The first half of the Hebrew Bible-the books of Genesis through Kings-is a central text of Western culture. But how are these texts to be read? As history, myth, religious program, foundation of Judaism, foundation of Christianity? Using the tools of comparative ancient Near eastern languages and cultures, the history of religion, literary analysis, and folklore, we will explore the Bible's many faces, and try to show how the answer to the question is close to "all of the above." We will also view the texts through the window of later interpretation among Jews and Christians, and see how many generations came to view themselves and their own story through the ones presented in the Bible.
Sections offered by academic year and season, with estimated offering chances for future years above the divider
Year
Fall
Spring
Summer
Intersession
2030
51%2030 Fall: 51% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 8 of 9 fall terms since 2018.
7%2030 Spring: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 spring terms since 2018.
7%2030 Summer: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 summer terms since 2018.
8%2030 Intersession: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 6 intersession terms since 2020.
2029
55%2029 Fall: 55% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 9 of 10 fall terms since 2017.
6%2029 Spring: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 spring terms since 2017.
6%2029 Summer: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 summer terms since 2017.
7%2029 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017.
2028
58%2028 Fall: 58% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 10 of 11 fall terms since 2016.
5%2028 Spring: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 spring terms since 2016.
5%2028 Summer: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 summer terms since 2016.
7%2028 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017.
2027
62%2027 Fall: 62% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 11 of 12 fall terms since 2015.
5%2027 Spring: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 spring terms since 2015.
5%2027 Summer: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 summer terms since 2015.
6%2027 Intersession: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017.
2025
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2024
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2023
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2022
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2021
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2020
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2019
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
2018
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
2017
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
Not offered
2016
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
2015
11 section
Not offered
Not offered
n/aNo data for this term
ForecastUnder 15%15–39%40–69%70–89%90%+Not enough history
Fall Spring Summer Intersession Darker means more sectionsNot offeredNo data for term
Future estimates combine recent offering frequency with detected multi-year cycles. Hover a
cell for confidence and evidence; low-confidence estimates are marked with ~.
Meeting times
Most recent first
Mon, Wed, 12:00 PM–1:15 PMES3032025
Mon, Thu, 1:25 PM–2:40 PMJC206201220112010200920072006+1 moreAlso offered in Fall 2004
Tue, Thu, 10:25 AM–11:40 AMSackler Science Center S210200820021999