Course Description
The Pentateuch and the narrative books of the O. T. are written witness of the liberating acts of God whereby he both reveals himself to a people and calls them to be bearer of this revelation. The course will entail a survey of these books, tracking major themes against the background of ancient Israel’s history and institutions. It will include an introduction to the principle exegetical methods, diachronic and synchronic, employed in the study of these texts in order to get a sense of their origin and development and to grasp their significance and the modality of their reception within ancient faith communities. Key passages will be submitted to a detailed examination illustrating the various ways of approaching the sacred text.
Bibliography
J. BERGSMA and B. PITRE, A Catholic Introduction to Bible: The Old Testament, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2018.
J. BLENKINSOPP, The Pentateuch. An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible, New York: Doubleday, 1992.
V. BRANICK, Understanding the Historical Books of the Old Testament, New York: Paulist Press, 2012.
R. de VAUX, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1997.
H. JAGERSMA, A History of Israel to Bar Kochba, London: SCM Press, 1994.