Reading the Bible in a Year

There are free online courses from many respected universities.  I found two courses from Yale University that cover first the Old Testament and then the New Testament.

http://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145#sessions

http://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-152#sessions

As a "student" I will listen to 50 video taped lectures and read The Bible.  What could be more fun than that?  Well, maybe having some discussion about the lectures/readings which is the purpose of restarting this blog.  I am hoping others will follow and comment as well.

Because the courses have 50 lectures and because I found this site for reading The Bible in one year,

http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/niv1984/bjan01.htm

I intend to watch a lecture a week and then comment on a Monday. That will take one year.  For the first while, the daily Bible readings will keep me well ahead of the lectures.

The first lecture was just your basic introduction to the course giving an overview of the approach and content of future lessons so there isn't a whole lot to comment on but here goes. 

The course is not for theology students.  Religion (at least faith) will play only a small role in the course.  The students are to approach the course as philosophers, literary critics, historians etc.  That's fine with me.  I am not a believer.  But I am absolutely fascinated by all the stories in the Bible.  The rules.  The characters.  The historical elements.  The lessons.  In the past I have read about half of the Bible (up to Kings in the Old Testament and the Gospels in the New) and I am amazed at the cleverness of the Bible storytellers.  Like all great books, every time you pick it up, you will find something new or something to think about in a new way.

In seven days my daily Bible readings have taken me up to the marriage of Rebekah and Isaac (Genesis 24) and the third (not even the second)  lecture will only discuss up to Cain and Abel (Genesis 4) Already, I have a bunch of questions but I will limit myself to the ones that may be answered in the next two weeks. (I will save my questions about Noah, and Lot, and Abraham and Sarah and Hagar and Ishmael and Isaac and Rebekkah for a later week, at least one closer to when a lecture will answer them.)

1. Why is the creation story in the Bible believed so fervently by so many people when every other creation story is treated as myth?  When I read the first few chapters of Genesis, I can't help but say that this is a story, that it did not happen that way.  And  if I can't believe that original story then it becomes difficult to believe the ones that follow.  This does not deny the fact that we can learn from those stories.

2. The same is true for the Adam and Eve and the Fall of Man story.  It reads like myth.  Myth isn't bad as myths are often explanations of the unexplainable with much to offer how we approach life or deal with confusing events, but why is it believed as fact by so many?  I realize that there is a faith based answer to this, but I am wondering if there is some explanation beyond that. 

3. I recall reading somewhere that the Cain and Abel story deals with the conflict between herders and farmers.  I am assuming I will get some explanation for Cain's offering being rejected and his murder of his brother.



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