The Bible in Light of the Ancient Near East

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the fascinating world of Israel's neighboring civilizations in biblical times. It offers a comparative study that examines the relationship between the Bible and these civilizations. We will discuss a selection of biblical traditions, genres, and themes from a comparative perspective, and show how the ancient Near Eastern materials shed new light on these topics. While the course will refer to a variety of civilizations, a special focus will be placed on Mesopotamia and its relationship to the bible.