The main objectives of this course are to supply an all-embracing introduction, presentation and summary of the content of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible. This objective will be achieved through the employment of the various books of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible as primary sources. While the course takes a textual-based approach as regards to the accounts, history and literature of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible, time will be allocated for questions and facts of theological, ethical and sociological nature. The goal is also to facilitate engagement with the most important scriptural facts, which at first sight cause difficulty to the modern and/or postmodern student/reader.

The specific objective of this course is to introduce the student into the Hungarian text and content of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible by means of summarising presentations, section by section and chapter by chapter. Topics to be tackled include the conquest and monarchic traditions, the message of the former prophets, the place and relevance of poetic and wisdom texts, and the exilic and post-exilic periods. The course homes in on the interpretative enterprise en ensemble, which subsumes comprehensive knowledge about the authors and historical background of the individual books of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible and its wider cultural milieu in the ancient Near East. Theological facets of these ancient works are also explored, shifting from the theoretical issues to the more practical matters of daily life and experience. This course does not presume any special degree of competence in terms of the content of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible on the part of the student. The student with erstwhile knowledge of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible will experience this course to be advantageous but those who lack such an acquaintance will not be at disadvantage.