Israel Institute of Biblical Studies Review

Intro

The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, in cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, aims to make the Bible accessible to people around the world. Students connect with teachers in the Holy Land through biblical study and language courses to learn the original language of both the Old and the New Testament. Learning the original language allows them to interpret the holy texts by themselves, while discovering the ancient land where the stories took place simultaneously.

Learning Biblical Hebrew happens by means of a set of five courses – levels 1 to 5 – in which you will master the Hebrew alphabet and biblical syntax and will become familiar with translation decisions that have been made over the ages and understand how these have affected the meaning of the original biblical texts.

Israel Institute of Biblical Studies in Numbers

How it works

The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies focuses on ancient subjects, but uses a very modern approach. The lessons, which follow a premade schedule, combine extensive learning materials with live online instructions by licensed teachers. This course introduces you to Biblical Hebrew, allowing you to begin your journey of interpreting ancient holy texts together with your teacher in Israel and fellow classmates from around the world

Lessons take place on weekdays and Sundays, several times a day. Students can choose their preferred class time when they sign up. Over a period that spans nine months, you will virtually meet your classmates for a 55-minute long lesson once a week. Also included in the courses are weekly enrichment sessions for homework assistance and Q&A time with your teacher.

The first course begins with learning the Hebrew Alphabet “then and now”, the Hebrew vowels, and continues with the collective reading of the creation story (Genesis 1), the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), the story of Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28), and many more. with the purpose of deepening your vocabulary, understanding, and ability to read for yourself.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was established in 1918 but only opened its doors officially in 1925. It is Israel ’s leading university and research institute. It’s highly respected in the world: the Hebrew University is ranked among the 100 leading universities in the world and first among Israeli universities.

The Hebrew University’s Online Biblical Hebrew Program provides students with a unique opportunity to learn the Bible in its original language, with the purpose of improving your understanding and appreciation of scriptural texts and their cultural context. The university’s courses focus strongly on reading from the Hebrew Bible during which process students vastly increase their knowledge of the grammar, syntax, vocabulary and other facets of one of the world’s most important ancient languages.

Courses that are part of the Online Biblical Hebrew Program are taught by experienced teachers and scholars – all certified instructors and experts in the field.

The program offers five separate courses which together cover the full spectrum of competencies: from beginners without experience to highly advanced students, and everything in between. In the more advanced courses, students encounter various textual and diachronic perspectives and a wider range of scriptural texts, including examples of poetry, prophecy, and wisdom literature. On top of that, they will be introduced to different historical and comparative aspects of Biblical Hebrew.