REL 152 - Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

This course introduces the text and historical contexts of the Hebrew Bible and its interpretive approaches. We will read widely across 24 biblical books, considering the major features, themes, and genres of textual collections. Additionally, we will explore the reception of the biblical texts we read throughout history-seeking to understand these texts in conjunction with Jewish and Christian reading communities who claim them. We will ask, “What is in the Hebrew Bible and what is the function of its texts through time?” We will see a complex mosaic of biblical texts that interact with a myriad of historical circumstances, producing a wide array of interpretive traditions.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Instructional Method: Lecture-conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.