BIB 450 The Old Testament World

This course focuses on the cultural context of the world in which the Old Testament was written, with attention to its geographical, historical, sociological, religious, and literary horizons. It is oriented around archaeological artifacts and comparative literature in Biblical Israel and the ancient Near East. The goal is to determine how the iconography and literature of surrounding ancient Near Eastern cultures bears on faithful interpretation of the Old Testament as Scripture and impacts the faith and life of modern Christians. The course is reading-intensive. Prerequisite(s): BIB 277, BIB 278. 3 hour(s).