This course introduces students to the New Testament through a postcolonial lens, exploring the biblical texts in light of the Roman Empire’s colonial rule and its implications for the early Christian movement. We will examine how power, empire, and resistance shape the writings of the New Testament, and how postcolonial theory can offer new insights for interpreting these texts today. Students will critically engage with the sociopolitical context of the New Testament and consider how early Christian voices responded to imperial authority, marginalization, and cultural hegemony.

Introducción al Nuevo Testamento desde una perspectiva postcolonial, por el Dr. Montilla.

En esta clase se le prestará atención al impacto de la colonización en las formas de interpretar los textos bíblicos, llevar a cabo la vida religiosa, entender las funciones de la iglesia y las formas de vivir la fe. Además, se explorarán las estrategias de decolonización al valorar el poder personal, la identidad cultural, recuperar el sentido de persona, liberarse de las programaciones que estorban el desarrollo humano y proponer hermenéuticas frescas que promuevan las acciones basadas en la justicia, el amor, la humildad y la paz.

This course approaches the Bible as a decolonizing text that presents a vision of human dignity, justice, and peace, and that exposes and opposes the false truths of colonial regimes. It introduces students to basic methods of biblical interpretation and to elements of postcolonial interpretation, with the assumption that a thoughtful and faithful interpretation of the text forms the foundation for the passage’s extension into the life of the church through preaching.