The Old Testament, History, Psychology, & The Ancient World

This course offers a comprehensive and intellectually grounded exploration of the Old Testament, tracing its development from the Creation narrative in Genesis through the age of the prophets. Rather than approaching the text solely as theology or devotional literature, the course treats the Hebrew Bible as a layered historical and literary document shaped by language, culture, and lived experience. Students are guided through the major narratives, figures, and turning points that define Israelite history, while learning how modern scholarship helps clarify what these texts meant in their original contexts.

A special emphasis is placed on mystical and visionary episodes—creation, divine encounters, prophetic callings, dreams, and apocalyptic imagery—and how these experiences are described in the text itself. By applying scientific, historical, and linguistic tools, the course examines how ancient Hebrew language, symbolism, and metaphor convey altered states of consciousness, divine communication, and cosmological ideas. Attention is given to how translation choices affect interpretation and how philology can uncover layers of meaning often obscured in later readings.

The course also situates the Old Testament within its broader Ancient Near Eastern environment, comparing biblical themes with those found in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Canaanite traditions. Without relying on a Jungian framework, this program emphasizes evidence-based analysis, drawing on archaeology, textual criticism, and cognitive perspectives to illuminate the enduring power of these texts. By the end of the course, students will have a clearer understanding of the Old Testament’s historical development, symbolic depth, and continuing significance as one of humanity’s most influential bodies of literature.