| CODE | NES3009 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Biblical Mythology | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Biblical mythology is deeply rooted in “western” culture, be it in literature, art, film, television, or music, though its presence, let alone its significance, often goes unnoticed. This study-unit offers an introduction to biblical mythology and its reception history. Lectures will explore topics such as the creation accounts, the flood narratives, the origins of evil, angelology and demonology, eschatology and apocalypticism, heavenly journeys, and more, through literary and historical frameworks and based on material preserved in the Old and New Testaments as well as extra-biblical Jewish and Christian texts. Each of these themes will be situated in their ancient Near Eastern and/or Graeco-Roman contexts, thus enabling students to appreciate the historical, social, cultural, and moral implications of particular biblical myths and figures. In addition, lectures will also explore their different permutations as these ideas became embedded in later cultural “texts”, in the process acquiring new layers of interpretation. Study-unit Aims: - To introduce students to biblical mythology, focusing on material preserved in the Old and New Testaments as well as extra-biblical Jewish and Christian sources; - To discuss key literary characteristics of biblical mythological texts, according to genre, and thus train students how to read such texts critically; - To explore the historical, social, and cultural settings in which particular biblical myths emerged and discuss the social and moral needs they could have addressed; - To trace the reception history of biblical myths and figures as they became embedded in later cultural "texts" and acquired new layers of interpretation; - To highlight the social, cultural, and political functions that myths played in ancient societies. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify and describe different genres of biblical myths; - summarize key biblical mythological narratives; - demonstrate a critical understanding of biblical and extra-biblical Jewish and Christian texts; - appraise the literary characteristics of different genres of biblical mythological texts and evaluate their significance; - discuss the historical, social, and cultural contexts of particular biblical myths and figures; - discuss the reception history of particular biblical myths and figures, and analyze the manner in which they were (re)interpreted in later periods; - assess the social, cultural, and political functions of myths in ancient societies. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - summarize data and ideas in their own words, avoiding plagiarism; - examine the rhetorical function of literary texts by identifying specific literary topoi; - appraise cultural "texts" such as literature, art, and film from different periods and regions from a new perspective, by analyzing the manner in which biblical mythology has been (re)interpreted; - demonstrate evidence of creative and critical thinking. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Collins, John J. Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls. London: Routledge, 1997. - Collins, John, J. The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010. - Collins, John J. The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature. 3rd edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016. - Day, John. From Creation to Babel: Studies in Genesis 1-11. London: Bloomsbury, 2013. - Day, John. From Creation to Abraham: Further Studies in Genesis 1-11. London: Bloomsbury, 2021. - Ehrman, Bart D. Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. London: OneWorld Publications, 2021. - Elledge, C. D. Resurrection of the Dead in Early Judaism, 200 BCE-CE 200. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. - Frye, Northrop and Jay Macpherson. Biblical and Classical Myths: The Mythological Framework of Western Culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004. - Nickelsburg, George W. E. Resurrection, Immortality, and Eternal Life in Intertestmental Judaism and Christianity. Rev. ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. - Pagels, Elaine. The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics. New York: Random House, 1996. - Pagels, Elaine. Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation. London: Penguin, 2013. Supplementary Readings - Collins, John J. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2018. - Docherty, Susan. Jewish Pseudepigrapha: An Introduction to the Literature of the Second Temple Period. London: SPCK, 2014. - Ehrman, Bart D. Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It Into the New Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. - Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 7th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. A more detailed reading list will be uploaded on VLE. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Dennis Mizzi |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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