The Bible as Literature Michael Bryson ST 832 (Office Hours W 3:30-6:30) 818-677-5695 michael.bryson@csun.edu     COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is intended to familiarize literary students with the most influential text in Western culture. No previous acquaintance with the Bible is presupposed. We will consider such questions as the the historical situation of the Bible's writers, the representation of God as a literary character; recurrent images and themes, and the New Testament as a radical reinterpretation of the "Old Testament" (otherwise known as the Hebrew Bible). The individual books we will focus on include Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Ruth, selected Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Job, Amos, Hosea, Jonah, and Isaiah; the Gospel according to Matthew, the epistles Galatians, Ephesians and 1-3 John, as well as Revelation. EVALUATION METHOD: There will be three essay exams. In the range of 8-10 pages, these will be responses to essay questions (usually four), and will require you to present an analysis to test accurate knowledge of the readings and material presented in discussions. These essays will not require outside sources (other than lecture material and the course textbook), but will require you to read the Bible texts closely, and cite evidence from the texts (using MLA citation) to back up your arguments  READING LIST: Selections from The Bible, New Revised Standard Version Selections from Understanding the Bible, Stephen L. Harris Weekly Preview Week 1 (1/25) 1) Introductions. What is the Bible? Historical/cultural background of the Bible 2) Creations--Genesis 1-3; Harris, 1-34, 103-106 Week 2 (2/1) Three recurring themes: the rival brothers, the God who repents, the covenant--Genesis 3-18; Three more themes: the trickster, the barren woman, the sacrifice--Genesis 19-36; Harris, 107-115.   Week 3 (2/8) Joseph and his brothers--Genesis 37-50 Week 4 (2/15) God the liberator and God the hardener of hearts--Exodus 1-19; Psalm 78; Harris, 117-128 Voice versus vision, or the problem of representing God (I)--Exodus 20-40 Exam 1 (due 2/22) Week 5 (2/22) War, Male Heroism and Women as Chattel in Israel--Judges 1-18; Harris, 158-163 Week 6 (3/1) War, Male Heroism and Women as Chattel in Israel--Judges 19-21; Female Heroism in Israel?--Ruth; Harris, 260-262 Week 7 (3/8) The Deuteronomic Theory of History and the role of Prophecy--Isaiah 1-39; Harris 201-206 Week 8 (3/15) The Deuteronomic Theory of History and the role of Prophecy--Amos, Hosea, Harris, 197-201 Week 9 (3/22) The Critique of Prophecy, and the problem of representing God (II)--Job 1; Harris 247-256 Week 10 (3/29) 1) The Critique of Prophecy and the problem of representing God (III)--Jonah; Harris, 226-227 2) Poems of Worship and Praise--Psalms 1, 2, 8, 13, 14, 19, 22, 23, 24, 29, 36, 42, 45, 50, 51, 63, 72,  82,   93, 104, 121, 126, 127, 137, 139, 148, 149, 150; Harris, 238-243 4/5 No Class--Spring Break Week 11 (4/12) 1) Traditional wisdom vs. radical dissent, or the sage and the skeptic--Proverbs 1-9; Book of Ecclesiastes; Harris 245-247, 256-259 Exam  2 (due 4/19) Week 12 (4/19) 2) The theory of typology, or how the Hebrew Bible became the Old Testament--Isaiah 40-66 and Matthew 1-2; Harris, 218-221, 223-224 Week 13 (4/26) 1) The argument for Jesus as the Hebrew Messiah--Matthew 3-20; On the dying and rising God--Matthew 21-28; Harris 374-391 2) The Epistles, or Letters to the Early Christians--Galatians, Ephesians, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John; Harris, 482-486, 498-500, 513-515 Week 14 (5/3) The Apocalypse, or the End of the World as We Know It--Revelation; Harris, 516-523 Exam 3 (Due 5 PM, Friday 5/14 via email attachment)--Prompts for final paper handed out and discussed.