SC 136 - Moses, Jesus and their Companions: A Narrative Introduction to the Bible and its Worlds

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Module Level

8 (Undergraduate)

Time Allowance

Lectures: 24 hours Tutorials: 3 hours

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