(not) Understanding the Bible (Old Testament)

Excerpts from the opening lecture of Yale's "Introduction to the Old Testament" course. In this lecture, prof. Christine Hayes, provides an introduction to the literature of the Hebrew Bible and its structure and contents and some of its origins in neighboring mythologies. Common misconceptions about the Bible are dispelled: the Bible is a library of books from diverse times and places rather than a single, unified book; biblical narratives contain complex themes and realistic characters and are not "pious parables" about saintly persons; the Bible is a literarily sophisticated narrative not for children; the Bible is an account of the odyssey of a people rather than a book of theology; and finally, the Bible was written by many human contributors with diverse perspectives and viewpoints.

To see the whole lecture click here:
http://academicearth.org/lectures/bible-parts-of-the-whole

To see the entire course click here:
http://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/introduction-to-the-old-testament-hebre...

Category:

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• Old
• Testament
• Hebrew
• Bible
• Tanakh
• mythologies
• misconceptions
• theology
• Israelites
• Mesopotamia
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Christians
• Jews
• god
• Gilgamesh
• Noah
• flood
• genesis
• creation
• myth
• Islam
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• academic
• criticism
• history
• Yale
• lecture
• Christine
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• Joniversity

[mitukats]

I think the part Jonny and I both enjoyed was @ 9:26

[Joniversity]

@mitukats You said it :-)

[Eliyahu775]

I'm attending a Junior College here in Oklahoma, and am taking a course called "Old Testament". Here she speaks of the same things that were discussed in my classroom. The difference: I don't have to pay out the nose to attend my class like I would at Yale. lol

[Joniversity]

@Eliyahu775 I envy you. I really do.

[123backinyerface]

Its interesting that she removed 'theology', and its good that she see's 'comparative religion' in it also. Too many people assume that because its comparative then its entirely irrelevant. You cannot deal with these things via emotional attachments, this goes for theist and atheist alike. The added differences to the myths are more like historical bookmarks marking the changing shape of the religiously mind.

The bible and other religious books and texts do need to be "defused".

[Joniversity]

@123backinyerface I should start adding your comments as annotations to the videos themselves.

[QingyaLiu]

I don't understand why some people can't separate literature and history from theology. Clearly Yale is not a "holy" place and the professor is not teaching theology. Knowing about Bible from a different perspective is helpful especially when we are facing some fundamentalists. Bible is not history, Bible is infallible when it comes to morality and Faith.

[cctman]

This lady can claim anything she wants behind a nice warm office and a closed classroom setting. Interesting how I can't find any debates that she is willing to participate in. If she thinks her scholarship is so sound why not dare to take on a real apologist or a Biblical archaeologist?

There are some tremendous assumptions and failures in most of her arguments. But its hard to critique someone like this when they refuse to come out from behind a university class room setting.

[rocnation2222]

What you don't understand is that these ppl samaritans, babylon, where dealing with satan. Whats the best way to deceive the world? Tell the story first really look at these ppl religion belief

[JCGCINC]

If you hear the difference of tone in her voice you can tell she is lying about things.

[mitukats]

One will undoubtedly find similarities between Jewish traditions & theology and those of other cultures. Many practices and beliefs come from the same mystic sources. This fact neither proves nor disproves the verity of such traditions. Believers will understand it as supporting their faith, while agnostics will see this as casting even more doubt.

Either way, I found this video quite interesting, and did not feel threatened by it regarding my beliefs.

[danieljliversLXXXIX]

@ronathanedwards And yet you have provided no evidence for your claims. If you think any of these happend then you are deluded. And I'm not your friend.

[ronathanedwards]

@danieljliversLXXXIX Making false assertions doesn't help your case at all. There is an amazing amount of evidence for a global flood, you just have to study a little. The Jews were never held captive in Egypt? Again, you are showing a considerable amount of ignorance. In parroting what has been told you, you are as guilty as the ones who have parroted the information to you of not going to the sources. Ad fontes, my friend, Ad fontes....

[danieljliversLXXXIX]

@ronathanedwards Pressumption piled on pressumption. The only thing regarding a global flood appears in mythology. There isn't anything to back it up in reality. Jews were never held captive in Egypt and thus anything regarding the Exodus is completely made up. There's no evidence to support any of it.