IMPACT OF HEBREW BIBLE

Purpose of Class

This series begins with Jewish texts from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) which profoundly shaped American ideals. The Bible was the most read book of the 17th and 18th century and had a deep impact on the creation of the United States. This lecture explores how the early Protestants and the Founding Fathers drew inspiration from the Hebrew Bible specifically. This lecture leads participants through history with a slide presentation of the words of scholars, important primary documents, and images of people who lived during this period.

• Learn how the Hebrew Bible was the most widely read and politically influential text of the 17th and 18th century

• Discover how the Puritans identified with the Israelites as they built their new lives.

• See how a 3,000-year-old tale of liberation became a defining inspiration for a new nation

• Explore how the Hebrew Bible shaped the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution