100

A study of the Old Testament, highlighting the cultural background underlying the books of the Old Testament. Topics include major archaeological finds, Old Testament culture as it relates to today's culture, and the foundational relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

This course covers the literature of the New Testament. Special attention will be given to the life of Christ and the history of the early church, including the life of Paul.

This course comprises daily lectures on a tour to the Near East with Israel as the main focus. It involves a study of actual Biblical sites, especially those revealed by archaeological excavations. While the major emphasis will be the biblical history in its geographical setting, much will be learned about the religions of Judaism and Islam, the present social structures of society in Israel, and the existing tensions between Jew and Arab.

The course is a physical and topographical study of the lands of the Old and New Testament with a blending of historical and ethnic backgrounds. Although the concentration of study will be on Canaan or Israel proper, a general survey of the Semitic and Mediterranean world will be included. Prerequisites: BIL-101 and BIL-102.

This course engages the Old Testament books of Psalms and Proverbs with a view to personal and corporate spiritual formation. Prerequisite: BIL-101.

This course presents an overview of the Old Testament. The authorship, date, historical background, design, and redemptive theme of each book along with associated map studies will be addressed. Not open to students with credit in BIL-101.

This course is an overview of the New Testament, with emphasis on a comprehensive reading of the full New Testament canon. Attention will be given to basic introductory matters for each book (authorship, date, themes), as well as to the canonical development of the New Testament. Not open to students with credit in BIL-102.

Every person, at some point in life, faces suffering, illness, and some degree of disability. The Bible offers several perspectives on the nature and meaning of suffering and disability. This course will provide a brief introduction to major portions of scripture and survey the insights that they offer on suffering and disability. The course materials contain several connections to real stories and personal experiences of suffering and disability. The learning culminates by summarizing biblical materials around theological themes that frame the development of Christian character in the midst of suffering and disability.

The Christian faith and the Bible offer distinctive perspectives on good character and the development of character and virtue. This course will present biblical foundations, emphasizing the life of Jesus, for an understanding of Christian character and how character and virtue are formed. The course will present several concrete approaches to developing and practicing Christian character and virtue.

The New Testament contains twenty-seven books that can be gathered into a few major blocks: Synoptic Gospels, Luke-Acts, the writings of John, the letters of Paul, the General Epistles, and Revelation. This course presents basic tools for studying the New Testament and investigates the use of scripture in Christian worship. The course surveys the special emphases of the major blocks of the New Testament and traces themes of life, faith, and salvation through each of them.

This course will explore Biblical passages which exemplify major themes of the Bible in order that the student will gain an overall understanding of the message of this significant historical, literary, and religious text. Themes which will be explored include the nature of God, creation, sin and human nature, covenant, the Messiah, atonement, faith, eternal life and the resurrection, hope, and the ethic of love. The impact of these themes on history and current life will be emphasized.