Let’s take a look at an exciting class that is coming in November, The Bible Now: Literature and History of the Hebrew Bible. This course is a multilayered introduction to the Bible, addressing such issues as the relation of traditional texts to history and what constitutes history-writing, the relevance of literary analysis to biblical narrative, the uses of philology, and the ancient Near Eastern background.

The class will be taught by UC Berkeley professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel. Of these engaging teachers our longtime educator Dr. Grist says, “Both are at the very peak of world scholarship in their fields and will attract serious learners. Having them on board to jump start the New Lehrhaus is quite a blessing.”

Alter and Hendel have taught this class together at CAL, a longer version, but we get a taste of being in college again! The class is free and runs for four weeks online.

More about our professors:

Robert Alter is the author of The Art of Biblical Narrative, The Art of Biblical Poetry, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, and many other books, including a landmark translation for the complete Hebrew Bible into English.  He is the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime contribution to American letters. https://jewishstudies.berkeley.edu/people/robert-alter

Ron Hendel is the author of How Old is the Hebrew Bible?, The Book of Genesis: A Biography, Remembering Abraham, and other books.  He is general editor of The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition.  https://jewishstudies.berkeley.edu/people/ron-hendel