Bible and Western Culture

Note to RSISS reader: This course is currently offered to junior level students.

Course Syllabus

Description
Prerequisite: None.
This course introduces the content of the Christian Bible and examines its influence on the heritage of western civilization. The primary emphasis will be familiarization with the literature of the Bible; however topics such as the formation of the biblical canon, textual criticism, Bible translation, and various methods of interpreting the Bible also will be discussed. Secondary emphasis will include discussion of the biblical worldview and its impact on the history, art, literature, architecture, jurisprudence, and other aspects of western culture.

Required Reading
Dyas, D. and E. Hughes. The Bible in Western Culture. New York: Routledge, 2005.
*Note to RSISS reader: This textbook will be discontinued in favor of Shippe, C. and C. Stetson.

The Bible and Its Influence, York: BLP Publishing, 2005, beginning fall 2006.

Coogan, M. D., et al. eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 3^rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Course Objectives and Methodology
The objective of this course is to introduce you, the student, to the general history, content, and different methods of interpreting the Christian sacred text. Moreover, it is to prepare you to better understand and appreciate historical and contemporary allusions to the Bible in those aspects of western culture you engage with, many times unawares, on a routine basis (especially within your broader academic studies). In order to facilitate this objective, classes will typically consist of lectures given by the instructor and in-class examinations of key biblical texts, themes, and relevant samples of western culture.

Note: This course progresses under the opinion that without a thorough understanding of the Bible, together with its transmission and interpretation among Christians in the West, one cannot appreciate, nor participate effectively within, western society, and for all practical purposes, American society in particular. Your present experience, in other words, as well as your future collegiate and career participation, genuinely will be more productive as a result of the efforts you put into the class.

Recommended Supplies
In addition to the course text, a folder should be purchased (if you haven't purchased one already) in which to organize supplemental reading material.

Additional Notes
Class activities will typically comprise the following: (1) lectures; (2) discussions on key biblical texts and themes; (3) quizzes over assigned reading material

Credit 1/3 Religion Credit (Trimester Course)

Skills and Other Emphases
Textual analysis, critical thinking, and cultural awareness are skills emphasized and developed in this course. Upper School core curriculum relevancy is also emphasized.

E-mail: schepey@parishepiscopal.org

Course Curriculum and Calendar
Feb. 28 Introduction to the Course/Syllabus/Textbook (Note: Begin reading the Pentateuch)
Discussion: The Relationship between Western Culture and the Bible
Mar. 2 Section One: Text and Transmission of the Bible
The Testaments and the Apocrypha (Quiz, Dyas, 1-10)
Mar. 6 Canonicity; Manuscripts
Mar. 8 Translation (Double Quiz, The Books of the Bible)
Mar. 10 Test
Mar. 21 Section Two: The Literature of the Old Testament
The Prehistory: Genesis 1-11
Creation- Genesis 1:1-2:3; 2:4-25 (Double Quiz, Dyas, 11-30; the Pentateuch)
Mar. 23 The Fall - Genesis 3:1-24
Mar. 27 Cain, Abel, and Seth - Genesis 4:1-17, 25
Mar. 31 The Angels, The Flood, and the Tower of Babel - Genesis 6-9; 11:1-9
Apr. 4 Test (Discussion Notes; Handouts - Western Art; "The Bible and Science")
Apr. 6 The History of Israel: Genesis 12-Ezra: Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael - Genesis 12:1-5; 17:1-16; 18:1-10; 21:1-13 (Quiz, Dyas, 31-82) 
Apr. 10 The Binding of Isaac - Genesis 22:1-18
Apr. 12 Jeremiah; Ezra-Nehemiah - Jeremiah 31:31ff; Ezra 1:1-3 (Double Quiz, OT Timeline, 225-6)
Apr. 18 The Psalms and Prophets (Quiz, Dyas, 83-104)
Apr. 20 Test (Discussion Notes; Handouts - Western Art; "Bono and the Psalms"; "The Bible and Western Law")
Apr. 24 Section Three: The Literature of the New Testament (Quiz, Dyas, 105-32)
The Gospels: What is a Gospel?
Apr. 26 The Synoptic Problem (Double Quiz, NT Timeline, 227)
Apr. 28 The Historical Jesus (Quiz, Dyas, 133-77)
May 2 The Passion Narratives: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John
May 4 Film: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (Quiz, Dyas, 178-221)
May 8 Film: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Cont.
May 10 Test
May 12 Paul's Letter to the Romans (Quiz, Romans 1-8)
May 17 The Impact of Romans on Western History: Constantine, Martin Luther, and Karl Barth
May 19 The Return of Christ
May 23-25 Gene Roddenberry and the Biblical Worldview (Course Wrap-up)
Film: Star Trek "A Piece of the Action"...yes, the original Star Trek...with Captain Kirk