A brief introduction to the Old Testament: the Hebrew Bible in its context

Part 1: Introductory. What is the old testament? ; The promised land: Geography, history, and importance.

Part 2: Cosmic origins. Creations. Genesis 1-3 ; The formation of the pentateuch and the primeval history. Genesis 4-11.

Part 3: National origins. The ancestors of Israel. Genesis 12-50 ; Escape from Egypt. Exodus 1-15 ; From Egypt to Sinai. Exodus 16-24 ; Law, ritual, and holiness. Exodus 20.22-23.33 and 25-40 and Leviticus ; In the wilderness. Numbers ; The end of the journey to the promised land. Deuteronomy ; Joshua and the conquest of the land of Canaan. Joshua ; The emergence of Israel in the land of Canaan. Judges and Ruth.

Part 4: Kinds and prophets. The establishment of the monarchy. 1 Samuel ; The reign of David. 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-2 ; The reign of Solomon. 1 Kings 1-11 and Psalm 89 ; The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah from the late tenth to the early eighth centuries BCE 1 Kings 12-2 Kings 14 ; The northern kingdom of Israel in the eighth century BCE 2 Kings 14-17, Amos, and Hosea ; The kingdom of Judah in the eighth and early seventh centuries BCE 2 Kings, 15-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32, Isaiah 1-39, and Micah ; Judah in the seventh and early sixth centuries BCE: The end of Assyrian domination and the fall of Jerusalem 2 Kings 21-25, 2 Chronicles 33-36, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah.

Part 5: Exile and return. After the fall: Jews in Judah and Babylon. Lamentations, Psalm 137, Obadiah, and Ezekiel ; Return from exile. Ezra 1-2, and Isaiah 34-35 and 40-55.

Part 6: Reconstruction, consolidation, and challenge. The restoration: Judah in the late sixth and fifth centuries BCE. Ezra 3-10, Haggai, Zechariah, Isaiah 24-27 and 56-66, Joel, and Malachi ; The consolidation of traditions. 1-2 Chronicles, Psalms, and Proverbs ; Dissidents, lovers, and heros. Jobs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Jonah, Esther, and Daniel.