Introduction to the Pentateuch
This will be a Masters-level seminary course offered through Ryle Seminary and taught at St. George’s, studying the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.
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Course Overview
Old Testament: Pentateuch (Fall 2018)
Time: Tuesdays 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Dates: Sept 11 – Nov 27 (reading weeks: Oct 9, Nov 6); final exam Dec 4
Location: St. George’s Anglican Church, Burlington, ON
Prerequisites: None
Description
Introduction to the Pentateuch: The Shape of the Pentateuch
The Pentateuch is the collection of the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The very name from the Greek, “Pentateuch,” underscores that these five books are both distinct– that is, they are not simply chapters 1 to 5 of the Bible – and yet also to be understood together, indeed as a collection that stands as the theological foundation to the Old Testament and arguably the entire Christian Bible. Also known in Hebrew as the Torah (the Law), this group of books establishes stories, themes, figures and paradigms, from which all of the Scriptures – both Old and New Testaments – draw to give human beings a picture of the loving and merciful God who has made them, who loves them, and who through His Son has redeemed them from their fallen condition.
In this 10-week course, we will pay attention to how these first five books are shaped both individually and as a collection, as Israel’s foundational Torah (instruction), as well as how this Torah – across all its pages – ultimately reveals Jesus Christ. We will explore how major figures and themes in the Pentateuch continue to resonate throughout the rest of Scripture, most importantly as they point to and give us a picture of Christ. As we go, we will gain a general familiarity with modern scholarship on the Pentateuch – including dating, approaches to reading, and ancient Near Eastern comparative studies – and work on developing the ability to reference commentaries critically and judiciously.
Methodology & Evaluation
Lectures, seminars, readings (bible, textbook TBD, various articles), weekly accountability/comprehension quizzes (or summary papers), memorization quizzes (e.g. decalogue, timeline, etc.), individual book outlines, two short papers, final exam, and class attendance and participation.
Instructor
The Rev. Leonard Finn is a Th.D. candidate in Biblical Studies, Old Testament, at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. His thesis on the book of Ecclesiastes proposes the book is an inner-biblical reflection on the apostasy of and judgment against Israel and her kings in 1 and 2 Kings mediated through the figure of Solomon. He holds an M.Div. from Trinity School for Ministry (Pennsylvania, USA), an M.Phil. in English from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has previously taught at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Valdosta State University (Georgia, USA), and Geneva College (Pennsylvania, USA).
Registration Information
Tuition for credit is $930, and for auditors, $250. Please note that students taking the course for credit will need to apply to Ryle. For further information, please visit http://www.ryleseminary.ca/admissions-and-finance/.
If you are interested in potentially registering – either for credit or as an auditor – and wish to be notified of when and how to register, please sign up for email notifications by emailing [email protected].
* This description is not a learning contract and is subject to change. It is intended solely to assist students in determining whether this course may helpful to them and their educational goals.
