Readings over break

The readings over break jump around quite a bit. Duncan made the point that (if I understood him) the Bible readings seem both mired in a context with which some students are unfamiliar while simultaneously absent of context, confusing in their isolation. I'm not expecting you to become scholars in biblical literature any more than I'm expecting you to be scholars in, say, European literature; the point, rather, is exposure to certain motifs and tales that you'll find echoed in the literature of the West (and within the texts themselves). The readings over break give us another glimpse of Abraham, that key figure for three monotheistic religions, a few ideas about the brothers Jacob and Esau, who are the children of Isaac, much of the narrative regarding the figure of Moses (and the origins of Judaism), and the two infancy narratives of Jesus provided by the Christian gospels, which, as should be plain, rely completely on Jewish culture. I'll be interested to hear what elements stand out for you—either for being familiar or for their strangeness.

Hebrew Bible
Genesis Chapters:
22
25
27:1-40
32: 22-32

Exodus Chapters:
1 through 14

Christian Scriptures
Luke Chapters:
1 and 2

Matthew Chapters:
1 and 2