Religious Studies 380

Upon successful completion of Religious Studies 380: Advanced Studies in the Hebrew Bible, you should be able to

• describe the contents of major portions of the Hebrew Bible.
• identify a variety of critical issues that affect interpretation of ancient texts.
• research and reconstruct the ancient meaning of texts from the Hebrew Bible.

Studying the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is a multifaceted task. It involves becoming familiar with a variety of ancient texts and the historical conditions in which each text was written. Religious Studies 380 brings you face-to-face with poetry, myths, hymns, laws, proverbs and other types of literature from ancient Israel. Studying the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament also involves learning about the methods used in the interpretation of ancient texts. This course will provide the skills needed to analyze particular texts from the Hebrew Bible and investigate their meanings carefully. The tools and concepts learned in the course will allow you to approach that investigation with a minimum of speculation and subjective interpretation.

Each of the ten units in Religious Studies 380 deals with a different aspect of Hebrew Bible Studies. Units 1 and 2 provide an introduction to the course and discuss methods used to interpret ancient texts. Together, they form the foundation for Units 3 through 10. As foundational material, they are designed to play a somewhat different role from that of the other units. We suggest that when you work through Units 1 and 2, you do all the reading and respond to all the study questions, but do not linger over the contents of these units beyond that. Instead, be prepared to revisit them as the need arises. You may not fully understand the discussion in Units 1 and 2 until you begin to interpret texts for yourself. Use Units 1 and 2 as a guide and resource as you are dealing with the concrete tasks in the remaining units.

Units 3 to 10 deal with particular portions of the Hebrew Bible, introducing their contents or “storyline” as well as discussing important critical questions. Study questions at the end of each of these units are designed to reinforce your learning and to direct your attention to content that is particularly important for the assignments and for exam preparation.