Courses Offered

Bible Courses
The World of the Old Testament

An excursion into the historical and literary world of the Old Testament. I lead students through the biblical texts, the history behind them, their theological background and teaching, the beauty of their literary expression, and the question of how to interpret them today.
We look at questions like:
What does the Old Testament say about the character of God?
How did the Old Testament come to be?
What did the texts mean to their first readers, and is this different from what they mean today?
The World of the New Testament
A journey through the gospels and letters of the New Testament. I help students discover the gospel stories& what we really know about Jesus and is early followers& and how the texts are steeped in their Old Testament background, while also introducing something new.
We look at questions like:
Who was Jesus, and what did he teach?
How did the New Testament come to be?
How were the texts first used, and how are they used today?
Art and Literature Inspired by the Bible
We will explore a range of artistic pieces depicting or inspired by biblical stories. These include paintings, sculptures, poetry, plays, television and books from Rembrandt to comic books, and from Dracula to Harry Potter. We will look at how artists interpret the Bible stories in different ways, and how they use biblical themes and ideas to enrich their own work.
Foreign Cities in the Bible
We uncover the role of foreign cities in the biblical texts, and their ongoing impact on Jewish and Christian cultural identity. Cities like Tyre, Nineveh and Babylon drive the biblical story of Israel s history, its redemption and abandonment, its past losses and future hopes. By examining the portrayal of the cities in the Bible, we will learn about the development of Israel s self-understanding in relationship with the world around it. We will also uncover and the continuing influence of the cities biblical portrayal on Western literature and culture.
Language Courses
Learn to Read Biblical Hebrew
Work at your own pace to learn how to read parts of the Old Testament in the original Hebrew. We will focus on reading to understand and enjoy, rather than covering all the grammatical detail.
Learn to Read Biblical Greek
Work at your own pace to learn how to read parts of the New Testament in the original Greek. We will focus on reading to understand and enjoy, rather than covering all the grammatical detail.
Learn a Little Latin
Take a dabble into Latin if you re learning it for the first time, or refresh some old school Latin. We will focus on reading to understand and enjoy, rather than covering all the grammatical detail.