I just finished Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, an online class provided by the Bible Project. It features 14 hours and 44 minutes of video classrooms where you watch the teacher and six students explore the Bible that Jesus knew.

I come away from the class with a newfound appreciation for the poetics of the Hebrew Bible. We learned to look for repeated words and patterns that are found throughout the Bible.

Two metaphors from the class standout. The first is that of the Bible being like a quilt. Upon examination, we find that the many stories in the Bible are masterfully woven fabric with common themes tying it all together. In the very beginning, we read about two humans failing God’s test to trust Him for all good things. Then the text invites us to look for one who will break this pattern and pass God’s test. This theme is continued right into Matthew when Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tested and emerges as the one who does pass God’s test.

The second metaphor is that of a photo montage. In the class, Tim Mackie, the instructor, showed us a photo montage of Louis Armstrong. Up close, we can see images taking during studio recording sessions of Armstrong’s albums. Farther away, the images come together to form one large image of Armstrong playing his trumpet. Tim used this as an analogy of how all of the Scriptures work together to give us the picture of the “one who is to come”, the Messiah.

This was the second class I’ve completed via the Bible Project App. Last summer I took Noah to Abraham. At the end of each, you can print out a certificate of completion. Given the amount of time it takes to complete either, I made sure to print mine out each time. If you have an itch to go deeper in your study of the Bible, I can give you my hearty recommendation.