This course introduces the student to the Bible, its place in the Orthodox Catholic Church, and different approaches to biblical interpretation. We begin with the question, What is the Bible? We discuss how the books now included in the Bible came to be collected and what it means for the Church to include them in a scriptural canon. We discuss the difference between the Old and New Testaments, as well as the various collections of books with the two testaments, e.g. the Torah/Pentateuch, the Prophets, the Gospels, etc. We discuss the difference between the canon of the Old Testament used by Orthodox Christians and those used by Jews, Protestants, and Roman Catholics. We also cover some of the ways the Bible is used liturgically in the Orthodox Catholic Church and look at some of the problems (textual, historical, and theological) that arise in our interpretation of Scripture. As we consider these problems, we will survey various attempts by scholars to deal with them, as well as, when applicable, the Church’s understanding of these problems.
NOTE: The Zoom link for our class meetings is posted in the “Materials” section of this site, and is visible only to those who have enrolled in the course.
Required Texts:
The only required text for this course is an English translation of the Holy Bible.
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