Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation

Rightly recognized as one of the world’s most important spiritual texts, the Bible has shaped thousands of years of faith, art, and human history. Yet for all its importance to believers and nonbelievers alike, we rarely engage with the Bible as a collection of unique narratives that were only later united into what we now know as the Old and New Testaments. And these different texts - historical narratives, dramatic visions, poems, songs, letters - speak to a broad range of experience, from joy and wonder to tragedy and mystery.

The diversity of material in biblical books like Exodus, Isaiah, Psalms, Mark, and Revelation has prompted people throughout history (from religious scholars to celebrated artists to everyday worshippers) to ponder and debate the meaning of these classic texts. To truly understand and appreciate the Bible’s many perspectives on faith, war, suffering, love, memory, community, and other enduring themes, it is enlightening to use a literary approach to reading and thinking about these separate books.

Enjoy an intellectual adventure like no other in Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation, which offers a comprehensive, book-by-book analysis of the Bible from the fascinating perspective of literature and narrative. Delivered by religion scholar and acclaimed Professor Koester of Luther Seminary, these 36 lectures guide you through ancient stories, empowering you to engage with the books of the Bible as richly meaningful texts. From the lives of figures like Moses and King David to the gospel accounts of Jesus and the formation of the earliest Christian communities, you get an unforgettably vivid sense of the Bible as a tale filled with complex characters, dramatic conflicts, universal themes, inspirational wisdom, hidden meanings, revolutionary crises, and powerful life lessons. No wonder it’s considered the greatest story ever told.

All Lectures:
1. The Bible as Dialogue
2. Creation and Chaos in Genesis
3. Abraham, Sarah, and the Promise
4. Jacob, Joseph, and Reconciliation
5. Moses and the Drama of the Exodus
6. Freedom and Law at Mount Sinai
7. Israel's Wandering in the Wilderness
8. Violence and Kindness in the Promised Land
9. Saul, the Tragic King
10. David and Nation Building
11. Solomon, a Study in Contradictions
12. Psalms: The Bible's Songbook
13. Biblical Wisdom Literature
14. Elijah, the Troubler of Israel
15. Justice and Love in Amos and Hosea
16. Isaiah on Defiant Hope
17. Jeremiah on Anguish and Compassion
18. Babylonian Conquest and Exile
19. Ezekiel on Abandonment and Homecoming
20. Jewish Identity and Rebuilding after Exile
21. Esther, Daniel, and Life under Empire
22. Resistance, Adaptation, and the Maccabees
23. Jesus as Messiah in Mark
24. Mark on the Crucifixion and Resurrection
25. The Dynamics of Forgiveness in Matthew
26. Luke on a World Upside Down
27. John on the Word Made Flesh
28. Self-Giving Love According to John
29. The Early Church in Acts
30. Paul's Calling
31. Paul and the Roman Empire
32. Paul's Letters to a Community in Conflict
33. Freedom and the Law in Paul's Letters
34. Paul on Gender Roles and Slavery
35. Letters for Sojourners
36. Revelation's Vision of New Creation