History

The academic study of world religions has a long tradition among most major universities. At the University of Michigan, the Department of Near Eastern Studies (DNES) offers courses examining the major religious traditions of the Near and Middle East, including Jewish, Christian, and Islamic studies. The DNES is a natural home for scholarship specializing in Early Christianity and New Testament since the Near East was the birthplace of the Christian tradition.

While the University of Michigan does not grant a degree in religious studies, there is a Program on Studies in Religion. Students may emphasize Studies in Religion in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, of which the DNES is a part. Since the inception of the Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies, the faculty of the DNES has approved the addition of a Minor in Early Christian Studies.

The DNES is fertile ground for collaborative work among scholars working and teaching in the areas of ancient civilizations, Biblical studies, Judaism, Islamic religion and culture, and modern and ancient Middle Eastern languages and cultures. In 1999, the Department of Near Eastern Studies chose Dr. Gabriele Boccaccini to fill its sole position in Early Christian Studies. Currently, he is Associate Professor of Second Temple Judaism and Christian Origins.

Dr. Boccaccini brings an unmatched expertise to the Department. His extensive work in Early Christianity explores its relationships with both Second Temple and Diaspora Judaism. In addition, his expertise in the milieu of the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman worlds, coupled with proficiency in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin, places him in a unique position to work together with colleagues within the DNES and the larger University community.

The Michigan Center for Early Christian Studies was established to enable Christian Studies to partner equally with the other religious traditions represented in the University of Michigan academic community, and particularly with Jewish and Islamic studies within the Department of Near Eastern Studies. Recognizing the desirability for Christian Studies to maintain a strong presence at major universities, the MCECS was founded in April 2002 with the intent to develop funding directed to enrichment, promotion of scholarship, support of programs and expansion of studies in the field of Early Christianity at the University of Michigan. It is a Michigan non-profit corporation.