Welcome to Oxford Biblical Studies Online's lesson plans.
These lesson plans illustrate how professors can use Oxford Biblical Studies Online to bring online learning into the Biblical studies classroom, streamline their course materials to one accessible location, and connect with today's technologically savvy student. Students today are increasingly accustomed to using technology in their research. With that in mind, we have collected lesson plans from professors of Biblical studies who use this site in their classrooms. By encouraging the use of authoritative websites in the classroom, educators can guide students in their studies while teaching them responsible research methods.
Each lesson plan highlights the resources available on Oxford Biblical Studies Online and provides discussion questions, supplementary reading suggestions, and a summary of the topic for lecture preparation. These lesson plans can be used to supplement existing syllabi, to provide ideas for integrating the site into the classroom, or as outlines for self-guided study.
We will add lesson plans with each update, so please check back for new plans.
Peter Sabo (University of Alberta) helps teachers explain the basic workings of biblical narrative and the importance of reading literarily, as well as how to identify three of the more distinctive features of biblical narrative and to apply the practice of close literary reading to other biblical texts.
Anne W. Stewart (Emory University) provides an overview of the defining characteristics of Hebrew poetry, along with the major themes of praise (the Psalms), judgment (Amos and Nahum), wisdom (Proverbs), love (the Song of Songs), and grief (Lamentations).
The Bible's only love poem, The Song of Songs (or the Song of Solomon) consists of nearly two hundred verses that offer few clues as to their origin or audience. As a result, the book has been interpreted in a number of ways, and this lesson plan by Rhiannon Graybill (Rhodes College) guides educators through the work's unique imagery and varied reception history.
The Book of Jubilees provides a case study of the Pseudepigrapha, the stories attributed to famous figures in the Bible. In this lesson, Kelly J. Murphy (Emory University) uses Jubilees to introduce this genre, and to illustrate the widely debated process of constructing the Biblical canon.
In the Book of Exodus, God reveals himself as both merciful and punishing, a divine attribute "formula" that is repeated throughout the Hebrew Bible. Hilary Kapfer (Harvard University) guides the user through the numerous examples of this complex theme, from the Torah to the Psalms.
This lesson plan by Nicole Tilford (Emory University) examines a group of texts that can be collectively referred to as "ancient Jewish short stories," in particular, Ruth, Susanna, Esther, Judith, and Tobit. Found in the Hebrew Bible or Apocrypha, these texts incorporate into a traditional Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible course. When compared to each other, however, they exhibit certain shared tendencies, such as their lack of historical precision, their heightened focus on otherwise marginal figures in society (such as women and slaves).
The collection of aphorisms known as the Book of Proverbs provides a glimpse of Israelite cultural ideals, from parenting and gender relations to politics and philosophy. In this lesson plan, Anne W. Stewart (Emory University) shows how educators and students can explore the poetic language of the book in order to reveal ancient notions of wisdom, and how they relate to the modern world.
The books now divided into 1 Kings and 2 Kings were originally part of one work that told the story of ancient Israel from the death of King David until the release of the exiled King Jehoiachin from prison in Babylon (ca. 970 BCE to 561/60 BCE). Together the two books tell the tale of Israel's history, detailing how the destruction of the two kingdoms is a just punishment for the sins of the people. Kelly J. Murphy (Emory University) focuses this comprehensive lesson plan on the activities of the prophets during this era, whose warnings and admonitions make the story more of a theological treatise than a work of history.
At first glance, Judges appears to be a book primarily concerned with the men who figured prominently during Israel's premonarchic days. Yet the female characters of the book—only one of whom is a "judge"—play an important role in the unfolding narrative. While the book names four of these women (Achsah, Deborah, Jael, and Delilah), it identifies the others—despite their importance to the development of the text—only as daughters, wives, lovers, or mothers of the male characters. Thus, as Kelly J. Murphy (Emory University) demonstrates in this extensive lesson plan, the book is an excellent starting point for introducing feminist hermeneutics and addressing gender issues related to the biblical texts more broadly.
The rise of Israel—related from opening lines of Joshua through 2 Kings—is a story that links past experience with future promise, combining history, memory, warfare, and worship. In examining the varying interpretations of this story, Ryan Bonfiglio (Emory University) discusses the competing theories about the settlement of the region, incorporating Biblical and archaeological evidence.
Davis Hankins (Emory University) presents a comprehensive lesson plan on the Book of Job, breaking down the book's structure, major themes, and allusions to other Biblical texts. The discussion questions and opportunities for research not only examine the literary significance of the book, but they also encourage students to delve into the deeper issues of evil, suffering, and faith.
Aimed at a high school audience, Timothy Gannon's lesson plan on the Acts of the Apostles uses creative group activities, research projects, and discussion to bring the early Church to life and examine how the text fits into the larger Christian canon. Mr. Gannon, a teacher in the Religious Studies Department at Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton, MA, has developed a flexible plan that can be adapted to a wide range of secondary school classes.
The "Historical Jesus" lesson plan, prepared by Professor Kenneth Atkinson of University of Northern Iowa, considers the figure of Jesus and the Biblical passages associated with him. By tracing the historical context of passages, this lesson plan looks at how ancient Christian communities documented Jesus' teachings, the ways that current Biblical scholars study Jesus, and the debates over the different interpretations of the stories of Jesus.
Steven Leonard Jacobs, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at The University of Alabama, presents a lesson plan that looks at the variety of Bible translations and potential ways to teach about the nuances of different translations. This plan encourages the students to look at the specificity of language and raises questions about the nature of translation.
The "New Testament" lesson plan, prepared by Professor Kenneth Atkinson of University of Northern Iowa, explores the diversity of early Christianity and the complicated and lengthy process that led to the selection of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament canon. Covering topics such as oral tradition, the order of the books, and controversies surrounding the concept of a New Testament, this lesson plan includes background information as well as suggestions for further reading.
Professor Kenneth Atkinson of University of Northern Iowa has written a lesson plan that outlines a course of study for investigating the life and teachings of Paul, the author of much of the New Testament. Using background essays and writings that are available on Oxford Biblical Studies Online, Professor Atkinson leads students through an examination of Paul's early life, travels, and teachings.
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