Drawing upon biblical texts, Second Temple sources, and modern scholarship, students will examine the structure of the biblical cosmos, divinely-ordered time, celestial governance, prophecy, and the relationship between heaven and earth.

The course assumes no prior knowledge and is intended as the recommended entry point into the Metaphysical History curriculum.

Course Structure

12 Reading Notes

12 Lectures

Guided Discussion

Weekly Schedule

Week 1

Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics

Identifying the personal lens the student brings to reality and to the Bible

Week 2

The Modern Worldview

Analysing the Enlightenment critiques of medieval cosmology that led to the modern secular worldview

Week 3

Medieval Cosmology

The influence of Aristotelian and Neoplatonic cosmology on the development of the medieval worldview during Late Antiquity

Week 4

The Late Antique Cosmological Transition

The transition from the classical to the early medieval cosmological worldview during the Late Antique Period

Week 5

Prehistoric Cosmology

The earliest evidence of the significance of cosmology at Tas Tepeler and other megalithic sites

Week 6

The Ancient Cosmos

The ancient Near Eastern and Mesopotamian cosmic mountain worldview

Week 7

Hebrew Cosmological Subversion

Appropriation and subversion of the mythology and cosmology of surrounding cultures within Second Temple Period writings

Week 8

The Bible: Creation and the Cosmic Mountain

The matrix of sacred cosmic order in the Second Temple Period worldview

Week 9

The Bible: Chaos and the Flood

The rebellion of the Watchers and the symbolism of the Flood as restoration of order

Week 10

The Bible: Divinely Ordered Time

The ontological unity of time, cosmos, and number in the Second Temple Period Jewish worldview

Week 11

The Bible: Essenian Cosmology

The development of the Essenes and their worldview as revealed in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Week 12

The Bible: The Cosmology of the New Testament

The continuity in cosmic symbolism between the Old and New Testaments

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Explain the historical development of the modern worldview and distinguish it from ancient and medieval understandings of reality.

• Describe the principal features of the Second Temple Period worldview and the cosmological assumptions that shaped the biblical writers.

• Interpret major biblical themes, including creation, chaos, ordered time, and divine rule, within their original cosmological context.

• Evaluate the relationship between biblical cosmology and the cosmological traditions of neighbouring cultures, including points of continuity, appropriation, and subversion.

• Read biblical texts with greater awareness of the worldview, symbolic structures, and intellectual assumptions that informed their composition and interpretation.

Recommended Texts

See: Student Orientation → Recommended Texts and Resources

Commencing Study

Students should begin with:

Reading Note: Week 1

Lecture: Week 1