• From Nazareth to Nicaea: The origins of Christian theology
• Theological Anthropology
• The Doctrine of the Trinity
• Christology
• A Selected Patristic Theologian: Gregory Nazianzen
• A Selected Reformation Theologian
• A Selected Medieval Theologian: Thomas Aquinas
• A Selected Modern Theologian: Henri de Lubac

Dissertation

• A 15,000-word project with regular support.
• Student dissertations are supervised by members of the teaching staff who advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process.

What It Will Lead To

Careers

• Students on our Masters programmes are provided with the skills they need to succeed in an international job market, both academic and non-academic.
• Regular workshops, both general and subject-specific, in areas such as publishing, conference presentations, and job searches are offered by the School of Divinity and the University.

Further Study

• Many Divinity graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

Why St Andrews?

• The School of Divinity at St Andrews regularly hosts international conferences and smaller symposia on themes across the field of biblical and theological studies.

Entry Requirements

• A 2.1 undergraduate Honours degree in Theology, Religion, Jewish Studies, Biblical Studies, or a closely related discipline.
• English language proficiency.

Application Requirements

• CV that includes your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date
• Personal statement (optional)
• 2,000-word sample of your own, single-authored academic written work
• Two original signed academic references
• Academic transcripts and degree certificates

English Language Proficiency

• If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.

Fees and Funding

• To be confirmed.
• Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required.
• In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver.
• Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.

Scholarships and Funding

• We are committed to supporting you through your studies, regardless of your financial circumstances.
• You may be eligible for scholarships, discounts, or other support:
  • GREAT Scholarship
  • St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship
  • St Leonard's funding opportunities
  • Graduate discount (15% off tuition fees)
  • Divinity scholarships