This course is designed to introduce students to the ongoing vitality of the Old Testament for the ministry and mission of the church. After addressing key interpretive issues, the course surveys the contents of the Old Testament with a focus on the historical context, literary shape, and theological and ethical challenge of each book. At the end of the course, students should have a new appreciation for the Old Testament as an integrated whole, and for its potential as a resource for the Christian journey. This is the first of a two-part ‘complex’ (OT511-512) that introduces students to the Old Testament.