Bible Course at the University of North Texas in 2010

Since I have a blog, I might as well use it for promotional purposes. This Spring 2010 at UNT, I am slotted to teach an undergraduate class on the Hebrew Scriptures. Here it is:

THE HEBREW BIBLE AS LITERATURE
Eng. 4800 - 002 CRE 3.0
Tu-Th, 3:30-4:50

The Hebrew Bible or Hebrew Scriptures (known to Christians as the Old Testament) is one of the foundational books of both western literature and world culture, and serves as the basis for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this course we will survey the biblical literature, acquaint students with literary and critical methods for the study of the Bible, situate the Bible within the writings and culture of the ancient Near East (ANE), and discuss the artistic and religious heritage of ancient Israel. We will deal with questions of translation, prose and poetry, rhetoric, artistry, structure and meaning – what the biblical text meant to its ancient readers, and what meanings it has today - but also with some historical, sociological, and archaeological issues useful to the reader’s fuller understanding. All texts will be read in English translation. Geoffrey Dennis, instuctor.

I hope to get an interesting crowd, so if there is a local blog reader, I encourage you to sign up.