BIB3000EN - Reading the Old Testament Missionally

Course description

This course explores the ways in which the Hebrew Bible can be read as a message about God’s concern with the deliverance of all the peoples of the earth. Students are guided through a close reading of key texts in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings with the goal of demonstrating the fundamentally missional nature of the Hebrew Bible.

How this course benefits students

Students develop an appreciation of the consistent message of God’s redemptive plan for the whole world as described throughout the Hebrew Bible.

Why this course is important

The missional message is usually associated with the New Testament while the theme of missional work, although fundamental to the message of the Hebrew Bible, is often neglected. Students are guided through the reading of key passages in the Hebrew Bible to explore the missional nature of the Old Testament as a whole.

Credit hours
3 hours
Subject area
Biblical Studies
Educational level
Bachelor
Learning type
Instructional
Prerequisites
None
Upcoming terms
Pending
* Schedule subject to change. Please contact the Registrar's office with schedule questions.
Professor
Dr. Zacharias Kotze, Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature

How this course relates to missional core values

Biblically based

The course focuses on the interpretation of fundamental texts in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. The course further examines the ways in which missional themes in the New Testament are based on the Hebrew Bible.

Missionally driven

The course focuses on the missional nature of God and his redemptive work through various figures as described in the Hebrew Bible.

Contextually informed

Students are exposed to the interpretation of missional texts in the Hebrew Bible by readers from divergent cultural backgrounds and various parts of the world.

Interculturally focused

The course sensitises students to the complexities of cross-cultural ministry as described in various texts in the Hebrew Bible.

Practically minded

Students are equipped to explore the missional nature of the Hebrew Bible and to appreciate the consequences of its message of redemption for the theory and practice of missional work.

Experientially transformed

Students are sensitised to the wide-ranging implications of a missional reading of the Hebrew Bible for the life and work of missionaries and Christians.