CLASS DESCRIPTION

The understanding of the grand narrative of the Hebrew Bible is the cornerstone of the understanding of story. In this course, students will study the history of the Hebrew people through reading the principal historical narratives of the Old Testament from the Exodus to the end of the Old Testament, illustrated by the laws of Moses, the stories of the Judges and the Kings, and the writings of the Prophets. Students will come to know the life of David, the wisdom of Solomon, the prophecies of Jeremiah, and the revival of Ezra. The class will teach cultural and linguistic backgrounds and the patterns and images developed in the Bible and echoed in the world of story.

This class has reading assignments only. There is no written work and no grade will be assigned by the teacher.

About this Instructor: Heather Goodman received her Master of Theology (ThM) from Dallas Theological Seminary, where she studied, among other things, the Greek and Hebrew languages and wrote her thesis on the story form and metaphors of Ruth. Studying under Angelina Stanford in the House of Humane Letters Fellowship further solidified her interest in the connection of literature and the Bible. She has written Bible studies, Bible curriculum, and articles on the Bible and its culture and language as well as on theology and art, and has taught Bible classes to youth and adults.

Asynchronous Option: Students have access to the streaming videos of the course to watch on their own time plus the LIVE Canvas Discussion forum for a full year. The classes are not discussion based. Many students even prefer the asynchronous option because they can pause and rewind when taking notes. (Live students also have access to the course videos to rewatch for note-taking.)