Undergraduate Course: Prophets and Their Oracles (BIST08019)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is the partner to Moses and the Torah (level 8), and is aimed at students beginning their academic study of biblical literature. It is an introduction to the prophets of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and their writings in historical, literary, and theological context. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course is one of a suite of four courses which introduce students to the academic study of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (HB/OT) and New Testament. In this course we explore the phenomenon of prophecy in the HB/OT and its substantial body of prophetic texts. The 'writing prophets' are set within the context of their ancient Near Eastern environment, and located within the historical moments of their own activity. Selected texts are examined more closely in historical, literary, and theological perspective. Shared themes are considered, as well as the various developments which distinguish periods of prophetic activity, and individual prophetic books.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The broad context for the study of the prophets is considered by covering the nature of the biblical canon, its historical structure, and the wider ancient Near Eastern cultural context. Prophetic elements of the 'historical books' of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (HB/OT) are investigated, before turning to the 'writing prophets', Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve ('Minor Prophets'). These are studied through the main phases of prophetic activity in the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian periods. The course concludes with the rise of apocalyptic prophecy in the book of Daniel, and its trajectory into later Jewish and Christian texts.
Student Learning Experience Information:
Each week, students will engage in a variety of activities that they can complete in their own time. These activities may include, for example, watching short videos, reading biblical texts / secondary literature, posting on discussion boards, and testing their knowledge through short quizzes. All of these will be available through the virtual learning environment (Learn). In addition, students will participate in one weekly tutorial (in-person or online), in which they will discuss a particular biblical text and a key issue arising from it. During the course, students will write three short blogs based on the tutorials, and one essay analysing a biblical text. Through these, as well as the examination at the conclusion of the course, students will demonstrate their achievement of the learning outcomes.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and explain the significance of different literary genres found in the prophetic writings.
- Demonstrate understanding of seminal contributions to the study of the Hebrew prophets.
- Assess different theories of the origins and interpretation of the Hebrew prophets.
- Demonstrate an ability to identify key terms and their meanings.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Empathy and imaginative insight, with a tolerance of diverse positions
- Ability to gather, evaluate and synthesise different types of information
- Writing skills, including clear expression and citing relevant evidence
- Ability to engage critically with the meaning of documents and recognise that meanings may be multiple |
| Keywords | Old Testament,Hebrew Bible,Prophets,prophecy,apocalyptic,Isaiah,Jeremiah,Ezekiel,Daniel |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Anja Klein
Tel: (0131 6)50 8960
Email: Anja.Klein@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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