Resources

On these pages you will find several resources designed specifically for this course.  For connections to other internet resources that are helpful in the study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament but were not prepared specifically for this course go to the Study Guides page.  There you will find links to other web sites coordinated with the material you will be studying in particular units of this course.

Study Guides 

Study guides provide you with a set of major questions and issues that will be covered in each class session.  They also include lists of names, dates, terms, and places that you will be expected to learn.  It is best to read the study guide section before class, so that you can organize your notes around these ideas.  After each class, use the study guide to help you review and learn the material.  While study guides provide a major tool for test preparation, they work best if used routinely, not just a night or two before the test.

Exercises

Many students find that they learn better when they visualize material graphically rather than simply hearing it discussed or reading it in text form.  Several charts and other exercises have been designed to facilitate your learning in this course.  Use them as they are helpful to you.  We will use some of them in class as tools for learning new material.  Some of them are extra resources for your own use.

Glossary

Every field of study has its own vocabulary.  Sometimes words that are familiar from common usage take on quite different meanings in a specific academic context.  These pages will help you sort out terms, familiar and unfamiliar, that are related to this course.

Places

One of the important goals of this course is to help students recognize that religious texts are related to particular historical and cultural contexts.  That means that you must begin to understand something about the people, events, and places that shaped the writing of the Old Testament.  One of the major tools for investigating these issues is archaeology.  Sometimes archaeology provides clear and direct evidence regarding specific features of a text, but usually archaeological evidence requires interpretation before it can be used to illumine a particular writing.  We discuss some of the issues in the course.  It will be helpful for you to review the additional materials provided here and through the links to web sites that allow you to explore on your own.

Like archaeology, geography is a tool that helps us better understand the ancient world that produced the Old Testament.  The nature of the land, the kinds of plants and animals it supported, and, in particular, the water available all had a tremendous impact on the ancient Hebrews, the nations of Israel and Judah, and the Jewish community.  For example, wilderness meant something quite different in the Levant (a geographic term for the strip of land along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea) than it does in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.  Visit these pages to understand some of the features of the land that impacted the lives and thinking of Old Testament peoples.

Study Skills

On this page you will find tips on preparing for class, taking notes in class, and answering essay questions on tests and exams.  These skills are important not only for Biblical Studies 130, but also for many other courses at Maryville College.

Occupation Presentation

On this page you will find a link to a PowerPoint presentation describing evidence related to Israel's occupation of Canaan and three major models for understanding how the occupation occurred.

Study Sessions

There are weekly study sessions for Biblical Studies 130.  

Additional Resources

Please note the different additional resources that are listed in connection with particular places, terms in the glossary, or materials on the course schedule and study guides.  In particular, you may want to visit Dr. Bob Dunston's Exploring the Hebrew Bible site.  There you will find outlines of all of the Hebrew Bible books, an extensive glossary, pictures, maps, and a set of charts that can be helpful.

Copyright 2000:  Margaret Parks Cowan
email:  peggy.cowan@maryvillecollege.edu
last updated:  October 13, 2006