In each class we will compare two or more myths. The unique thing about this ancient mythology class is that Biblical mythology will be included and treated no differently than other ancient mythology. This is a chance to learn Christian stories side by side with other ancient myths.

We will use maps and timelines to help everyone understand where and when the stories originated. In small, age-appropriate conversations we will talk about the different purposes myths serve as ways of easing fears, explaining the unexplainable, joining communities together and supporting religious and political institutions. Students will be encouraged to help retell stories and make predictions. They will also be encouraged to make guesses as to which stories may have influenced the formation of the other story and which set of stories might have developed independently.

This is a secular class based on the premise that the Bible, like the Iliad or the Epic of Gilgamesh, was written by humans to provide guidance and a framework of understanding to its historic audience. Writers drew upon the best of their wisdom, using references to the myths prevalent in their communities and transforming these to explain what they believed. Sometimes they referenced to Canaanite mythology in an attempt to assert the power of their God while denying the power of other nation's gods. Sometimes they referenced from one of their stories to another story to make a comparison between two people, like describing Elijah and Jesus as performing similar miracles. We will be respectful of the fact these stories still play a role in many people's religious beliefs, but will not be discussing modern religious beliefs. As a secular course, we will not be talking about questions of faith such as "who is God?" or "is there a God?" This is a course about trying to understand what people two to three thousand years ago believed and how the stories were used within their historic communities.

The following is the list of topics we will come and what week they will be covered. Topics will be moved from the top of the list to the bottom of the list as we cycle through them.

February 4th - Flood stories in the Bible and Ancient Mesopotamia.
    We will talk about the mixed role that water has as both a live-giving thing and a potential danger. We will look at the role of the flood as a marker of mythological eras and how the Biblical flood story might have been modeled off of the Mesopotamian one.

February 11th - Babies in baskets. Moses, Sargon the Great, and the thirty Hittite princes.
   We will talk gently about the stories of people being separated from their families and raised by others.

February 18th -  Binding up the sea gods. Yamm, the Leviathan, and Moses.
   Water is quite a big theme in mythology! How could a god be seen as powerful if it cannot control this destructive and life-giving force?

February 25th - Conquering nations. The story of Jericho and the story of Troy.
   How could a story be written to show that they believed their god won the war for them? How could a story be written to show the heroic actions of individuals? Would a focus on heroism take glory away from the gods?

March 4th  - Stories of strong men. Hercules and Samson.
  Strength is awesome, but it needs to be contained! Should the strong man be held to the same standards as everyone else in a community? The stories of both Hercules and Samson wrestle with the challenges of strength.

March 11th - Elijah and the Fiery Chariot.
  How do you recognize a god or a prophet? We'll look at the folk-tale style stories of Elijah and how the authors co-opt some of the imagery of the Canaanite god Baal to promote the god they thought was more powerful!

March 18th - Daniel's vision, stories of Baal, ages of Hesiod.
  We'll talk about timelines, eras, and images of change.

March 25th -  Enoch, Jesus, Egyptian Pharaohs, Roman Emperors and Hittite Kings.
  Do kings become gods after death? We will look at some of the different things people believed and some different ideas about this that appear in the Bible and apocryphal texts.

April 1st - Paul and Dionysus. Traveling apostles and prison breaks.
   Paul and Dionysus were both accused of some similar things, and the stories of Dionysus might have helped shape some of the stories of Paul.