TREL-653: Old Testament Foundations

This content-rich course offers a wide and deep review of Old Testament foundations for graduate students in theological and interfaith studies.

This module approaches this topic from an inter-disciplinary perspective, with the following structure:

• Old Testament Introduction
• Old Testament Worldview
• Overall Theology of the Old Testament
• Further Worldview Concepts
• Jewish Academic Perspective

Each study period (1-5) also includes a video debate or lecture.

• Credit value: 3 (US standard) | 5 (ECTS standard)
• Indicative duration (full time): 2-3 weeks
• Indicative duration (part time): 4-6 week
• Certificate: Yes

This course is based on standard EUCLID methodology. Students may refer to the following resources:

Academic Guidelines (HQ version)
Academic Guidelines (most recent version even if unofficial)
Student Orientation Guidelines (most recent version even if unofficial)
Zotero instructions for EUCLID studentsAt the end of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Discuss the Old Testament worldview
2. Discuss major Old Testament theological themes
3. Discuss the importance and message of Patriarchal figures and stories
4. Discuss the challenge for the modern reading to appreciate and interpret the Old Testament contextually.

Some of the course material is provided in PDF format. Textbooks include:

• Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions | by Tremper Longman III
• The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible | by Michael S. Heiser which is included as PDF in Period 3)
• Theology of the Old Testament | by Paul Heinisch
• Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World Paperback | by James B. Jordan
• The Bible As It Was Paperback | by James L. Kugel