An origin story for an ancient people? Laws to live an upright life? Songs of consolation, celebration, and praise? Erotic poetry? A book of prophecy? Apocalyptic visions? The greatest story ever told? All these descriptions apply to parts of the Bible, the sacred text of the Judeo-Christian traditions. For its imagery, allusions, and source material, the Bible remains a foundational text for much of British and American literature. But the Bible is a work of literature in its own right, worthy of study as a literary text.

This course provides students with an introduction to the Bible as literature, concentrating on careful readings of select books from the Old Testament and the New Testament. We will enrich our study of the Bible as literature with English translations of the Bible, methods of Biblical criticism, and Biblical history and explore how the Bible resonates in English language literature as well. Course work includes informal exercises, formal papers, textual annotations, and an individual reading of your choice to explore the Bible in literature.