AP/JWST 1870 6.00

The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the Arts

This course looks at selected passages from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and their interpretative reflection in the western artistic tradition, including pictorial/ representational art, music, literature, and cinema.

The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is one of the most influential works of western literature. Over the course of the centuries, it has been the subject of myriad interpretations. In addition to traditional sectarian and scholarly readings, the text has served as the inspiration for countless artistic creations, ranging from novels, plays, short stories, paintings and sculptures to operas, oratorios, movies and television shows (including The Simpsons!).

Each one of these representations and retellings of these time-worn tales is also an interpretation, reflecting the specific perspective of the author/creator. In this course, we will read selected biblical stories and compare them to selected examples of their reimagined and reinterpreted versions.

The aims of the course are to teach first-year students (1) how to read texts in their broadest sense, (2) how to interpret texts, (3) how to compare differing versions of the same tale/tradition, (4) how to identify and comprehend the ideology and/or theology underlying a text, (5) how to read different types of texts and (6) how to appreciate various types of artistic creations whose study and enjoyment may be new to them. In addition, the wide range of artistic creations examined in this course serves to introduce students to the temporal and genre-based wealth of the western cultural tradition.

RESERVED SPACES: All spaces are reserved for Year 1 students.