Content

A study of selected texts relating to the themes of land and exile in biblical theology. The unit will bring exegetical reflections into dialogue with contemporary issues of ecology, migration, spirituality of dispossession, and the theology of hope.

Unit code: BA3004W

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Distinguish between the theologies of land in Deuteronomy and Leviticus

2.

Describe a range of responses to the exile in the Old Testament

3.

Articulate similarities and differences between prophetic theologies of hope

4.

Discuss selected exegetical issues in relation to contemporary debates about ecology, migration, the spirituality of dispossession, or hope

5.

Reflect on the tension between land promises and exile in the Old Testament

Unit sequence

Level 3 unit in Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Prohibited combination: Promised land and Exile

Pedagogy

Lectures and tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Brett, M.G. Political Trauma and Healing: Biblical Ethics for a Postcolonial World. Eerdmans, 2016.

  • Chapman, C. Whose Promised Land? The Continuing Conflict over Israel and Palestine. Lion Hudson, 2015.

  • Davis, E. Scripture, Culture, Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

  • Deverell, G.W. Gondwana Theology: A Trawloolway Man Reflects on Christian Faith. Morning Star, 2018.

  • Habel, N. The Land is Mine: Six Biblical Land Ideologies. Fortress, 1995.

  • Halvorson-Taylor, M. Enduring Exile: The Metaphorization of Exile in the Hebrew Bible. Brill, 2011.

  • Isaac, M. From Land to Lands: From Eden to the Renewed Earth. Langham, 2015.

  • Joerstad, M. The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics: Humans, Nonhumans and the Living Landscape. Cambridge University Press, 2019.

  • Smith-Christopher, D. A Biblical Theology of Exile. Fortress, 2002.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Exegesis

One exegetical paper

1500 30.0
Essay

One essay

2500 50.0
Tutorial Paper/Seminar Paper

One tutorial paper

1000 20.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Naomi Wolfe on 16 Sep, 2026

Unit record last updated: 2026-09-16 21:23:36 +1000