Introduction to the Bible

This course is a basic survey of the most historically and culturally important book in the world. Actually, the Bible is not a single book, but a complex anthology of many different genres, including history, legend, myth, law, poetry, prophecy, philosophy, and an astonishing variety of religious texts, from passionate prayers to bitter complaints against God, composed over the course of something like a thousand years. In addition to reading the most essential parts of the Old and New Testaments, we will also examine some of the countless ways that the Bible has left an imprint on modern western and American life. No previous acquaintance with the Bible is required.