Introduction to the Bible : Old Testament

Teacher(s)

Richelle Matthieu;

Language

French

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required, but adequate preparation may consist in (re) reading the Pentateuch or/and Josh'''2Kings in the order of its presentation.

Main themes

This course is divided into two parts, or rather, solicits alternately two complementary approaches: 1) exposure of prolegomena and provision of some 'keys' to enter into the Old Testament; 2) reading of texts (of bigger collections/sets rather than precise pericopes) of the Old Testament.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	- to situate the essential benchmarks of the Old Testament within its geographical and historical framework;
2	- to describe the background of the narrative books of the Old Testament;
3	- to describe the major characteristics of the prophetic and wisdom literature of the Old Testament.

Content

This course does not aim to present each of the (numerous) books that compose the Old Testament ; it would be fastidious and could not be done well in the time given. Rather, this course deals with the main sections of this corpus, while taking a few representative biblical books as illustrations, and it explains how the Old Testament emerged.

Teaching methods

For this introductory course on an often unfamiliar subject, the teaching method is based on a combination of teacher presentations and active pedagogy; it alternates as follows in-class presentations by the teacher, illustrated by slides, question and answer sessions and collective discussions in class.

Evaluation methods

The evaluation consists in a 2 hours written exam. No written or electronic material is allowed.
Attendance to this course is required. In accordance with article 72 of the General Regulations for Studies and Examinations, the professor responsible for the course may propose to the jury that it refuse to register a student who has not attended at least 80% of the courses during the January/June or September session.

Other information

It is highly recommanded to acquire a French translation of the Bible. Here are three good translations: TOB (Traduction Œcuménique de la Bible), BJ (Bible de Jérusalem) and NBS (Nouvelle Bible Segond). The ideal would be to acquire a « study version » of one of these Bibles, although this is not compulsory. In English, the JPS Study Bible is excellent.

Bibliography

Th. Römer, L’Ancien Testament, Que sais-je ?, Paris, PUF, 2019. [lecture obligatoire/mandatory reading]
J.-D. Macchi, La Bible à l'épreuve des sciences humaines, Genève, Labor et Fides, 2022.

Faculty or entity

> TEBI