Assessment

Continuous Assessment: 30%; Essay 30%; End of semester examination: 40 %

Module Aims

To introduce students to the academic study of the Bible, to the critical issues which emerge in the study, interpretation and actualisation of Christian Scriptures.

Indicative Syllabus:

• How the Bible came to be: history and significance of the biblical canon
• The texts of the Bible: TaNaK, LXX, the Churches and their Bibles.
• The contexts of the Bible: historical, religious, cultural, liturgical
• Beginning the read the Bible: initial approaches to key biblical texts
• Genres: creation myth, saga, legal material, short story, wisdom saying, poetry, gospel, parable, letter
• Significant biblical figures and concepts: Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Jesus, Paul, covenant, call.
• Biblical narrative: character analysis.

Learning Outcomes

• — Briefly discuss the nature and outline the structure of both Old and New Testaments.
• — Describe historical and cultural aspects of the biblical world which impact upon interpretation of texts covered in class.
• — Define key biblical concepts: canon, covenant, call, salvation, Kingdom.
• — Situate significant biblical figures within the overall biblical story: Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Paul.
• — Recognise the genre and key literary features of a range of biblical texts
• — Perform simple narrative character analysis
• — Interpret selected key texts theologically and with a view to their significance today