Biblical Literacy in a Secular Manner: Kingship
This flexible schedule class explores the Bible stories of ancient kings of Israel and Judah in comparison with other texts about kingship in the Ancient Near East.
Christy Knockleby
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(191)
What's included
Homework
2-4 hours per week. This is a flexible schedule class so we will not be meeting live. Students will be asked to do a weekly reading assignment and to watch the short videos. Then they will be invited to engage the material in a variety of ways including (but not limited to): - Participating in discussion in the Outschool classroom. - Building a model using clay, playdough, Lego, Minecraft or any other method they would like. - Writing guessing games and riddles for one another to answer. - Retelling stories in their own words. - Optional worksheets.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 7
This course is based on the premise that the Bible is written by humans for humans. The texts were compiled and edited over hundreds of years. We will discuss some of the major stories within the Old Testament and looking at how they fit together. I will provide excerpts from other ancient civilizations to provide comparison and context. In this set of five weeks we'll be looking at the Biblical stories of kings and how the idea of kingship shaped the ancient Israelite religion. At the beginning of each week I'll post multiple short videos as well as instructions for that week's activities. I will respond to messages throughout the week and do my best to encourage students to interact in the classroom. Students are encouraged to set aside time on at least two different days a week to participate in this course. 1) Intro to the Bible 2) Stories of Samuel 3) Saul, David and Solomon 4) Stories of the Northern Kingdom 5) Josiah's reform 6) Prophets and prophecies Students will discuss what kingship means. What are ways in which a king can be chosen? What makes a king a good king? What were the dangers that kings posed to their own people? What were the benefits of having a king? How did the people understand the relationship between their king and their God? What role did the king have in the religious life of the community? Students will learn about vassals and suzerainty relationships, where one kingdom pays tribute to another. We will look at how the Biblical texts use the metaphor of suzerainty relationship for the relationship between God and the Hebrew nations. We will avoid questions like "who is God?" or "what does God want?" or even "is there a God?" because those are questions of faith. The class is for learning about an ancient religion and the ancient history of Israel. As a secular class, we'll be looking at questions like: - When might this story have been written? - How do these stories relate to one another? - What ideas about kingship do these stories portray? - What image of God does this passage portray? - What other mythological themes and motifs can we see in the passage?
Learning Goals
Students will learn to recognize some of the popular Biblical stories. This is important as many Biblical characters are referenced to within European and North American art and literature.
Students will learn about different theories relating to the history of ancient Israel and the ancient religions of the area.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The Bible does contain mature topics. While I will not be dwelling on the stories of sexual activity, some may come up. For example, we cannot discuss the story of King David without mention of his affair with the wife of Uriah. Two spies in Jericho are assisted by a prostitute.
Supply List
Students will need to use a Bible. They can use a paper one or they may access the Bible through a website. I recommend the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, or the American Standard Version of the Bible. However, any translation will work as long as it is a translation and not a paraphrased summary of the Bible. Students will be asked to use Biblehub.com as well as websites connected with ORACC (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/projectlist.html), a source for cuneiform texts and translations. I will provide some optional worksheets, but there is no need to print them off if one would prefer to read them on the screen and just type answers. Students will be encouraged to do a modeling project. For that they will need either clay, playdough, Lego or access to the computer game Minecraft.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
I will be using information gleaned from a variety of books, including A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period by Rainer Albertz, The Hebrew Bible: A Socio-Literary Introduction by Norman K. Gottwald, The Gospels and Jesus by Graham Stanton, as well as the works of John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg.
Joined March, 2017
4.9
191reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I was raised within the United Church of Canada to view the Bible as a historical and literary document. I attended theological studies at McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec. I'm currently agnostic or even atheist, but fascinated by Biblical history. I have published a book on the topic, titled A Secular Bible Study.Reviews
Live Group Class
$10
weekly6 weeks
Completed by 6 learners
No live video meetings
Ages: 10-13
