Biblical studies, distance learning
The course is offered as a stand-alone course. It is included in Pre-Master in Religious Studies and Theology, 60 ECTS.
This course introduces students to the Bible as a literary collection that emerged from concrete historical situations and served concrete communities. Rather than examining biblical books according to the classical schema, the course explores why and how these texts arose in response to the social, political and material realities of their time. Students explore the formation of the Hebrew Bible against the backdrop of the ancient Near Eastern world and the emergence of the New Testament writings within the social and literary fabric of Greco-Roman culture. In addition, this course engages with early Christian writings, through which students examine how early Christians received, used and interpreted Scripture.
Learning objectives
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Knowledge and understanding:
1.1 describe the specific social, political and material conditions under which the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament emerged;
1.2 identify key methodological differences between a classical overview approach and a contextual approach to Bible study;
1.3 provide a general explanation of how early Christians received, used and interpreted Scripture during the first centuries;
2. Competence and skills:
2.1 analyse a biblical text in light of its ancient Near Eastern or Greco-Roman context, using the methods and perspectives provided in the course;
2.2 present critical arguments in speech and writing in dialogue with various target audiences;
3. Assessment and approach:
3.1 evaluate scientific arguments concerning the origins and formation of biblical texts from historical, social and ethical viewpoints;
3.2 assess how the production and reception contexts shape the interpretation of Scripture.
Course Literature
Miriam de Cock and Elizabeth Klein (eds), Exploring the Literary Contexts of Patristic Biblical Exegesis. Leiden: Brill, 2023 (276 pp).
Paula Fredriksen, Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2024 (209 pp.)
Peter W. Martens, Origen and Scripture: The Contours of the Exegetical Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014 (294 pp).
Candida Moss, God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2024. (336 pp.)
Robyn Faith Walsh, The Origins of Early Christian Literature: Contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. (246 pp.)
Jacob L. Wright, Why the Bible Began: An Alternative History of Scripture and Its Origins. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023. (472 pp.)
Articles may be added.
Syllabus
See the syllabus for further information.