Biblical Theology: Old Testament

Biblical Theology: Old Testament

Here are the knowledge, skill, and attitude objectives and the core curriculum for those who wish to pursue the full S.T.M. (32 credits) or a certificate (16 credits) in the area of Biblical Theology: Old Testament.

Knowledge, Skill, and Attitude Objectives

By the end of this program the student will have:

  • Demonstrated an ability to read orally and translate, at sight, prose selected at random from Genesis to 2 Kings, as well as selections of simple poetry.
  • Named specific insights from linguistics, and from the study of Hebrew as it developed over the biblical period, that bear significantly on the exegesis of OT text.
  • Traced what is known about the history of the text from the moment of inspiration to the Masoretic Text as embodied in BHS (4th ed.).
  • Evaluated critically the apparatus in BHS (4th ed.) with respect to a segment of text.
  • Located significant events of the Old Testament geographically.
  • Distinguished between approaches to the relationship between archaeology and biblical studies.
  • Located the text of the Old Testament in its Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) historical, literary, and cultural context.
  • Identified what is unique about Israel and Israel’s God.
  • Distinguished features of the major genres found in the OT (narrative, law, prophecy, psalm, wisdom).
  • Explained the significance of genre for OT preachers and expositors.
  • Charted the ways in which a book of the OT has been read throughout history, with attention to “pre-critical,” historical-critical, and post-historical-critical approaches.
  • Identified objectionable features of these readings where applicable.
  • Clearly identified what promotes Christ with respect to every book of the OT under study.
Regularly Repeating Core Courses
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