Brian Boyle msc

Semester 1 Monday evening 2007

As an introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) this unit will offer an overview of the textual, cultural, historical, literary and religious features of the literature of the Old Testament. The unit will begin with an overview to Israel’s sacred story as narrated in the Old Testament. The student will be introduced to such topics as inspiration, sacral institutions in Israel, the Pentateuch, and the documentary hypothesis, the prophetic movement in Israel, the Deuteronomistic history, the literature of the wisdom movement, and psalms as forms of praise. An introduction is thus offered to the diversity of literary forms and styles of literature contained in the Old Testament canon. Further, an overview of critical method in Biblical Studies enables the student to appreciate the different interpretations of Old Testament texts.

 

Prerequisites:	none
Requirements:	3 hours per week
Assessment:	one 1,000 word written assignment one 1,500 word essay one 90 minute written examination	20% 40% 40%

Bibliography

Alter, R. The World of Biblical Literature. New York: Basic Books, 1992.

Anderson, B. W. The Living World of the Old Testament. 4th ed. Essex: Longman, 1988.

Bright, J. A History of Israel. 3rd ed. London: SCM Press, 1981.

Brueggemann, W. An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

Campbell, A. F. The Study Companian to Old Testament Literature. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1989.

Collins, J. J. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004.

Harrington, D. How Do Catholics Read the Bible? New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005.

Hayes, J., and C. R. Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner’s Handbook. 2nd ed. London: SCM Press, 1988.

Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1993.