Foundations of Theology: Biblical and Historical
This course introduces students to the academic discipline of theology as a human attempt to understand God, who has revealed God’s very self to humanity through Scripture. As an introduction to disciplined theological discourse, this course extensively engages with the Christian Scriptures (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament & the New Testament) and select developments in early Christianity. Students will be trained to approach scripture in a rigorous and academic manner as they engage historical and theological questions. In particular, this course will 1) provide an introduction to the aims and sources of theology, 2) present a variety of approaches to reading scripture as “God’s Word in human language,” 3) introduce students to the fundamental biblical narrative seen through the eyes of Christian faith, and 4) challenge students to reflect deeply upon the interplay between God’s gracious initiatives and humanity’s response.
Hebrew II
This is part II of a two-semester introductory course in biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first to enroll in the second. The fall semester was devoted to learning the grammar of biblical Hebrew. In this semester, we will take a more nuanced look into the grammar of the Hebrew verbal system, as well as the discussion of several tools and methodologies for Old Testament exegesis such as reference grammars, lexicons, and the apparatus to the Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia. The semester is divided in two parts. For the first seven weeks we will finish and review the grammar. In the remaining part of the course we will read and translate texts from the Hebrew Bible, with specific attention given to translating the book of Jonah. This will further develop reading and comprehension skills in biblical Hebrew through the study of biblical texts. The course encourages students to think about the grammatical forms and their implications for biblical interpretation.
Hebrew I
This part I of a two-semester introductory course in biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first to enroll in the second. The fall semester is devoted to learning the grammar of biblical Hebrew. The spring semester will be divided into two parts. For the first seven weeks we will finish and review the grammar. In the remaining part of the course we will read and translate texts from the Hebrew Bible, with specific attention given to translating the book of Jonah. The course will focus on developing reading and comprehension skills in biblical Hebrew through the study of biblical texts. In addition, students will learn how to use reference grammars, lexicons, and the apparatus to the Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia. The course encourages students to think about the grammatical forms and their implications for biblical interpretation.