Final Exam Reflection Essay:
Write a 4-6 page essay about what you have learned during the course, with a special focus on the second half
of the course.
In the essay, discuss at least three different insights that you have had about the study of the Hebrew Bible in
this context. What new learning has happened for you? Be specific about when this learning happened and
use the course materials (Tanakh, Bible Odyssey essays, lectures, discussions) to identify the particular text,
concept, or idea that was important to you. For each new insight, discuss why that insight or shift in thinking
was significant. What has this new insight helped you to question, see more clearly, or think about in new
ways? What shift in thinking can you identify in yourself during the second half of the course? Then, at the
conclusion of your essay, discuss what questions remain for you that you would like to continue to think about
and/or why this new learning is important to you.
There are many issues to think about, but the following are some themes/ideas to consider:
• the way stories are told in the Hebrew Bible, especially the existence of gaps that must be filled by the reader
• prophecy as social critique
• the Deuteronomistic History as a theological history as opposed to a literal/factual history
• the role of historical perspective both in the writing of the Bible and in the read of the Bible
You are not required to do extra research. Parenthetical citations of the Bible (Genesis 1:1, for instance) are
expected when you cite the Bible. Parenthetical citations of other sources are also required (Bible Odyssey, for
instance). Please double space your essay.