This course will explore the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures as literary texts. Students will examine the language, images, and structures of selected books of the Bible. Various approaches to Biblical study will be utilized including form and source criticism, narrative analysis, genre analysis, and rhetorical analysis. Issues to be addressed include the variety of interpretative strategies, the choice of translations, narrative and characterization strategies, the influence of the Bible on Western Tradition. (SLRS SLLT)