Surveying the Jewish Bible, Module 2

Dr. Jeffrey Seif, Instructor General Introduction This mini-course will survey the Torah, Nevi'im, K'tuvim and the Brit Hadashah-both their respective worlds and their words. As for the Bible's “worlds,” we'll pay special attention to biblical history, in the process of which we will consider various geographical, political and social pressures that had a direct effect on Israel and Judah, and provided the backdrop for the various prophetic exhortations given by the Nevi'im, which were then recorded and preserved in our Hebrew Bibles. We'll assess the literature in chronological order, after which we'll briefly consider the four hundred year inter-testamental period. That attended to, we'll then focus on Roman occupied Judea, and the New Testament's story that was played out therein. In the process of so doing, we will become formally acquainted with the synoptic Gospels and John. Moving beyond Judea, the story and literature of Rabbi Paul (called the “Pauline Corpus”) will be the obje