Ancient Near Eastern Studies: Hebrew Bible

History and Culture of Ancient Near East

Students learn and are able to interpret the significant events and developments in the history and cultures of the ancient Near East, including the history and culture of ancient Israel and surrounding civilizations (e.g., Egypt, Greater Syria, and Mesopotamia).

Ancient Text Interpretation

Students are able to translate and interpret major ancient Near East texts, including the Hebrew Bible, and analyze their significance for understanding the cultures that produced them. They will also learn proper hermeneutical skills and practice sound exegesis as well as learn how to do modern readings, including readings from an LDS perspective.

Language Proficiency

Acquire and demonstrate functional capacity in Hebrew and textual interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, being able to read, comprehend, analyze, and interpret these significant religious and historical texts with methodological soundness. Students are also encouraged to gain exposure to other pertinent ancient languages (e.g., Aramaic, Ugaritic, Syriac, Greek) and modern research languages (such as German, French, and Modern Hebrew).

Critical Thinking

Students develop the capacity for informed, independent, critical thinking and are able to perform appropriate library and online scholarly research and utilize these skills in the professional study of the ancient Near East.

Analytical Writing

Students are able to write cogent and substantial research papers on a university level that utilize theoretical and methodological approaches from the Social Sciences and Humanities that integrate historical and artifactual analysis with the translation, analysis and interpretation of ancient Near Eastern texts and topics.

Academic Integrity

Student participants will be taught the ethical standards adhered to by professionals in the academic fields of textual analysis, archaeology, and historical research and encouraged to follow them.

Academics and Faith

Students are able to understand the relationship between academics and faith and are given models of academically sound but also faithful scholarshiop. They are encouraged to engage in a spiritually informed, lifelong pursuit of learning, scholarship, and service.