Is there any point in reading the Old Testament (also known as the Hebrew Bible) today? Many moderns think it's irrelevant and outdated—some of them are even religious! Yet others argue that it is indispensable to a proper understanding of faith, life, and the world—even now. This course explores the (possible) significance of one of humankind’s oldest surviving collections of sacred literature. This ancient book touches on pressing matters like the existence of God, the nature of the good life, science and religion, morality, politics, law, and justice.

It also presents many difficult texts depicting violence and judgment that many would consider immoral today. How ought we as readers to think about those passages? Do even the troubling texts have something to contribute to contemporary life and thought, to the best ways of being in the world today? Take this course if you’d like to find out!

HOUSECS 59