BIBS311 God, Land and Exile in the Hebrew Prophets (Advanced)

Overview

A detailed study of the prophetical books of the Old Testament, with special reference to the theological crisis of the destruction of the Temple (586 BCE) and the Babylonian exile.

This paper is an advanced engagement with the prophetical books of the Old Testament that extends students' knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament through a close reading of specific texts from the biblical prophets. We will study the prophetical books in the context of the phenomenon of prophecy in the ancient Near East and look at the content, structure, theology and overall message of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea to Malachi in their historical contexts. This paper provides a deep engagement with some of the most important and enduringly influential works handed on to us from the ancient world and enhances students' skills in reading closely and thinking critically - skills that will serve them well not only in their university career, but in the rest of their lives.

About this paper

Prerequisite

One 200-level BIBS or BIBX paper

Restriction

BIBS 211, BIBX 211, BIBX 311

Schedule C

Arts and Music, Theology

Eligibility

Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.

Contact

Dr Don Moffat email don.moffat@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View more information on the Theology Programme’s website

Teaching staff

Dr Don Moffat

Paper Structure

The paper will introduce the idea of prophecy and the Bible and the ancient Near East, and it will then focus on the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea to Malachi). We will focus particularly on the themes of covenant, land and exile.

There are three forms of assessment:

• Introduction to a Prophet (15%)
• Exegesis Essay (25%)
• Three-hour final examination (60%)

Teaching Arrangements

A weekly two-hour videoconference lecture during the semester plus one evening two-hour vidoeconference tutorial.

Textbooks

Required:
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books
Prophetic Literature, Sweeney, Marvin A

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

interdisciplinary perspective, critical thinking, in-depth knowledge
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this paper, students will be able to

• analyse the place and influence of prophetic intermediation in ancient Israel and Judah

• critically analyse key issues in the prophetical literature

• demonstrate the advanced skills required to exegete prophetic texts

Timetable

Overview

A detailed study of the prophetical books of the Old Testament, with special reference to the theological crisis of the destruction of the Temple (586 BCE) and the Babylonian exile.

This paper is an advanced engagement with the prophetical books of the Old Testament that extends students' knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament through a close reading of specific texts from the biblical prophets. We will study the prophetical books in the context of the phenomenon of prophecy in the ancient Near East and look at the content, structure, theology and overall message of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea to Malachi in their historical contexts. This paper provides a deep engagement with some of the most important and enduringly influential works handed on to us from the ancient world and enhances students' skills in reading closely and thinking critically - skills that will serve them well not only in their university career, but in the rest of their lives.

About this paper

Prerequisite

One 200-level BIBS or BIBX paper

Restriction

BIBS 211, BIBX 211, BIBX 311

Schedule C

Arts and Music, Theology

Eligibility

Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.

Contact

Dr Don Moffat email don.moffat@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View more information on the Theology Programme’s website

Teaching staff

Dr Don Moffat

Paper Structure

The paper will introduce the idea of prophecy and the Bible and the ancient Near East, and it will then focus on the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea to Malachi). We will focus particularly on the themes of covenant, land and exile.

There are three forms of assessment:

• Introduction to a Prophet (15%)
• Exegesis Essay (25%)
• Three-hour final examination (60%)

Teaching Arrangements

A weekly two-hour videoconference lecture during the semester plus one evening two-hour vidoeconference tutorial.

Textbooks

Required:
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books
Prophetic Literature, Sweeney, Marvin A

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

interdisciplinary perspective, critical thinking, in-depth knowledge
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this paper, students will be able to

• analyse the place and influence of prophetic intermediation in ancient Israel and Judah

• critically analyse key issues in the prophetical literature

• demonstrate the advanced skills required to exegete prophetic texts

Timetable