Great Figures of the Old Testament
One of my personal favorite lecturers among The Teaching Company products, Amy-Jill Levine, Ph.D., and Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, brings another fascinating series of lectures to the student of the Bible. One of the things that make her lectures particularly interesting is that she does not limit herself just to the Bible but also looks at these people through other secular and religious texts and oral tradition. She never fails to bring her subject to life as she opens new ways of seeing them in their cultural and historical setting. Where appropriate she also discusses common literary types and symbols, translation difficulties, and other aspects of the various stories.
While there are numerous other individuals that Dr. Levine could have included in these lectures and many of the ones selected could have encompassed two, three, four, or more lectures just on that individual, those selected are of particular interest due to religious, moral, historical, or other aspects of their stories. Some of the great figures include Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Rahab, Deborah, Samson, Samuel and Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah, Job, Jonah, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, and Judith. Some of you may not recognize Judith as a Biblical figure. Judith is one of the apocryphal books included in the Catholic Bible and other non-Protestant canons. In addition to the aforementioned figures Dr. Levine also discusses Angels and God.
Amy-Jill Levine does a fantastic job of presenting a complete view of these great figures as real three-dimensional characters instead of the one-dimensional characters that often evolve from religious rhetoric of particular denominations. This is a very highly recommended series of lectures for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Old Testament figures and how their stories fit into the general themes of the Bible.
Professor: Amy-Jill Levine
Publisher: The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100
Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
Copyright: 2003
Format: Cassette, CD, DVD, and VHS
Number of Lectures: 24