This course introduces the worldview of the biblical writers and the cosmological assumptions that shaped the literature of the Old and New Testaments.
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