Borns Jewish Studies Program

The anthology of ancient writings known as the Bible is arguably the most influential work of imaginative literature ever assembled. In one form or another, it is responsible for the fact that much of the world's population view their lives and the entire structure of their given reality as ruled by a single all-powerful God, a numinous figure with human thoughts and feelings, but free of human limitations. Yet for all its familiarity, the Bible retains the power to surprise, to confound, and often to shock us like no other book.

The primary aim of this introductory course will be acquaintance with the biblical text, including the ideas behind it and the ideas it has inspired; but we shall be concerned too with more general issues of authority and originality, metaphor and enigma, interpretive license and the status of the author--issues that a reading of the Bible raises in their acutest form. Our approach throughout will be literary rather than historical. Theological questions will be treated from a secular and critical perspective but with respect for individual beliefs and for the diverse traditions of religious instruction.

Our text will be the traditional King James Version, which has had a critical role in the development of the English language as well as the history of English literature.

Written work: several short response papers in addition to a midterm and a final exam.