| Course ID: | CMLT 4160E/6160E. 3 hours. Repeatable for maximum 6 hours credit. |
| Course Title: | The Bible in Western Literature and Art |
Course
Description: | An investigation of Western literary and artistic interpretations of the Bible, its narratives, characters, and themes. |
| Oasis Title: | Bible in Literature and Art |
| Duplicate Credit: | Not open to students with credit in CMLT 4160 or CMLT 6160 |
| Nontraditional Format: | This course will be taught 95% or more online. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
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| Course Objectives: | The objective of this course is to introduce students to a wide variety of literature and art that represents biblical themes,
stories, and characters.
Students will gain a more scholarly familiarity with some of the central characters and stories in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, such as the creation narrative, the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Samson, the saga of David, and the life and death of Jesus.
Students will become acquainted with a variety of media and genres in Western painting and sculpture, drama, poetry,
fiction, and film, from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Through careful analysis, students will acquire a better
knowledge of the social, historical, political, and cultural contexts within which these texts and artworks were created and
the different ways in which biblical traditions were appropriated. In addition, through oral presentations and expository assignments, the course will help students develop their critical thinking and communication skills. |
| Topical Outline: | The course is organized as a series of parallel investigations:
a close reading of a particular section of the Hebrew Bible or New Testament followed by a close reading of a number of works of literature and art that recreate the story, characters, and themes of the biblical text. The specific works studied will
vary with the individual instructor. The following is a sample of readings for a single semester:
Genesis 22 (binding of Isaac)
Soren Kierkegaard, Fear, and Trembling (1843)
S.Y. Agnon, Only Yesterday (1945)
Genesis 37-50 (Joseph)
Thomas Mann, The Young Joseph (1934)
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat (2000)
Judges 13-16 (Samson)
John Milton, Samson Agonistes (1671)
Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Samson the Nazarine (1930)
Cecile B. DeMille, Samson and Delilah (1949)
David Grossman, Lion's Honey: The Myth of Samson (2005)
1-2 Samuel (King David)
Joseph Heller, God Knows (1984)
Moshe Shamir, David's Stranger (1956)
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of John
Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation (1960)
Norman Jewison, Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Terry Jones, Life of Brian (1979) |