After an introduction to the Pentateuch/Torah, its place in Jewish life and its relationship to the Christian Bible, this course will take up briefly some current issues in Torah/Pentateuchal studies; the shifting paradigm in contemporary research; an overview of the five divisions of the Pentateuch/Torah: Genesis through Deuteronomy; and an in-depth focus on as many selected portions as time permits. Particular focus will be given to encountering the text through a study of the weekly Torah readings. The course deals with the history of Pentateuchal research; the themes that bind the Pentateuch together; and the Levitical and Deuteronomic theologies of those who have written, compiled and edited the Pentateuch. This course includes the exegesis and rhetorical analysis of some key passages in the Pentateuch.
TMP 211.10