The Old Testament: The Torah

Old Testament Research Project – You will need to go into a college or university library for research. (Your local public library will probably not have these sources.) DO NOT RELY UPON INTERNET RESOURCES FOR THIS PROJECT. A GREAT DEAL OF ONLINE CONTENT RELATED TO BIBLICAL STUDIES IS NEITHER SCHOLARLY NOR CORRECT (ESPECIALLY USER-GENERATED SITES SUCH AS WIKIPEDIA). The purpose of this project is to familiarize the student with the narrative(s) of the Old Testament and the resources that enable one to study the Bible from a scholarly perspective. Your assignment will be graded for each section listed in this syllabus. You must use sources that are on this approved list. Please do not email me requesting to use sources not listed in each of the following sections. The sources listed represent the highest levels of scholarship and as such you will need to use one approved source from each section. Finding them will require visiting a college or university library. Topic: The Torah – The Torah is the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible. There are a number of rich and treasured stories there that have influenced human experience, development, culture, and/or spiritual formation. Choose one of the stories listed below to write on: The creation stories (Gen. 1 & 2), Abraham & Isaac (Gen. 22), Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 40-41), Moses & Passover (Exodus 10-15), The giving of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20 & Duet. 5), The establishment of Sabbath years and Jubilee (Deut. 15), (Others by permission of instructor only) In a minimum 6-7 pages: 1) Recount why the story was chosen (i.e.) what speaks to you in this story. (up to 1 page) 2) Summarize what the Bible Commentary, Bible Dictionary, and any Online Articles say about the passage. (USE ONLY APPROVED COMMENTARIES, DICTIONARIES, AND ONLINE ARTICLES ONLY FROM APPROVED SCHOLARLY JOURNALS) (Also: Online Journal Articles should be pulled from N.C. Live) (3 pages) 3) Reflect on how this story has shaped (misshaped), formed (malformed), or generally affected for good or bad, human experience, development, spirituality or (and/or) culture. (2-3 pages) See Below for Approved Resources Approved Resources: Approved Commentaries: The Anchor Bible Series, The Old Testament Library, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, The Cambridge Bible Commentary, Interpreter’s Bible, The New Interpreter’s Bible (note this is an updated version from The Interpreter’s Bible), Broadman Bible Commentary, Interpretation Approved Bible Dictionaries: The Dictionary of Bible and Religion, William H. Gentz, ed. Dictionary of the Bible, James Hastings, ed Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, Waston E. Mills, gen. ed. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, David Noel Freedman, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, John David The Zondervan Pictoral Bible Dictionary, Merrill C. Tenny, gen. ed. Harper’s Bible Dictionary, Madeleine S. Miller and J. Lane Miller The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Keith Crim, gen. ed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, gen. ed. Anchor Bible Dictionary, David Noel Freedman, ed. Approved Journals available at NCLive are: Interpretation, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Journal of Biblical Literature, Near Eastern Archeology, and Commentary.