One God: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

RG2008
Instructor: Dr. Amanullah De Sondy
Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Islam
(Email: [email protected])

Thursdays – 4-6 pm Lectures

Thursday - 6-7pm Seminar
ORB 132
Spring 2024
Module Objective: (1) to think, discuss, and write critically about the notion of One God in historical and
contemporary times
(2) to broaden understanding of the core features that connect and disconnect Judaism, Christianity and Islam
(3) to foster insight into the legacy of monotheism and explore the critical contemporary conundrums that
Judaism, Christianity and Islam face today.

Module Content: Monotheism is one of the most important ideas in human history. This course examines how
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have lived it, understood it, and interpreted it. We will study the basic
structures of all three religions and explore their similarities, differences, and interactions on a set of critical
issues, both contemporary and classical. The course will encourage students' conversation and active
participation.

Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

 Think, discuss, and write critically about the notion of One God in historical and contemporary times
 Broaden understanding of the core features that connect and disconnect Judaism, Christianity and Islam
 Foster insight into the legacy of monotheism and explore the critical contemporary conundrums that
Judaism, Christianity and Islam face today.

Assessment: Total Marks 200: Continuous Assessment

50 marks; 1 x 1,500 word (max) Film review

Select a TV Series or Film that draws on the themes of this module and critically analyse. You should discuss
your selection with either Dr. De Sondy or Dr. McNamara before you start work on the review.

50 marks; 1 x 1,000 word (max) Book Review

Write a critical comparison and review of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in Chapters 8 &10

De Sondy, A., Gonzalez, A. M., and Green, W. S., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – An Introduction to
Monotheism (2020, Bloomsbury Academic, London: UK)

100 marks 1 x 2,500 word (max) Critical Essay

Outline the agreements and disagreements Judaism, Christianity and Islam have on monotheism.

Course Text:

De Sondy, A., Gonzalez, A. M., and Green, W. S., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – An Introduction to
Monotheism (2020, Bloomsbury Academic, London: UK)

Additional text titles can be found between pp.239-246 of the textbook

ESSAY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

When submitting coursework take note of the bases on which marks will be awarded and gear your writing to
these criteria. A good piece of writing will demonstrate that the student has understood the topic and the main
issues and positions involved. In addition, the student will be able to present relevant argument and clarify
positions, thereby demonstrating a command of relevant literature. Higher marks will be awarded for those
who demonstrate the ability to analyse and evaluate arguments and positions. Original work, or work which
presents a new synthesis of ideas in addition to all the above will obtain the highest marks (rare). In short, I
want to establish whether you have demonstrated the ability to:

–– Work to the question set and exclude what is irrelevant

–– Draw on material from the module and from what you have read
–– Make use of scholarly material intelligently and responsibly
–– Argue your case clearly, logically, convincingly
–– Write simply.

Marks are awarded for:

Presentation:
All work must be proof-read to check for sentence construction, spelling, typographical errors, grammar and
punctuation. Words written in a language other than English should either be italicised or underlined but not
both (for example, status quo; pax Romana).

Knowledge and content:

Part of the skill of essay writing is in deciding what basic information is relevant to the discussion. This means
deciding what should be included and what should be omitted. Your reading and research should provide you
with more material than you can use. The art is how you craft those findings into a coherent discussion. You
will lose marks if you introduce substantial irrelevant material or if you fail to discuss some item or scholar of
importance. The discussion should be focused, not diffuse.

Understanding:
How well have you understood the task set and how well have you responded to it? Are you in control of the
task, or are you struggling to make sense of it? Have you grasped the key issues and their significance? Have
you shown a depth of understanding appropriate to an undergraduate?

Structure and development of argument:

The essay has to communicate complex ideas; it is therefore essential that it is clearly structured to allow
logical and coherent development of the discussion. The structure does not simply emerge once pen is put to
paper – it has to be planned through careful reflection before writing begins. A muddled essay is often the
result not just of bad planning but of an inadequate grasp of the issues. The essay should have an introduction
which sets the scene for the discussion to follow. At this stage you will indicate the scope of your essay and
how you are going to limit the discussion. It must be immediately apparent to the reader that you are focused
on the particular question set. Each new paragraph should introduce a new section which further develops your
argument. Marks are awarded for the coherence, inner dynamism and progressive development of your writing.
You will be marked down if sections appear to be inserted arbitrarily, or if there is a flaw in the logic of your
thought. The essay should not taper off, or finish abruptly, there should be some concluding remarks. You
should recapitulate your findings, perhaps including an apt quotation to summarise the points you have tried to
make.

Writing style:
Are you struggling to express yourself? Is the sentence construction too staccato? Are sentences too long? Is
vocabulary appropriate to the task? Is there too much jargon? You will be marked according to the maturity of
your writing style. Do you display a level of sophistication in your writing, or is it naive and simplistic? Your
writing should be readable, engaging, clear, unpretentious. In short, it should be comprehensible to the average
 person. If in doubt look at your set texts and try to emulate the style used there, without simply copying its
content.

Analysis and evaluation:

Have you displayed an ability to analyse scholarly positions or religious texts and critically assess their
contribution? Can you weigh up the relative merits of arguments, by commenting on their strengths and
weaknesses, and identify the more persuasive positions? The ability to engage with a topic and make reasoned
judgements attracts high marks.
Personal reflection:
Do not simply report the others’ arguments; try also to participate in the debate yourself. Show that you have
thought about the question and developed your own response. Can you express opinion clearly without
resorting to polemic? Are your responses ill-considered and uninformed, or do they show considered reflection
in the light of reading? Do they reveal a person engaging with the topic or someone trying to get away with the
bare minimum? Do you avoid the more controversial or difficult aspects of topics, or can you deal with these
with skill and sensitivity?

Bibliography:
The bibliography should contain all the written and electronic resources which you have consulted in
preparation for the assessment. This will include all the works to which you have referred in the course of your
writing and, in addition, works which have influenced the way you respond to the question. The marker will
want to know whether your selected reading is sufficient and properly balanced to reflect a range of scholarly
views. Marks will be lost if the bibliography contains too few items, if the items are outdated or too one-sided
in terms of their content. Marks will be lost if you have cited works in the body of your essay but omitted them
from the bibliography. The bibliography must be set out correctly (see the section on Study Skills for help on
how to do this).

Evidence of reading and use of sources:

One of the chief tasks of a student is to interact with relevant literature and engage with scholarly
contributions. In order to write an essay on Karl Marx you need to read Marx’s writings (primary literature).
You will also want to consult the writings of others who have reflected on Marx and his legacy (secondary
literature). The marker will want to see evidence that you have read what you claim you have read, and that
you have understood it well enough to correctly represent the view it expresses. Sometimes students merely
parrot the views of scholars, or report them rather than engage with the views expressed.

Academic citation:
It is usually necessary to make reference to important texts within an essay. A common strategy is to extract a
quotation from a relevant author. Alternatively one might summarise the words of a commentator or re-express
them in one’s own words (paraphrase). In both these cases you must indicate to the reader the source of the
material by way of a reference (citation) included in your essay in addition to any mention of the work in the
bibliography. Marks will be awarded for appropriate and judicious use of citations. Have you chosen a pithy
quotation which encapsulates a scholar’s position and advances your discussion, or have you inserted a
quotation of no obvious or immediate relevance to the point you are making? Are you too reliant on scholars?

Do you use too many quotations, leaving no space for your own reflections? Do you use the words of others as
a substitute for trying to express yourself? Successful use of citations takes time and practice.

COMPILING BIBLIOGRAPHIES
There are different styles of presentation adopted by different authors and publishing houses. You may adopt
any style, but be consistent throughout and provide full bibliographic details as shown below. This means you
will have to take down full bibliographical details before you return material to the Library! Bibliographies are
listed in alphabetical order by author.

For books you must include:

The author’s surname followed by first name or initials
The year of publication
The book title (underlined or italicised but not both)
The place of publication (e.g. London)
The publisher (e.g. SPCK)
Any other relevant information (e.g. second edition; name of translator etc.)
For periodical articles you must include:
The author’s surname followed by first name or initials
The year of publication and full date if known
The title of the article (placed in inverted commas)
The name of the periodical/journal (underlined or italicised but not both)
The volume and issue number of the periodical/journal (e.g. vol. 3 no. 2)
The page numbers of the article (e.g. pp. 309-24)

For essays, articles or chapters in edited books or dictionaries you must include:
The author’s surname followed by first name or initials
The year of publication
The title of the article (placed in inverted commas)
The surname/s and initial/s of the book’s editor/s followed by (ed.) or (eds.)
The book title (underlined or italicised but not both)
The place of publication (e.g. London)
The publisher (e.g. SPCK)
Any other relevant information (e.g. second edition; name of translator etc.)
The page numbers of the essay, article or chapter

For electronic resources, Conventions for listing material gained from websites vary. You are advised to add a
section to the end of your bibliography entitled ‘Electronic resources’. Then provide a numbered list of
websites that you have used. If possible provide not just the http address but also the name of the person or
organisation maintaining the website and its title.

Sample bibliography:
Fitzmyer, J. 1989a ‘Paul’ in Brown R E et al (eds.). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. London:
Geoffrey Chapman, pp. 1329-1337
Fitzmyer, J. 1989b ‘Pauline Theology’ in Brown R.E. et al (eds.). The New Jerome Biblical
Commentary. London: Geoffrey Chapman, pp. 1382-1416
Horbury, W. 1982 ‘1 Thessalonians ii.3 as Rebutting the Charge of False Prophecy’ Journal of
Theological Studies, Vol. XXXIII Part 2, pp. 492-508
Sanders, E P. 1977 Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion. London: SCM

[a and b after dates for Fitzmyer’s articles are only necessary if using the author-date referencing system (see
below).]

Web sites
B.P. Stone, Fides Quaerens Internetum (The Christian Theology Page)
http://www.bu.edu/people/bpstone/theology/theology.html

REFERENCING TECHNIQUES
In addition to providing a bibliography, any reference to an author, or any quotation must be backed up with a
reference to the exact place in the work of that scholar where such a phrase or idea is expressed. However, no
one writes the whole details down immediately following the quotation. This would be tedious and would
impede the flow of ideas for the reader. Instead the details are provided in a more unobtrusive manner. There
are two main methods employed. You should choose whichever one you are most comfortable with (do not
mix both types in one essay).

The Author-Date (Harvard) Format

This system is the most concise referencing method and works perfectly provided you ensure that all the works
that you cite are also included on your bibliography. You cite simply by author, date and page number:
Theissen 1979:321 OR Theissen 1979, p.321. You may put that material either in a footnote or in brackets at
the end of your citation (or at the end of the sentence which refers to the scholar’s views). If you find an over-
industrious scholar has written two works in the same year and you want to cite them both, you have to
distinguish 1979a and 1979b in the references and in the bibliography. The following examples illustrate how
the system works:
 A paraphrase
‘The plurality of the Gospels is sheer gain for the historian (Morgan 1981: 41).’

A quotation
‘According to E.P. Sanders: “Paul’s thought was not simply taken over from any one scheme pre-existing in
the ancient world” (Sanders 1977: 555).’

Where an author has more than one published item per year
‘Fitzmyer suggests “most of what Paul wrote was composed ad hoc to handle concrete problems by letters”
(Fitzmyer 1989b: 1383).’

More than one reference (items separated by a semi-colon)

‘Joseph Fitzmyer has written extensively on St. Paul and his theology (1967; 1989a; 1989b).’

The Numeric Format

Either superscript or bracketed numbers (never both) are inserted into the text either immediately at the end of
a quotation or at the end of the sentence containing the quotation or paraphrase. These numbers guide readers
to a note either at the foot of the page or at the end of the essay just before the bibliography.

Example
Fairbairn and Winch, in their student study guide, indicate an additional use of footnotes: ‘an author may make
an explanatory aside which is not necessarily essential to the main drift of her case, perhaps supplying
additional information or anticipating an objection to something she has said.’1

Electronic references
Rather than list the whole http address in the text of your essay simply write in brackets after the relevant
quotation ER1 to indicate electronic resources bibliography item number 1. [A more detailed guide on how to
cite electronic resources is available at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html]

PLAGIARISM (COPYING)

All scholars involved in teaching and learning draw on the ideas of others. It is also the case that scholars often
find it helpful to incorporate the words of others into their own writings in the form of fully referenced
quotations. It is a first duty and golden rule of academic life always to acknowledge this dependence on others
fully. This means always placing verbatim borrowings within inverted commas (or indented type) and
providing a full and precise reference as to the source.

Plagiarism is the act of cheating by presenting another person’s words or ideas as if they were your own, and
without acknowledgement. Plagiarism is an extremely grave offence and constitutes academic misconduct. All
students are expected to familiarise themselves with what plagiarism involves. It will not be accepted as an
excuse to claim ignorance of what plagiarism involves. Neither is it sufficient to claim that the source is listed
in the general bibliography. Every student must sign a plagiarism disclaimer (found on the coursework cover
sheet) for every piece of work submitted in the department.

Examples of plagiarism

There are two main types of plagiarism. Firstly, the use of another student’s essay in order to copy (with or
without that person’s consent). It is also an offence to lend another student your essay for the purposes of
plagiarism. Secondly, the unacknowledged use of a written or electronic resource. We will illustrate the various
levels of plagiarism and appropriate quotation with reference to the following paragraph from Alister
McGrath’s book Christian Theology: An Introduction (Second edition) Oxford: Blackwell, 1997, p. 197:

How, then, are the Old and New Testaments related to one another, according to Christian theology? One
option was to treat the Old Testament as the writings of a religion which had nothing to do with Christianity.
This approach is especially associated with the second-century writer Marcion, who was excommunicated in
1
Fairbairn, G.J. and Winch, C., Reading, Writing and Reasoning: A guide for students, Buckingham: SRHE and
Open University Press, 1991, p. 66
the year 144. According to Marcion, Christianity was a religion of love, which had no place whatsoever for
law.

The Old Testament relates to a different God from the New; the Old Testament God, who merely created the
world, was obsessed with the idea of law. The New Testament God, however, redeemed the world, and was
concerned with love. According to Marcion, the purpose of Christ was to depose the Old Testament God (who
bears a considerable resemblance to the Gnostic ‘demiurge,’ a semi-divine figure responsible for fashioning the
world), and usher in the worship of the true God of grace.

There are faint echoes of this idea in the writings of Luther… The majority position within Christian theology
has on the one hand emphasized the continuity between the two testaments, while on the other noting the
distinction between them.

1) Suppose, in an essay about marcionism, I write:

According to Marcion, Christianity was a religion of love, which had no place whatsoever for law. The Old
Testament relates to a different God from the New; the Old Testament God, who merely created the world, was
obsessed with the idea of law. The New Testament God, however, redeemed the world, and was concerned
with love.

This is plagiarism. I have lifted a chunk of McGrath’s writing into my essay without any reference to
the fact that McGrath wrote it by way of quotation marks and footnotes. I am trying to deceive the reader into
thinking this is my summary of Marcion, not McGrath’s.

2) Suppose, in my essay I write:

There are faint echoes of Marcion in the writings of Luther on Scripture in the contrast he draws between the
legalistic religion of the Old Testament and the New Testament emphasis on grace.

This is also plagiarism. I have not copied, word for word, what McGrath has written, but I am totally
reliant on McGrath’s interpretation and I use some of his phrases. I am trying to disguise from the reader the
fact that I am using McGrath, since I have not given any reference to McGrath’s book.

3) Suppose, in my essay I write:

McGrath helpfully reminds us of Luther’s marcionite tendencies which appear as faint echoes in his writings.

This is still plagiarism. I have acknowledged McGrath but omitted to give the source of my
information. Neither have I owned up to the fact that the expression ‘faint echoes’ is stolen from McGrath.

4) Suppose I write:

According to McGrath, the Old Testament God of Marcion “bears a considerable resemblance to the Gnostic
‘demiurge” (McGrath, 1997: 197). (This is not plagiarism. I have properly indicated the author, his words and
their source.)

Suppose I write:

According to McGrath, the dominant strand of Christian theology has not fallen into the trap of
supersessionism but, rather, has acknowledged both the common elements and distinguishing features of the
two testaments. (McGrath, 1997: 197).

This is not plagiarism. I have chosen not to use a direct quotation from McGrath, but instead I have
summarised – in my own words – McGrath’s position. However, I still need to provide the reader with the
reference to the place in McGrath’s writing where he makes this point.

Suppose I write:
 Though McGrath is right to suggest that the dominant strand of Christian theology has avoided
supersessionism, it is incumbent on Christians, nevertheless, to remember the sorry history of anti-Judaism that
has pervaded a great deal of Christian theologising (McGrath, 1997: 197).

This is not plagiarism. It is still necessary to provide a reference to McGrath. This allows the reader to
see where McGrath’s idea ends and where my input – about supersessionism – begins.

Any work which contributes in any way to the final grade for a module is subject to the code governing
plagiarism. This means, specifically, that all module essays at both general and Honours levels are subject to
the code.

Class Schedule

1. Thursday 18th January

Introductions – overview
Read Chapter 1 and 2

2. Thursday 25th January

Chapter 3: Scripture – Dr. Rachel Woodlock, Visiting Scholar UCC and Melbourne University

3. Thursday 1st February

Chapter 4: Creation

4. Thursday 8th February

Chapter 5: Covenant & Identity – Prof Bill Green, Religious Studies, University of Miami, USA

5. Thursday 15th February – Dr. Aurungzeb Hanif, Islamic Studies, Lahore University of Management
Sciences, Pakistan

6. Thursday 22rd February – Dr. Jason Steidl, author of new book LGBTQ Catholic Ministry: Past and
Present

Film Review Due: Feb 26nd

7. Thursday 29th February

Chapter 6: Commandment: Ritual and Ethics

8. Thursday 7th March

Chapter 7: Peoplehood and Community
Visit to Unitarian Church, Princes St, Cork. We will also meet Cork’s Three Faith’s Forum Members.

Book Review Due: March 13th

9. Thursday 14th March

Chapter 8: Gender, Sexuality and Marriage – Prof Elizabeth Castelli, Barnard College of Columbia
University, USA

10. Thursday 21rd March

DIRECTED STUDY WEEK: NO LECTURES IR SEMINAR
 Read Chapter 9: Redemption, Salvation and Life After Death & Chapter 10: Contemporary Monotheism

11. Thursday 11th April – Visit to St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral – meet at Cathedral at 4pm

12. Thursday 18th April – Brian Lalor – Jerusalem

Visit to Chester Beatty Museum on Saturday 16th March

Critical Essay Due: April 23rd