The Pentateuch (BA8006L)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit will consider selected themes and texts from the Pentateuch, including: issues of authorship and audience, society, geography, theology, genre, literary devices, major themes and contemporary application issues.

Unit code: BA8006L

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Australian Lutheran College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Engage with scholarly debates over understanding the books of the Pentateuch
2.

Discuss major theological themes of the Pentateuch and its individual books, and their broader canonical echoes
3.

Critically analyse the relevance of pentateuchal texts and themes for the church and world today
4.

Demonstrate exegetical skills in the analysis of pentateuchal texts; for students with Hebrew this includes but is not limited to an ability to function readily with the Hebrew language

5.

Synthesise key theological messages of a pericope in the Pentateuch and defend the synthesis through rigorous exegetical analysis

Unit sequence

Course relationship: A level 8 unit in postgraduate theology and ministry courses

Prerequisites: BA8001L Introduction to the Old Testament or equivalent

Pedagogy

This unit employs both flipped classroom approaches and interactive lecture as appropriate, including seminar-style discussion of guided readings, student and instructor-led group analysis of texts and student presentations.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Alexander, T. Desmond. From paradise to the promised land: an introduction to the Pentateuch. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012.
  • Kitchen, Kenneth A. On the reliability of the Old Testament. Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2003.
  • Kleinig, John W. Leviticus. Concordia Commentary Series. St Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2003.
  • Lessing, R. Reed, and Andrew E. Steinmann. Prepare the way of the Lord: an introduction to the Old Testament. St Louis, MO: Concordia, 2014.
  • Levenson, Jon D. Sinai & Zion: an entry into the Jewish Bible. New York: HarperCollins, 1985.
  • Macina, Robert D. The Lord’s service: a ritual analysis of the order, function and purpose of the daily divine service in the Pentateuch. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2019.
  • Moberly, R. W. L. At the mountain of God: story and theology in Exodus 32-34. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1983.
  • Schachter, Lifsa. ‘The Garden of Eden as God’s First Sanctuary.’ Jewish Biblical Quarterly 41, no. 2 (April 2013): 73‒77.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

Essay (including tutorial paper) on a Pentateuchal theme

 2000 40.0
Exegetical Essay

Essay on a selected text from the Pentateuch

 5000 60.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 23 Sep, 2020

Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:51 +1000