Literary and Historical Approaches to the Torah/Pentateuch

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This module explores the Pentateuch, or Torah, a literary collection that has exerted a profound influence on Jewish and Christian religious expressions from antiquity to the present. Students will be introduced to the literary and theological features of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy as well as being offered an opportunity to develop skills of critical engagement in grappling with key texts such as the Creation and Flood narratives, the Akedah and their reception in antiquity and in contemporary culture. Emphasis will be placed on developing students' capacity to engage with subsequent scholarly and popular reflection on these texts and traditions as part of a process of forming and presenting their own interpretation.