RELG 003A. Hebrew Bible and its Modern Interpreters

When was the last time you read the most important text in the West? The Hebrew Bible isn’t what it used to be. In the modern period, the scientific study of the Bible opened up new ways of thinking about sacred texts. This is an introduction to the Hebrew Bible as a literary, historical, political, and religious document. We will explore the use and abuse of the Hebrew Bible by Jews and Christians, paying attention to its role in contemporary culture, politics, and ethics. Reading select books of the Bible, we will emphasize issues of gender and race, revolution and Zionism, genocide and slavery, good and evil.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Religion
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/religion

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