Unraveling the questions of the Letters of Paul: what's their significance? When were they written, and in what language? *** Enroll in the course "Early Christianity: The Letters of Paul" on edX: ****** The letters of Paul are the earliest texts in the Christian scriptures, written by a Jew at a time when the word “Christian” hadn’t yet been coined. What is the religious and political context into which they emerged? How were they first interpreted? How and why do do they make such an enormous impact in Christian communities and in politics today? Archaeological materials and ancient writings will help you to enter the ancient Mediterranean world and to think about religious groups, power, poverty, health, and the lives of elites and slaves in the Roman Empire. We’ll explore how immediately controversial these letters were, and how these letters are used today to debate relations between Christians and Jews; issues such as love, law, and grace; and topics such as charismatic Christianity, homosexuality, and women’s religious leadership. Whether you’ve been studying Paul’s letters for years or are merely curious about what Christian scriptures are, this course will provide you with information to deepen your understanding of the ancient contexts and present-day controversies about these texts. *** HarvardX is a Harvard University strategic initiative, to enable faculty to build and create open online learning experiences for the public, and to enable groundbreaking research in online pedagogies. Be sure to subscribe to HarvardX on YouTube to check out more great videos from Harvard.