THEO3711: Picturing Biblical Texts

• THEO2011 or THEO2051 or THEO2271

• None

• None

• Develop skills of visual exegesis, biblical reception, and biblical narrative theology.
• Gain knowledge of a body of art and of biblical texts, their theology and social context.

• We work through one chosen biblical text, and explore its receptions in visual media. In working through the biblical text, we raise the usual literary, theological and historical questions of traditional biblical exegesis, and we explore the major lines of its reception in various traditions of the church. However, one of the main ways in which we develop this understanding is by reflecting on the visual presentations of the biblical scenes in art from different periods, and from different theological and social contexts. We explore how images engage with the narrative of the text. This act of close comparison is the basis for reflection both on the narrative theology of the text in its original historical and literary context, and on the theologies, applications, and emotions of its reception. A further level of reflection is gradually developed as we bring in more theoretical questions about the relationship between image and text, and the relationship between the two media.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Knowledge of a scriptural text and a range of visual receptions of it.
• Knowledge of major lines of reception history of a biblical text.
• Knowledge of the literary, theological, historical, emotional and practical issues that the text raises.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Visual literacy in interpreting visual responses to biblical texts.
• Narrative theological exegesis.
• Comparison between visual and verbal media.
• Comparison between receptions and original.

Key Skills:

• Skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information and arguments in written form.
• Skills in the analysis of images, texts, concepts and arguments.

• Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in evaluating information.
• Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
• Summative essays and dissertations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• Examinations and closed-book tests assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

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