Course Catalog

BIB109E Old Testament Survey (3 credits) 9564

COURSE DESCRIPTION
A Survey of the entire Old Testament through a book-by-book approach to the narrative, including study of the distinctive message, the characters and the events of each book as they relate to the historical sequence, and some applications of the Old Testament teaching to contemporary Christian living.

LEARNING RESULTS
The course is designed to meet the following objectives:
• Give you a rapid overview of the entire Old Testament, thus laying a good foundation for any further study of the New Testament
• Increase your knowledge of the important persons, places and things apearing in the Old Testament
• Be able to articulate the purpose and message of each book of the Old Testament
• Be aware of the 'big picture' of the Old Testament and to be able to relate the parts to the whole
• Appreciate the significance of the major theological themes in the Old Testament, and
• Develop within you an ability to take the factual material of the Old Testament and to make it relevant and applicable to current Christian living today.
These goals will be achieved through a study of the Old Testament books in the canonical order in which they are listed in the Protestant Bible.

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Since this course surveys the Old Testament, obviously our fundamental text is going to be the Old Testament itself. If you are not already quite familiar with the Old Testament, the ideal (and what I recommend) is to read the books of the Old Testament associated with the lesson at hand before you begin the lesson. You will not be required to do this, it is your judgment and decision to make. With this proviso in mind, the following texts are required:

• A. E. Hill & J. H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 2nd ed. (Zondervan, 2000)
• H. H. Halley, Bible Handbook, 24th ed. (Zondervan, 1965)
An excellent supplemental text that is recommended is:
• J. H. Walton, Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament (Zondervan, 1978)

We will use the Hill & Walton (H&W) text as our main guide. In surveying the Old Testament we are not merely concerned with restating what is found there, but with seeking to understand the role and purpose of the book studied both in its own right and in relation to the broader Old Testament canon. This inevitably calls for some measure of interpretive skill that will enable the message of the book to be accurately identified. For this reason special attention should be given to those parts in the chapter in H&W which deals with the purpose, message, theme, and content of each book being studied. For the same reason the chapters in H&W which introduce the major parts of the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Historical Books, etc.) should be carefully studied, i.e. chapters 1, 6, 12, 21, 27. Halley's Handbook will provide an overview of the contents of each Old Testament book and will serve as a useful supplement to the reading of the Old Testament itself. Finally, Walton's Charts is packed with helpful information about the Old Testament summarized in diagrammatic or chart form. Some of these charts appear in H&W.
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INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND LEARNING
The integration of faith and learning is readily apparent in this course as the books of the entire old testament are being examined. As a survey course, we will be examining broad themes and major events and personalities of the old testament.

LEARNING DOCUMENTATION
To determine if the course learning results have been attained, students document their learning by submitting the following items:

Lesson 1: Introductory Articles Appendix A Approaching the Old Testament
• Formation of the O. T. Scriptures
• Historical Overview of O. T. Times
• Timeline of Biblical History
• Critical Methodologies
Lesson 2: Introductory Articles Geography of the Old Testament
• Archaeology and the Old Testament
Lesson 3: Appendix B The Pentateuch
• Composition of the Pentateuch
Lesson 4: The Pentateuch
Lesson 5: The Historical Books
Lesson 6:The Historical Books
Lesson 7: The Historical Books
Lesson 8: The Poetic Books
Lesson 9: The Poetic Books
Lesson 10: The Prophetic Books
Lesson 11: The Prophetic Books
Lesson 12: The Prophetic Books
Lesson 13: The Prophetic Books & Epilogue

LEARNING EVALUATION
Evaluation is on a point system:
Assignment #1 100 points
Assignment #2 100 points
Assignment #3 100 points
Assignment #4 100 points
Assignment #5 100 points
Assignment #6 100 points
Assignment #7 100 points
Assignment #8 100 points
Assignment #9 100 points
Assignment #10 100 points
Assignment #11 100 points
Assignment #12 100 points
Assignment #13 100 points
Final Examination 325 points
Total Points 1625