Title: Challenging Perspectives on the Hebrew Bible: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation—A Syllabus
Presenter: Andrew Peecher - MTS Theology
February 25
4:00 pm
220 O’Shaughnessy & Zoom
Depending on who’s talking, the Hebrew Bible (the academic title for the body of texts known to certain religious communities as the Tanakh or the Old Testament) may promise liberation or ensure oppression. Biblical quotations appear on the lips of civil rights activists and members of the Westboro Baptist Church. How can one text generate such disparate interpretations? Those who cite the Hebrew Bible would like to think that it affirms them, but are some uses better than others?
This course aims to offer an academic introduction to the Hebrew Bible, its interpretation, and its interpreters. It poses questions like: How can one approach the Hebrew Bible and its literature? Who generates interpretations of the biblical text? And for whom? It encourages students to examine a wide array of approaches to the Hebrew Bible and see how their concerns overlap and interconnect. It also attempts to convey skills for evaluating uses of the Hebrew Bible that appear in public life and for generating public readings of one’s own. Through all of these explorations, the course’s chief goal will be to develop critical habits of self-examination and self-reflection so that students can interpret the Hebrew Bible responsibly and in solidarity with those who stand to lose the most when its text is misused.
Andrew is a 2nd year MTS in the department of Theology, specializing in Biblical Studies. He researches cultural and religious exchanges between ancient Israel and Judah and the wider Mediterranean and Mesopotamian world and seeks to convey an appreciation for the variety of religious experience—ancient and modern—with his work. Prior to his time at Notre Dame, Andrew earned his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Religion and Classical Studies from Hope College.