Prophets and Prophecy in the Bible
3.0
creditsAverage Course Rating
From thundering voices of social justice to apocalyptic visionaries, biblical prophets have been revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims for thousands of years. They have inspired civic leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. yet also provided fodder for modern charlatans promising a utopian future. Yet who were these individuals (orators? politicians? diviners? poets?) and what was the full range of their message as set against the Realpolitik world of ancient Israel, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Jordan?
Spring 2014
Professor: Theodore Lewis
The best aspects of this course were the professor’s lecturing abilities and the class discussions. Many students agreed that the professor’s lectures were fantastic and dynamic. He didn’t just summarize readings, but he also dug deeper into scholarly issues and questions. Unfortunately, slides were not posted online, so students were always required to attend lecture, but many students didn’t mind it. The worst aspects of this course were the pop quizzes and the memorization. Students were required to memorize a vast amount of information and Hebrew names and the pop quizzes were seen as more of a bother than an assessment tool. It was suggested that no pop quizzes be given because of the effect it had on grades. Better communication would also improve the quality of this course. Prospective students should not be discouraged from enrolling because of their religious affiliation.