INTRO TO OLD TESTAMENT: SOCIAL & RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATIONS (OT-3003)

This course gives an overview of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, with a focus on societal and religious transformations detailed in the texts, and is designed primarily for 2nd year students in PSR’s stackable curriculum as an application of the methods learned in the Rhetorical Use of Texts course. Social justice issues in the ancient world of the Hebrew Bible will be discussed along with their modern applications using Feminist/Womanist, Gender, Postcolonial, Queer, Racial/Ethnic (Minoritized), Ecological, Disabilities Studies, and Hermeneutics of Suspicion approaches. The geographic focus of the course will be on the southern Levant (Holy Land) in its Middle Eastern contexts, the temporal range will be approximately 1200–400 BCE. Themes will be stressed that echo PSR’s core values, with special focus on leadership in its biblical forms, critical thinking, contexts (both ancient and modern), postcolonial theories, race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, disabilities, and ecology. Evaluation will be based on class participation in discussions, written exegetical exercises, chapel service design and implementation, and a final reflection paper. The written work for the course will aid 2nd year MDiv students in their Middler and SAIL capstone portfolios. [Auditors With Faculty Permission]