Institute of Leadership and Ministry, Inc. | Evaluated Learning Experience
THE-670/BIB-670 Theological Center of Hope in the Old Testament
75 Hours (6 weeks).
March 2025 - Present.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: discuss the history of the community and the town that produced the Old Testament; study the historical, cultural, religious, political, and geographical background of some particular portions of the Hebrew Scriptures; distinguish and understand the context, content, intention, theology and some linguistic and philological particularities of the Old Testament; study the process of growth, redaction, and canonization of that section of Scripture, to evaluate and affirm its meaning for the Christian church; use various critical methodologies to better understand the theological nature of this great literary work. For example, form criticism, literary, editorial, canonical, textual, and rhetorical; develop skills in the use of exegetical and theological tools of critical Biblical studies (For example theological dictionaries, Biblical geographies, commentaries, and concordances); identify secondary resources for critical study of the Scriptures; integrate critical biblical studies with various aspects of the church's mission; and explore how the theme of hope conveys the heart of Biblical teachings.
Students will enjoy this educational pilgrimage of spiritual, professional, theological, exegetical and pastoral growth, in the study of one of the most important and interesting books and topics of humanity. Topics include the study the Hebrew and Spanish text of the Bible, from an interdisciplinary, canonical and contextual perspectives. Students systematically analyze the biblical text, and some related extra-biblical literature, to identify the biblical message of hope in the immediate community, assess the ways in which that message has been interpreted throughout history, and explore the various possibilities. Students analyze the interpretation and update of the biblical message in the current community. In particular, students evaluate the social, political, historical, literary, and theological background of some books of the Old Testament, where students will have the opportunity to identify the authorship, the date of composition, the writing process, and the particular literary and theological virtues of the books. That literature, of singular importance provides opportunities to contextualize the message of the book in educational and pastoral ministries.
In the graduate degree category, 3 semester hours in Biblical Studies, Theology, or Scriptural Study (3/25).