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The Bible in its ancient contexts

The Bible is part of the broad literature of the ancient Near East, as evidenced by the many biblical references to customs, laws and religious concepts, which were common in the context of the Bible. Even in the book of Revelation, much imagery has parallels with the ancient Near East. Of course, our growing knowledge of the ancient Near East sheds new light on how the Bible was used over the centuries, both in Judaism and Christianity. It also has important implications for biblical exegesis and how we can use the Bible in systematic theology, preaching, and so on.

  • Course content

    In this course, you will develop an understanding of key theological themes in the Bible (e.g. Creation, Providence, Evil and the Devil, Morality, Covenant, Prayer, Disease and Healing) that also play an important role in non-biblical texts from the ancient Near East. Both similarities and differences will be analysed.

    Knowledge of biblical Hebrew and/or Greek is recommended. A basic introduction to Ugaritic is optional. Analysis of non-biblical texts will be done using English translations.

  • Size

    The seminar is 7.5 ECTS.

  • Period

    November 2025 to January 2026

  • For who?

    For anyone interested in themes from Biblical and non-Biblical texts from the ancient Near East, the differences and similarities between them, and the consequence for reading these texts.

  • Literature

    • Bill T. Arnold, Bryan E. Beyer, Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study, 2002 or later edition
    • John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible, 2nd edition, 2018. 
    • Joel B. Green and Lee Martin McDonald, eds., The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.

  • Lecturers

  • Assessment

    You will write a paper comparing a passage or theme from the Bible with relevant non-biblical texts from the ancient Near East. You will evaluate the implications for how the Bible can be used in our own time and context.

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