Course Objectives
1. Through this course students will become more familiar with the content of the Torah/Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy) and the Former Prophets (Joshua – Kings).
2. Students will have greater understanding of the historical and socio–political context in which the Hebrew Bible emerged.
3. To engage various methods of interpretation in biblical studies.
Requirements & Grades:
1. Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to participate actively in class (10% toward the final grade).
2. Exegesis paper 1 (Genesis), 3 pages in length, double spaced, is due October 15 (25%).
3. Exegesis paper 2 (Judges), 3 pages in length, double spaced, is due November 12 (25%).
4. Exegesis paper 3 (1 Samuel 16 to 1 Kings 2), 6 pages in length, double spaced, is due December 17 (40%).
• Option: students may choose to write a sermon or a reflection paper (8 double-spaced pages) based on their critical engagement with biblical text (1 Samuel 16 – 1 Kings 2), biblical scholarship, and their own socio-cultural context (due December 17).
Required Books (Available for Purchase at the Seminary Bookstore)
• John J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004)
• Victor H. Matthews and Doc C. Benjamin, Old Testament Parallels (Paulist Press, 2007)
• Steven L. McKenzie and Stephen R. Haynes, eds., To Each Its Own Meaning (Revised and Expanded; Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999)
• Gale Yee, ed., Judges and Method (Second Edition; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007)
Class Schedule
1. September 10 Introductions
Reading Assignments
• Collins, Introduction, 1—46
2. September 17 The Primeval History
Reading Assignments
• Genesis 1–11
• Collins, Introduction, 47–82
• McKenzie and Haynes, 17 – 34
• Old Testament Parallels, 11 – 42
3. September 24 Stories of the Ancestors of Ancient Israel
Reading Assignments
• Genesis 12–50
• Collins, Introduction, 83–105
• McKenzie and Haynes, 35 – 57
• Old Testament Parallels, 47 – 79
4. October 1 NO CLASS (Eid al Eitr)
5. October 8 Moses and the Exodus
Reading Assignments
• Exodus
• Collins, Introduction, 107–137
• McKenzie and Haynes, 90 – 104
• Old Testament Parallels, 89 – 98
6. October 15 The Priestly Writings
Due: Exegesis Paper #1
Reading Assignments
• Leviticus and Numbers
• Collins, Introduction, 139–158
7. October 22 Deuteronomy
Reading Assignments
• Deuteronomy
• Collins, Introduction, 159–179
• Old Testament Parallels, 101 – 133
8. October 29 Joshua and the Conquest
Reading Assignments
• Joshua
• Collins, Introduction, 183–202
• Yee, Judges and Method
• Old Testament Parallels, 146 – 156
9. November 5 Judges and the Settlement
Reading Assignments
• Judges
• Collins, Introduction, 203–215.
• Yee, Judges and Method
10. November 12 The Rise of the House of David
Due: Exegesis Paper #2
Reading Assignments
• I Samuel 1—II Samuel 5
• Collins, Introduction, 217–44
• Old Testament Parallels, 165 – 175
11. November 19 The Succession Narrative
Reading Assignments
• II Samuel 6—1 Kings 1
• J. Cheryl Exum, Plotted, Shot, and Painted, 19–53
• Uriah Y. Kim, “The Politics of Identity and Loyalty in the David Story” [handout]
12. November 26 Reading Week No Classes
13. December 3 Solomon and the Divided Kingdom
Reading Assignments
• I Kings 1 – 16
• Collins, Introduction, 245–60
14. December 10 The Fall of Samaria
Reading Assignments
• I Kings 17 – 2 Kings 17
• Collins, Introduction, 261–79
• Old Testament Parallels, 176 – 194
15. December 17 The Fall of Jerusalem
Due: Exegesis Paper #3 or Reflection Paper/Sermon
Reading Assignments
• II Kings 18—25
• Old Testament Parallels, 195 – 203
