This course introduces the history, literature, and impact of the Bible, including both the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament, for students with no or limited previous knowledge. It surveys the writing and compilation of the Bible, its linguistic and literary forms, and its role as a foundational document for Western civilization. Lectures will cover major topics including the content and structure of the Bible; the history of its formation; the diversity of literary genres within it; its linguistic characteristics in terms of the original languages of its texts, Hebrew and Greek; and its impact on the literary and cultural developments in Western society. Group discussions and readings will emphasize contextualized and critical interpretation of selected biblical texts and scholarly articles.

Course Aims

The course aims to familiarize students with the content and structure of the Bible and its seminal influence in the development of Western civilization. Students are expected to engage critically with readings of selected biblical texts, and to gain an understanding of major issues in biblical scholarship.

In the first part of the course, students will approach the Bible as literary texts in the context of the Ancient Near East and the Hellenistic world; as a collection of books, written over a millennium by authors with diverse backgrounds and in a wide range of genres; and as the product of a complex history of textual transmissions, translations and canonization. Students will be exposed to the original languages of biblical texts, Hebrew and Greek, and to methodologies in critical reading of these texts.

In the second part, students will assess the multi-faceted impact of the Bible on Western civilization and on contemporary society, from historical, literary, cultural, and media perspectives.  Illustrations will be drawn from the development of the English language and literature, biblical content as portrayed in modern media, and the different forms of Christianity around the globe and in the local context.