上課日期：2021年12月29日 至 2022年3月9日
(逢週三；共10課；2/2停課)
上課時間： (香港時間) 19:00-21:30
上課地點及形式：
2.5小時x10 = 25小時實體課堂教授；
1小時x5 = 5小時網上與同學對談及指導時間
任教老師：甘汝誠老師
介紹PPT（上）：https://ecampus.abs.edu/pluginfile.php/50375/course/summary/%E8%88%8A%E7%B4%84%E8%83%8C%E6%99%AF-%E4%BB%8B%E7%B4%B9%28%E4%B8%8A%29.pptx
介紹PPT（下）：https://ecampus.abs.edu/pluginfile.php/50375/course/summary/%E8%88%8A%E7%B4%84%E8%83%8C%E6%99%AF-%E4%BB%8B%E7%B4%B9%28%E4%B8%8B%29.pptx
課程目標：
舊約背景的內容一般可分為四大部份。首先是聖地的史學地理；第二是古代閃族的文獻；第三是歷史；最後是舊約時代的民生。由於歷史的部份牽涉到的範圍(從亞伯拉罕到歷山大東征)甚廣，只好割愛，本次課程只能介紹餘下的三部份。
課程內容：
舊約背景並不是一門艱辛的學問，只是保羅所說解釋聖經中「各樣智慧」(西3:16) 中也許是最有興趣的一門。它的重要性有三：豐富我們對經文的了解、作為釋經的基礎和避免解經出錯或靈意解經，換句話說，是舊約釋經的基礎。
可惜，華文神學院的課程却鮮有將之列在研經的基礎科目內。
相比之下，西方福音派的神學院，例如Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary認為舊約背景可令同學「更好地理解舊約世界的社會和文化，並探索用於解釋舊約文本的社會科學模型」。Fuller Theological Seminary則提醒同學學習〈舊約背景〉是因為「古代以色列出現在一個古老的近東世界之中，其文化遺產改變了人類文明；
故此，「〈舊約背景〉課程能使學生對這些古代文化的歷史、語言和文學有充分的了解，從而加深了對聖經及其文化背景的理解。」
課程要求：
功課的目的說白了就是為了確保大家用心上課。每週課後將會在網上提供大約10條溫習小問題，每題答案長度不會多於30字。完成後，請在下次上課前於網上送回SPCL(切勿送交任教老師)。
教科書及參考書目：
1.King, Philip J. & Stager, Lawrence E. Life in Biblical Israel. Louiseville/ London: Westminster John Knox, 2001
2.Aharoni, Yohanan . The Land of the Bible: Historical Geography, rev. and trans. by Anson Rainey. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1979.
3.Ben-Arieh, Yehoshua. The Rediscovery of the Holy Land in the Nineteenth Century. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1983.
4.Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed. The Archaeology of Ancient Israel. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.
5.Bloch-Smith, Elizabeth, and Beth Alpert Nakhai. “A Landscape Comes to Life: The Iron Age I.” Near Eastern Archaeology 62 (1999:2): 62-92, 101-27.
6.Herr, Larry G. “The Iron II Period: Emerging Nations.“ Biblical Archaeologist 60 (1997:3): 114-183.
7.Hoerth, Alfred J. Archaeology and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994.
8.King, Philip J., and Lawrence E. Life in Biblical Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.
9.Lapp, Paul W. Biblical Archaeology and History. New York: World Publishing Company, 1969.
10.Levy, Thomas Evan, ed. The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land. New York: Facts On File, 1995.
11.Levy, Thomas Evan. “The Chalcolithic Period.” Biblical Archaeologist 49 (1986:2): 82-108.
12.May, Herbert G., ed. Oxford Bible Atlas, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.
13.Mazar, Amihai. Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000 - 586 B.C.E. Garden City: Doubleday, 1990.
14.Moorey, P.R.S. A Century of Biblical Archaeology. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991.
15.Rainey, Anson F., and R. Steven Notley. Sacred Bridge: Carta's Atlas of the Biblical World. Jerusalem: Carta, 2005.
16.Rast, Walter E. Through the Ages in Palestinian Archaeology: An Introductory Handbook. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1992.
17.Richard, Suzanne. “The Early Bronze Age. The Rise and Collapse of Urbanism.” Biblical Archaeologist 50 (1987:1): 22-43.
18.Riley-Smith, Jonathan, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
19.Shanks, Hershel. Edit. Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple. 3rd Edition. Princeton: Prentice Hall, 2010.
20.Smith, George Adam. The Historical Geography of the Holy Land. 25th Edition. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1972.
21.Stiebing, William H., Jr. Uncovering the Past: A History of Archaeology. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1993.
- Teacher: 甘汝誠老師 Mr. Abraham Kam ADJUNCT