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Lecture: Introduction to Biblical Economics
Friday, March 5, 7:00 – 9:00pm $20
The people of Israel broke away from the “advanced civilization” of Mesopotamia and Egypt and formed an alternative society. In the ancient Near Eastern empires, as in the global capitalist economy, the centralization of wealth and power led to increasing exploitation of the people’s labor, fragmentation of supportive community, privatization of the public resources, and neglect of human welfare. In its covenant with Yahweh on Sinai, however, early Israel outlined principles of an alternative economy devoted to the common good, the protection of people’s economic rights, and mutual assistance in cooperative community. The monarchy centralized wealth and power again, in violation of the covenant. The prophets pronounced Yahweh’s condemnation of the wealthy and powerful for exploiting the people, and Jesus called for a revival of mutual support and cooperation in renewed covenantal community. “Biblical economics” may pose some significant challenges to the unprecedented concentration of power and wealth in the global capitalist system in these “depressing” times.
Workshops:
Saturday, March 6 10am-12:00pm $20
Economics of the Mosaic Covenant
The Ten Commandments, often taken as rules of morality, were principles that protected the people’s social-economic rights in key areas of social interaction in Israel’s Covenant with God on Sinai. On the basis of these principles Israel developed mechanisms of a “moral economy” in which the people protected each other’s rights to a livelihood by mutual aid rooted in recognition of the common good. Discussion of how the covenantal economic principles may be applicable to the overlapping covenantal communities of the church, constitutional countries, and international economics, especially under globalization.
Saturday, March 6 1pm-3 pm $20
Jesus’ Renewal of Covenant Economics
The very center of Jesus’ prophetic teaching was the renewal of the Mosaic covenant among village communities in Galilee – communities that were disintegrating under the multiple demands of their high priestly, Herodian, and Roman rulers for tithes, taxes, and tribute. Exploration of the “Sermon on the Plain,” the “Sermon on the Mount,” and other Gospel texts. Discussion of the pertinence of Jesus renewal of covenant for disintegration of community today under economic pressures of centralization of wealth.
$60 for all 3 lectures, lunch included.
Richard Horsley, Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion, University of Massachusetts Boston, is author of a dozen books and editor of another dozen. In books such as Bandits, Prophets, and Messiahs, Jesus and the Spiral of Violence, and Galilee: History, Politics, People. He pioneered exploration of the historical Jesus in his social and political context, including popular movements. He opened up the recent discussion of Empire as the context of Jesus and Paul in Paul and Empire (1997) and Jesus and Empire (2003) and In the Shadow of Empire (2008). His new book, Covenant Economics: A Biblical Vision of Justice for All is a survey of how central economic concerns are in the Mosaic covenant, the prophets, and the teaching of Jesus.