29 episodes

This is a legacy edition of this course that should not be used if taking the course for credit.

These lectures will help you interpret and apply the first five books of the Bible, which often seem distant and difficult to understand. You’ll get a sense for the literary structure of each book as well as the original meaning as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Special topics include the relevance of the OT, the concept of Law in the OT and NT, holy war, covenant theology, and worship. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to grow in your knowledge of these books and ultimately how they point us to Jesus Christ.

The Pentateuch Reformed Theological Seminary

- Religion & Spirituality
- 4.3, 12 Ratings

4.3 out of 5

12 Ratings

A little repetitive

Pratt's approach to the Pentateuch is really interesting, but in many cases it gets a bit repetitive.

Be Careful of Literary Approach

This class outlines the first five books of the Old Testament, i.e., the Pentateuch or Torah. Dr. Pratt is an organized and engaging lecturer. The production values are good.

Dr. Pratt takes what he calls a “literary” approach to interpreting the Bible. I don’t know if this is intended to supplement a more traditional historical-grammatical approach or if Dr. Pratt believes that the literary approach is the primary interpretative technique. If the latter, I believe that this is a problem. Taking the Bible only as literature inevitably, if tacitly, undermines the meaning of the text both to the participants (e. g., Abraham, who did not write his narrative) and to us (for whom it’s just a literary exemplar as opposed to a divine principle).

This class provides insights into interpreting the Pentateuch, but it must be taken in conjunction with more traditional historical-grammatical treatments.