This Bethel Seminary course, intended for all interested people, is the basic introductory course in the Old Testament part of our Bible. It is currently in development. Lessons from the textbook will be added below as they are prepared.

CourseEng.Esp.Aym.
The Word of God
Strategies for interpreting scripture and its authority
All About Jesus
The relevance of the Old Testament for Christians
How We Got Here
The way the Bible was written and transmitted over centuries
Which Bible?
Variations in the Bible between language and religious groups
What’s in Here
Ways to divide up the Old Testament and its contents
Before History
The fantastic stories of Genesis 1–11
The Story Begins
The narrative parts of the Torah
The Rules are Set
Reading the Law through the Bible’s priestly agenda
Hands of an Angry God
Violent capture of an new land—Joshua and Colonialism
Israel’s Success
The building of the Monarchy
Israel’s Failure
The collapse of the Monarchy
Josiah’s Bright Idea
The Deuteronomist agenda—Unity no matter what
All the Bad Guys
The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires
Building the Border Wall
Contrasting messages on foreigners in Ezra-Nehemiah, Ruth, and the Prophets
Then 500 Years Passed…
History between the Old and New Testaments
Sheep’s Liver, Extra Spicy
Major differences between prophecy in Israel and elsewhere
Isaiah, Isaiah, Isaiah
The old, old story is always new
God’s Weirdos
Prophetic action in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea
The End is Coming
Prophecy before Babylon’s defeat of Israel
The Beginning is Coming
Prophecy after Babylon’s defeat of Israel
In the Beginning
Creation theology in the Old Testament and nearby nations
I Lift My Eyes to the Hills
Psalms and their use in Israelite liturgy
Earth and All Stars
Psalms and their use in Israelite daily life
Your Neck is Too Long
Poetic explorations of the wisdom tradition
Both a Donkey and a Mule
The Old Testament as used in the Gospels
Both a Fish and Worm
The gospel as proclaimed in the Old Testament
Both Word and Sacrament
The Old Testament and its place in Christian worship
Cows of Bashan
The Old Testament and its place in Christian service
With Tambourine in Hand
Women’s stories in scripture
A Jewel With 70 Facets
Jewish perspectives on our shared scriptures