Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

Class Reading Skills 15 Hours

Develop skills for reading ancient biblical texts as the authors intended.

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Classroom Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

Class Overview

Have you ever wondered where the Bible came from? Go deeper into the origins of the Hebrew Bible and develop the skills necessary for reading it well. Take your Bible study to the next level by learning how these texts were formed into a unified collection. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible is the recommended first class for all Classroom students.

14hrs 56min
Lecture Time
5
Units
29
Video Sessions
3
Exercises
Dr. Tim Mackie

Your Instructor

Dr. Tim Mackie
Tim Mackie is a writer and creative director for BibleProject. He has a PhD in Semitic Languages and Biblical Studies. He wrote his dissertation on the manuscript history of the book of Ezekiel, with a focus on the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls. What a total nerd! He is a professor at Western Seminary and served as a teaching pastor for many years.

Class Sessions

Unit 00: Get Started
1
Class Objectives
2
Class Handouts
Unit 01: The Shape of the Hebrew Bible
Unit 1 Introduction
1
Session 1: What on Earth is the Hebrew Bible?
34:28
2
Session 2: How Jesus and the Apostles Read
29:40
3
Session 3: The Ancient Shape of the Scriptures
37:53
4
Session 4: “Seams” in the Dead Sea Scrolls
22:21
5
Session 5: “Seams” of the Torah and Prophets
32:53
6
Session 6: The Prophet to Come
28:31
7
Unit 1 Practice
Unit 02: The Origin of the Hebrew Bible
Unit 2 Introduction
1
Session 7: The Inspiration of Scripture
41:40
2
Session 8: Origin of Bible According to Torah
21:58
3
Session 9: What the Prophets say about the Origins
30:29
4
Session 10: Historical Perspective on Origins
30:25
5
Session 11: The Hebrew Bible as a Mosaic
32:20
6
Session 12: Like an Aspen Grove
25:42
7
Session 13: Different “Encyclopedias” of Authors and Readers
26:16
8
Unit 2 Practice
Unit 03: Interpreting Hebrew Poetry
Unit 3 Introduction
1
Pre-Work
2
Session 14: How Biblical Poetry Communicates
35:30
3
Session 15: Poetic Conventions in Biblical Hebrew
23:12
4
Session 16: How Hebrew Parallelism Works
36:00
5
Session 17: Repetition on the Macro-Level
34:10
Exercises
15 Questions
Unit 04: Interpreting Biblical Narrative
Unit 4 Introduction
1
Session 18: Literary Representation And “Reality”
32:33
2
Session 19: Plot in Biblical Narrative
32:12
3
Session 20: Plots and Subplots
30:32
4
Session 21: Characterization and Setting
30:34
Exercises
12 Questions
Unit 05: Repeated Words and Design Patterns
Unit 5 Introduction
1
Session 22: Design Patterns and Literary Units
36:17
2
Session 22 Resource
3
Session 23: Identifying Repeated Words
24:30
4
Session 24: Repeated Words and Literary Design
42:31
5
Session 25: Repeated Words Between Juxtaposed Literary Units
42:53
6
Session 26: Repeated Words Between Distant Literary Units
20:41
7
Session 27: Sarai and Genesis 3
30:45
8
Session 28: Jacob and Genesis 3
23:08
9
Session 29: Design Patterns in the New Testament
26:12
10
Summary
Exercises
4 Questions
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