How the Bible Shaped Civilization

Brilliantly taught and richly textured, this course is a treasure for those with a passion for exploring biblical allusions. Revisit familiar scenes from the Gospels with Oxford-educated New Testament scholar Prof. Ian Boxall, D.Phil. in Interpreting the Gospels Throughout History. Poised and perceptive, Prof. Boxall commands your attention through the sheer caliber of his analysis – especially of Old and New Testament subjects in visual art. Regardless of your familiarity with either the Bible or the history of art, this course teems with gems of insight for you to scoop up and add to your collection. Prof. Boxall surveys a wide range of interpretations of the Gospels for your consideration: from paintings, frescoes, icons, and hymns to poems, apocryphal texts, and films. As you sift through levels of symbolism and historical parallel, you will come away with a fuller appreciation for the way in which artists over time have re-energized the legends they were inspired by. With a knack for making complex subjects accessible, Prof. Boxall clearly illustrates the literary theory known as "reception history" – a recent development in biblical scholarship that studies the ways in which different cultures and communities over time have read, understood, and appropriated biblical texts in a variety of media. The course culminates in a somber reflection on converting suffering into meaning through the aspect of the passion, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. Quiet, intelligent, and deftly taught, Interpreting the Gospels Throughout History is the echo of a pensive walk through an empty cathedral or museum.