This course provides an orientation to the Old Testament Scriptures for those with limited exposure to and knowledge of its content. Orientation to the whole Old Testament in the space of seven weeks is made possible by seeing it from many different perspectives. Sometimes we look at the whole, as scripture and canon–especially at the beginning and the end of the course. At other times we look carefully at distinctive literary, historical, and theological characteristics. Our goal is to be able to navigate through the whole Old Testament, studying particular texts more easily, understanding its organization and its basic messages. This course is intended to orient, interest, and motivate further study of the Old Testament, making it a constant and valuable part of ministry.
Instructor: Donn Morgan is Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Always a student and teacher of the Bible, he also held administrative positions at CDSP (academic dean, president). He has been deeply involved in theological education in The Episcopal Church and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as teaching in Asia and England. His books include Fighting with the Bible, Manifesto for Learning, Talking with the Bible and The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible (editor).