REL 110 Biblical History and Ideas
This course is primarily concerned with the study of a set of texts that have been traditionally elevated as sacred in Western religions. With its monolithic status, readers often place great expectations upon Biblical literature, making demands upon the text instead of understanding the text. This course will ultimately aim at allowing students to understand Biblical literature. In order to accomplish this goal, the Biblical text must be read, studied, and examined with a keen attention to its historical landscape, as well as understanding various literary theories and construction. This approach will allow the student to inquire into the historical landscape of the text as well as to consider issues raised in the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament. Examining the text with an attention to literary structure and the historical context is a demanding endeavor; however, the undertaking grants a wider appreciation of the history of religions, the ancient world, Judaism, and Christianity. Moreover, a task such as this yields the ability to critically reflect on the nature and role of religion in our world. To be clear, this is an introduction to the academic study of religion. At the end of the semester, students should be able to analyze and critique a piece of text with expertise.