As the bubonic plague made its way westward from China in the 14th century, Christians, Muslims, and Jews in its path thought anxiously about what practices of public health and of piety might save them. In the 21st century, as COVID-19 spreads (much more rapidly) around the globe, we see similar debates over public health and religion. In this virtual Harper Lecture, UChicago Divinity School dean David Nirenberg compares his research on reactions to the Black Death in the Middle Ages with the results of polling on religion and COVID in the United States today.

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00:00 Introduction
03:12 Welcome with Dean David Nirenberg
05:34 COVID-19 comparisons
09:42 Religion and public health
13:38 "Ground zero" empiricism
17:22 Public health measures in 1348
21:55 The "why" of contagion
24:52 The "why" of conspiracy
26:38 Religious transformations
29:19 Religion and Public Health poll results
42:00 Q&A
42:11 Why was Influenza omitted from the survey?
43:16 Have religious sites closed in previous pandemics?
45:52 Does God have agency in the spread of pandemics?
48:14 Is there a historical basis for differences in politics?
50:22 How long did it take to recover from past plagues?
52:56 How were beliefs that proceeded the plague changed?
55:40 What effect do religion and contagion have on science?
57:40 Do people see illness as a punishment from God?
59:12 How was the medical field regarded during the plague?

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