Strange Stories of the Bible

Why did the writers who wrote texts that we now call biblical write those stories? What did they know about the human condition? What were their artistic interests? 

Following on from last year’s exploration of Noah, Mary, Ruth and others, Pádraig Ó Tuama returns in November 2024 with more Strange Stories of the Bible. His interests are literary, and artistic: Why did the writers who wrote texts that we now call biblical write those stories? What did they know about the human condition? What were their aesthetic interests? 

We hear origin stories all the time: origins of a country, of a population, of a group. Often the later re-telling of an origin story makes it seem far more comprehensive than its original messiness. The Garden of Eden is a twice-told story of agriculture, misunderstanding, resistance and consideration. It seems obvious that the story demanded those characters to eat the forbidden fruit (was it a grape, or a banana?)

The stories told are often used today to imply moral exemplars. Ha! Let’s look at the brilliance of Tamar, and see a civic exemplar, yes, but she was willing to use whatever she could to ensure her survival. Cancellation, Fake News and Talking with the Dead. All old stories. All today’s ones too.

For this series of explorations of strange stories, join me for a class in reading the bible as literature. For November 2024, we will take five stories of the bible:

• Beasts of Eden: Eve and Adam in a Strange Garden
• Tamar: Sex Work and a Quiet God
• The Cancelled Prophet, Jeremiah and His Tears
• Jesus and the Pharisees: First Century Fake News
• Meeting A Dead Friend: Resurrection and Encounter

Whether you know these stories well or are coming to them fresh, this series of five classes will open new literary doors into these archetypal stories. This class is not affiliated with, nor does it presume, any religious commitment. It is not an invitation to go into spirituality or prayer or religious membership. This series simply explores the brilliance — and sometimes brutality — of this world literature. Each class will take a close reading of a text, and then explore that through literary analysis, contemporary poetry, questions for self reflection and art.

Classes will be from 5pm-6.30pm Eastern Time (10pm-11.30am GMT; 2pm-3.30pm Pacific Time), on the following Sundays: Nov 3, 10, 17, 24 and Dec 1. The classes will be via a Zoom seminar, and can be streamed live, or viewed later. Chat will be open during the class, but participants’ cameras will not be on. Questions will be shared via a moderator. If you miss a class, you can catch up; classes will be recorded.