Old Testament Foundations

OT301/OT501

This unit is the first of two which introduces you to the sweep of the Old Testament, and to reading, interpreting and applying this part of the Bible as Christian Scripture. To do this well, you will cover something of the Ancient Near Eastern context in which these texts were set and written, as well as looking at the content and composition of the individual books and larger units which comprise the OT. This unit covers the material from roughly Genesis through to 2 Kings: the Pentateuch and the historical books (former prophets).

Workload: One semester, 4 credit points, 36 contact hours
Status: Core
Prerequisites: none
When: Semester 1, yearly; also available by distance
Who: Andrew Abernethy

While a full unit outline will be provided in the class, the reading list below reflects books typically used in Old Testament Foundations.  

Required texts for the course:

 English Bible

 Reading the Bible should receive top priority for this course.  This reading may take place with a NRSV, RSV, ESV or [T]NIV Bible (a copy of the NRSV Bible will be supplied in the examination).

 Old Testament Introduction/Survey

 The student will need to invest in one of the following introductory texts.  The student is expected to read the chapters that correspond with the biblical books (Gen-Kings) covered in the course. 

*T. Longman & R.B. Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament (2nd ed; Apollos, 2007)

G.J. Wenham, Exploring the Old Testament: 1. Pentateuch (SPCK, 2003) together with P.E. Satterthwaite & J.G. McConville, Exploring the Old Testament Volume Two: A Guide to the Historical Books (IVP, 2007)

A.E. Hill & J.H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament (3rd  ed.; Zondervan, 2009)

W.S. La Sor, D.A. Hubbard & F.W. Bush, Old Testament Survey (2nd ed.; Eerdmans, 1996)

 note: older or more recent editions of these volumes are acceptable. 

Suggested Resources  

The following books are helpful resources for beginning students.  A more extensive bibliography for going deeper in these areas will be provided in class.

Bible Atlas: 

Barry J.Beitzel,The New Moody Atlas of the Bible (Moody, 2009)

Biblical History and Biblical Theology:

I. Provan, V.P. Long & T. Longman, A Biblical History of Israel (WJK, 2003)

C. Bartholomew and M. Goheen, The Drama of Scripture (Baker, 2004)

C. Wright, The Mission of God (IVP, 2006)

W.J. Dumbrell, The Faith of Israel (2nd ed.; Baker, 2002)

V. Roberts, God’s Big Picture (IVP)

G. Fee and D. Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour (Zondervan, 2003)

Biblical Interpretation

G. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral (IVP, 1991)

G. Fee and D. Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth (Zondervan, 1993)

Bible Dictionaries

T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (eds), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (IVP, 2003)

B. T. Arnold and H. G. M. Williamson (eds), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (IVP, 2005)

T. D. Alexander and B. S. Rosner, et al (eds), New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (IVP, 2000)

Kevin J. Vanhoozer and C.G. Bartholomew, et al (eds), Dictionary for the Theological Interpretation of the Bible (Baker, 2005)