THEOREL 103

The Bible, Ideology and Interpretation

Please note: this is archived course information from 2017 for THEOREL 103.

Description

This course introduces students to textual approaches in the study of religion, with a particular focus on the study of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. It will also serve as a foundation course for further study in textual approaches to studying religion. You will learn about the development of the Bible and its different forms of literature, the history of its texts and the  various ways that it has been interpreted throughout history and up to the present day. Lectures focus on the significance of these Bibles both as sacred texts within Jewish and Christian faith communities as well as their import and influence within wider cultural contexts. They will also focus on the ways that biblical texts and their interpretations are shaped by a number of ideological forces - religious, cultural, historical and political. Students will learn the skills to analyse biblical texts in depth.

Topics covered in the course will include:

• The historical development of the Jewish and Christian Bibles, from oral tradition to written canon.
• The history of their translation and their dissemination in numerous "versions" and languages through popular media and culture.
• Introducing different forms of biblical literature (eg, narrative, poetry, legal codes, wisdom literature, gospels, epistles, apocalypse) and studying examples of each genre in depth, thereby allowing you to learn and practice some of the common methods used within biblical interpretation.
• Considering the various "ways of reading" these two Bibles – as sacred texts within different Jewish and Christian communities, as historical documents, as literature, myth, ancient artefact or cultural text – and how this impacts on the ways that they are read and ascribed meaning.

Availability 2017

Not taught in 2017

Lecturer(s)

TBA

Points

THEOREL 103: 15 points

Restrictions

BSTHEO 110, THEOLOGY 103