Author Archives: Andrew Battista
FYI: Announcements
A couple of quick announcements for the afternoon. 1. I have to be out of town this coming Friday, so my colleague, George Phillips, is going to sit in for me and administer the exam. He’s also going to bring … Continue reading
Instructions for Monday & Wednesday, With Other Announcements
Remember that on Monday and Wednesday, we will not be meeting in our regular room. Instead, we’ll be meeting in the Young Library to conference and work on our group projects. Attendance is still required for everyone. Here’s what we’ll … Continue reading
Late Semester Exam Study Guide
This post is just a friendly reminder that we’ll be having our “Late Semester Exam” this coming Friday, April 22. You may be dissatisfied that we’re having such a substantial exam—a comprehensive exam that’s worth 20 percent of your class … Continue reading
Multimodal Products: Ideas for Final Essay Project
As a part of your final essay project, you are to compile and produce some multi-modal artifact, a video, an audio file, a photo essay, or something of the sort that can be circulated on this blog. The artifact must … Continue reading
Time is Short: Weekend Announcements
Happy Sunday evening everyone. Please read through this list of announcements to keep track of what’s going on in class during this last week of primary reading. 1. Group prospectuses should have been posted on Friday. I’m in the process … Continue reading
Eroticism and the Song of Songs
When we encounter the Song of Songs, we read a strange book that seems to lie outside of the Old Testament’s theological triangle. The Song is a compilation of erotic poetry. At times it gets pretty explicit, or at least … Continue reading
Late Semester Exam Extra Credit Advance
At the end of next week, we will be having our late semester exam. Study guide to follow. In case you are interested in public discussions about theology, justice, and the Old Testament, and if you are interested in gaining … Continue reading
Weekend Announcements
I hope everyone is safely coming down to earth after the final four fog is lifting. Here are some things to keep in mind as we move forward in the last month of the semester. 1. See posts below for … Continue reading
Futility: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Wisdom Literature
Ecclesiastes and Proverbs represent our first significant foray into Old Testament theodicy. Both are collections of knowledge about life that seem to take the reader outside of the Bible’s “theological triangle.” Ecclesiastes in particular dramatizes the teachings of “Koheleth, son … Continue reading
Job and Evil
Job is the quintessential example of Old Testament theodicy. It is among the oldest parts of the Bible, and it asks questions that seem to occupy humans across cultures. After reading examples from the text, consider the following questions. Remember … Continue reading
Psalm 23 in Early Modern Culture
On Monday’s class we’ll be considering one of the most famous poems in the Old Testament, Psalm 23. Chances are, if you’ve heard of the Bible, you’ve heard of this poem. For our class, we’ll read Psalm 23 as existing … Continue reading
Important Weekend Announcements and Schedule Updates
I covered most of this in class on Friday, but here are a few bits of information to keep in mind as we head into the week in which our major essay is due. 1. Please bring two printed copies … Continue reading
Weekend Announcements
Happy post-spring break, everyone! I hope we all took the prophet Isaiah’s advice to heart: “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Here are a few things to keep in mind as we get back into the rhythm … Continue reading
The Aesthetics of Biblical Poetry
The “Reading Biblical Poetry” essay in the back of the Jewish Study Bible goes to great lengths to describe the form and function of biblical Hebrew poetry. The chapter appears to be a smattering of information about formal devices and technical … Continue reading
Sample Roundup: Psalm 23 and Culture
In a couple of weeks, we’ll be reading one of the most famous poems from the Bible, the 23rd. Psalm. As we approach that day, I wanted to take a look at what people have been saying recently about the … Continue reading
Andrew Battista
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