Introduction to Hebrew Bible (220-0-20)

Instructors

Barry Scott Wimpfheimer
847 4912618
Crowe Hall, 1860 Campus Drive, 4-140

Meeting Info

University Hall 118: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

There is no understating the significance of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in Western Culture. The Bible is a text that has been repeatedly turned to for spiritual guidance, for explanations of mankind\'s origins and as the basis of both classical art and contemporary cinema. English idiom is peppered with phrases that originate in the Hebrew Bible and many a modern political clash can be understood as a conflict over the Bible\'s messages and their implications. This course introduces students to the Hebrew Bible by reading sections of most of the Bible\'s books. But reading is itself a complicated enterprise. The Bible has been put to many different uses; even within the world of academic scholarship, the Bible is sometimes a source of history, sometimes a religious manual, sometimes a primitive legal code and sometimes a work of classical literature.

This course will introduce students to the various challenges that present themselves within the study of the Hebrew Bible and the varied approaches scholars take when reading the Hebrew Bible. This course is a critical introduction to the Hebrew Bible.

Learning Objectives

Overview of the Bible's Content
Development of Religion Through Different Eras of Jewish Antiquity
Different Reading Methodologies

Class Materials (Required)

The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition Author:Adele Berlin (Editor), Marc Zvi Brettler (Editor)

Class Attributes

Ethics & Values Distro Area

Associated Classes

DIS - Crowe 4-130 Rel Studies Sem Rm: Fri 9:00AM - 9:50AM

DIS - Crowe 4-130 Rel Studies Sem Rm: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - Crowe 4-130 Rel Studies Sem Rm: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM