No book has had greater impact on Western civilization than the Bible, and no book has been more intensively analyzed. This course poses the question, "What's true about the Bible?" and helps students answer it by teaching them critical tools scholars have employed: historical and archaeological; literary--text, source, form, and redaction criticism; and theological. Students will learn to read biblical texts knowing their historical and literary background, and understanding their religious insights. They will then be able to enter into critical conversations concerning what biblical texts mean for us today.
Methodology:
In this course we will focus on the Hebrew Bible, i.e., the Christian Old Testament, and the ancient interpreters, Jewish and Christian, and modern scholars who have studied it. We will be using the tools of close reading and critical analysis to look at the biblical text and the ancient, and modern, interpreters.
Methodology:
In this course we will focus on the Hebrew Bible, i.e., the Christian Old Testament, and the ancient interpreters, Jewish and Christian, and modern scholars who have studied it. We will be using the tools of close reading and critical analysis to look at the biblical text and the ancient, and modern, interpreters.
- Faculty Instructor: Jay Ellison