Understanding the Bible: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

This course teaches students how to understand the various books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in light of the history and culture of the ancient Israelites responsible for producing them. It asks students to compare the values with which they today approach reading the Bible with the work these texts would have performed in their ancient context. Among other topics, it addresses how the past is used for the formation of national identity, how divinity is conceptualized, ancient forms of worship and social and ethical values, and how biblical texts were used within early Judaism and Christianity. Honors version available.