This course will introduce students to Biblical studies, to the Old and New Testaments, and their various textual genres. The faith communities that produced the Bible will also be studied -- the people of Israel and the first Christian communities. The contributions of modern archaeology and critical scholarship will be considered in understanding the history of the scriptural texts and their human authors. Emphasis will be placed on the way in which the scriptural text both reflects and sustains the faith community's self-understanding and relationship to God.