Summer 2014/Pasadena

OT567

Smoak

OT567: GENESIS (English Text) (4 Units: 120 hours). Jeremy D. Smoak.

DESCRIPTION: This course is a study of the book of Genesis in English. The course will familiarize students with the book’s overall structure and literary development as well as the major themes found therein, including creation, the primeval history, and the story of Israel’s ancestors. The course will also familiarize students with the book’s theological significance within the broader traditions of the Old Testament. Development of exegetical skills will arise from a focus upon the literary and theological characteristics of the book. The class will explore the role of the book’s theology in the Church’s ongoing theological reflection.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated: (1) a fundamental knowledge of the literary forms and thematic content of the book of Genesis; (2) an acquaintance with how the literary location and significance of the book of Genesis within the Pentateuch and Hebrew canon; (3) competence in interpreting different forms of literature found in the book of Genesis; and (4) an ability to reflect upon and evaluate the theological issues raised by the book of Genesis and to discern their implications for Christian faith and practice.

COURSE FORMAT: This course is a two-week intensive meeting four hours per day on Monday-Friday for a total of 40 classroom hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through class sessions, readings and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING:

NRSV, TNIV or CEB Bible.

Brueggemann, W. Genesis: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox, 2010. ISBN: 978-0664234379, Pub. Price $30.00 [400 pp.].

Trible, P. and Russell, L.M. Hagar, Sarah, and Their Children: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives. Westminster John Knox, 2006. ISBN: 978-0664229825, Pub. Price $35.00 [224 pp.].

Sarna, N. Understanding Genesis. Schocken, 1970. ISBN: 978-0805202533, Pub. Price $15.95 [267 pp.].

Smith, M. The Priestly Vision of Genesis 1. Fortress, 2009. ISBN: 978-0800663735, Pub. Price $29.00 [176 pp.].

Reading posted on Moodle. See the following sample:

Levenson, J.D. “The Aqedah as Etiology,” and “Isaac Unbound,” in The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity.

Meyers. C. “Eve in Eden: Genesis 2–3” and “Eve out of Eden: Genesis 3:16,” in Rediscovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context.

Newsom, C.A. “Common Ground: An Ecological Reading of Genesis 2–3,” in The Earth Story in Genesis.