Text/Film Overview

Notwithstanding the Old Testament account of the Israelites' enslavement in ancient Egypt, Romer claims that slavery on the scale described in the Book of Exodus simply did not exist there. Biblical scribes grafted the theme of national liberation--distilled from the Jews' subjugation in Babylon and Roman Judaea--onto this earlier epoch, he argues. Elsewhere, he draws remarkable parallels between the Genesis creation myth and Enuma Elish, a Mesopotamian epic. In this provocative and entertaining synthesis, a tie-in with a TV series, the noted Egyptologist gauges the historical validity of the Bible against archeological records and early texts. Through his wide-angled focus (enhanced with scores of illustrations), we look afresh at the New Testament, ``a soup with many exotic ingriedients,'' born amid a multiplicity of sects and faiths. In the book's second half, which traces the Bible's impact over the centuries, there are brilliant cameos: Constantine plundering his empire to decorate his Christian city of Constantinople; Petrarch, hit by a flash of revelation while climbing Mount Ventoux; Jerome, Irenaeus, Luther, Henry VIII, Gutenberg, Galileo, Thomas Huxley. Romer is a superb storyteller, and this history stands on its own, quite apart from the TV series.

One of the world’s foremost archaeologists, John Romer led the Brooklyn Museum’s expedition to excavate the tomb of Ramesses XI. Since 1979, he has served as president of the Theban Foundation, an organization for the preservation of Egyptian royal tombs.

Course Introduction

This course is designed to be a self-study, online course for those interested in learning about the creation and impact of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The course explores the work of Archeologist John Romer who approaches the development and impact of the biblical testaments from a decidedly "non-faith" perspective.

The text for this course is John Romer's (1989) Testament: The Bible and History. New York, NY: Holt & Henry. The book is only available in printed format and the best place to get this book is through Ebay.

Course Enrollment & Participation

You can register for this class by contacting Dr. Terry Wimberley at etwimber@hotmail.com. The course schedule involves four sessions and all of the Kingdom of David videos are free on Youtube. After having completed each course session participants may choose - on a purely optional basis - to answer the session study questions and submit them at etwimber@hotmail.com or to contact Dr. Wimberley by phone or email to request a time for dialogue about what you have learned. You may do so by phone or dialogue via Skype or Facetime. Dr. Wimberley's phone number is 239.405.4164. There may also be efforts to convene group meetings of the class using the Zoom application on our computers. If you are unfamiliar with how to use Zoom, this online tutorial link should be useful: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting .

Enrollment: You can enroll in this course by emailing etwimber@hotmail.com or by texting Dr. Wimberley at 239.405.416.