Available courses

Students identified with the Jewish tradition call the library of documents examined in this course the Tanak or Hebrew Bible. Students identifying with the Muslim tradition revere it as foundational to the Kitab, the sacred library which includes the Qur’an and the hadiths. Christian students refer to it as the Old Testament,the foundation of their primary library, the New Testament. Students completing this course will be able to demonstrate
  • a sound grasp of the structure and contents of the Hebrew Bible
  • an ability to articulate the ideological world of the Hebrew Bible, and
  • an ability to evaluate the impact of the Hebrew Bible on world history, world literature, and contemporary religious experience.
The Hebrew prophets may be the most puzzling, misunderstood, yet heroic characters of antiquity. Despised by many (and admired by few), they fascinate us by the way they fight against injustice (Elijah) while sticking their noses into international conflicts (Elisha). They puzzle us by the way they plead for the sojourner (Isaiah) while condemning the foreigner (Jonah). They intrigue us by the way they lament the present (Jeremiah) while re-imagining the future (Ezekiel). Students completing this course will be able to demonstrate ...
  • a better understanding of the ideological world of the Hebrew prophets
  • a deeper understanding of the literary world in which Hebrew prophecy exists
  • a clearer awareness of the impact of Hebrew prophetic thought on contemporary Western values.
This course will help students interpret the biblical book of Job from three main perspectives:
  • the meaning of the book in its original context
  • the meaning of the book over its history of interpretation, and
  • the meaning of the book in the contemporary context; i.e., its continuing significance among contemporary readers.
This course will help students learn the grammar and vocabulary in which the biblical books of Genesis and Ruth are preserved.
This course will help students learn the grammar, vocabulary, and literary-historical context in which the biblical books of Jonah and Esther are preserved.
This course will help students learn the grammar and vocabulary in which the biblical books of Ezra and Daniel are preserved.
This course will help students learn how to read and interpret the Aramaic texts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls retelling portions of Genesis and Job.
This course will help students learn the grammar and vocabulary in which the Greek texts of John 1:1-12:50 and Romans 1:1-8:39 are preserved.
This course will help students learn the grammar and vocabulary in which the Ugaritic epics of Kirta and Aqhat are preserved (CAT 1.14-16; 1.17-19)
This course will help students learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary to read the Gilgamesh Epic and the Codex Hammurabi.