Courses

The “Old Testament” is the Christian term for the collection of Hebrew & Aramaic books that make up the first part of the Christian canon of Scripture which was the collection of books that Jesus and the first Christians recognized as scripture. This course provides an orientation to the Old Testament and investigates the best ways to study these scriptures. This course provides an interpretive framework that is biblically and theologically grounded, spiritually sensitive, critically aware, and practically relevant. Attention will be paid to the contents of individual biblical books, their growth and development, and the historical contexts out of which they emerged (the ancient Near East). Focus will be given to the unity and diversity within the OT canon and important theological themes and motifs. An orientation will be given to key interpretive principles for reading and applying the OT Scriptures as we seek to mine the scriptures and apply them for church and society today.

Knowing

• To have an introductory knowledge of the contents of the Old Testament
• To gain familiarity with the assumptions, methods and conclusions of modern critical scholarship on the Old Testament
• To grasp the content of the Old Testament as a whole
• To understand how the OT points to Jesus
• To understand the Old Testament in its historical contexts

Being

• To embrace the contemporary relevance of the Old Testament scriptures for the Church today
• To grow closer to God through study of his Word
• To be changed through encountering the Old Testament scriptures

Doing

• To be able to interpret the different genres found in the Old Testament
• To be able to articulate the big picture story of the Old Testament
• To be able to apply the message of Old Testament texts to contemporary audiences