This course will review a collection of famous Bible stories and consider their influence on society. Students will explore these narratives as they emerged in their original Ancient Near East context and examine their transformation and representation in modern films, politics, literature, and religious rhetoric. Students will study the various shifts in interpretation as these oral traditions transition into written texts, become canonized, and offer new meaning for multiple cultures through the politics of translation. In the end, students should gain an appreciation for the Bible as great literature that has captivated the world through its famous stories.
Key Texts:
- Gilgamesh
- The Book of Genesis (select stories: Noah, Joseph, Sodom & Gomorrah )
- The Book of Exodus (select stories: Moses)
- The book of Jonah (Jonah & the Whale)
- The Gospel of Matthew (The story of Jesus)
- Aukelenuiaiku (The Hawaiian story of Aukelenuiaiku)
Assignments: Students will be asked to read a short Bible story and compare it across a variety of genres. For example, write a three-page paper comparing the biblical account of Moses to one of the modern Moses( or Exodus) films.