Study Jewish and Christian scriptures.
Biblical Studies looks in detail at the biblical writings in their ancient contexts and considers how they should be interpreted.
Biblical Studies papers are divided between Old Testament (Tanakh or Hebrew Bible) and New Testament.
You can also study the biblical languages (Classical Hebrew and New Testament Greek) to an advanced level.
Available as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (BEntr), Bachelor of Health Science (BHealSc), Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom), Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) or Bachelor of Commerce and Science (BComSc) degree
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100-level | Two 100-level BIBS or HEBR papers | 36 |
| 200-level | Two 200-level BIBS papers | 36 |
| 300-level | One 300-level BIBS paper | 18 |
| May include either RELS 211 The Dead Sea Scrolls or RELS 311 The Dead Sea Scrolls (Advanced) | ||
| Total | 90 |
Note: This minor subject is not available for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Theology (BTheol).
| Paper Code | Year | Title | Points | Teaching period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIBS112 | 2024, 2025 | Interpreting the Old Testament | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| BIBS121 | 2024, 2025 | Interpreting the New Testament | 18 points | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
| BIBS131 | 2024, 2025 | Introductory New Testament Greek Language 1 | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| BIBS132 | 2024, 2025 | Introductory New Testament Greek Language 2 | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| BIBS211 | 2024, 2025 | God, Land and Exile in the Hebrew Prophets | 18 points | Semester 2, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS213 | 2024, 2025 | Hebrew Old Testament Exegesis 2 | 18 points | Full Year |
| BIBS215 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS218 | 2024, 2025 | Judaism in the Time of Jesus | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 1 |
| BIBS221 | 2024, 2025 | The Gospels | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 2 |
| BIBS223 | 2024, 2025 | Greek New Testament Exegesis 2 | 18 points | Full Year |
| BIBS224 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS225 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS226 | 2024, 2025 | Jesus in the New Testament | 18 points | Semester 2, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS227 | 2024, 2025 | Mātauranga Māori and the Bible | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 2 |
| BIBS311 | 2024, 2025 | God, Land and Exile in the Hebrew Prophets (Advanced) | 18 points | Semester 2, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS313 | 2024, 2025 | Hebrew Old Testament Exegesis 3 | 18 points | Full Year |
| BIBS315 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS317 | 2024, 2025 | God, Suffering and Justice | 18 points | Semester 1, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS318 | 2024, 2025 | Judaism in the Time of Jesus (Advanced) | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 1 |
| BIBS321 | 2024, 2025 | The Gospels (Advanced) | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 2 |
| BIBS322 | 2024, 2025 | The New Testament Epistles | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 1 |
| BIBS323 | 2024, 2025 | Greek New Testament Exegesis 3 | 18 points | Full Year |
| BIBS324 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS325 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS326 | 2024, 2025 | Jesus in the New Testament (Advanced) | 18 points | Semester 2, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS327 | 2024, 2025 | Mātauranga Māori and the Bible (Advanced) | 18 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 2 |
| BIBS411 | 2024, 2025 | Hebrew Old Testament Exegesis (Advanced) | 20 points | Full Year |
| BIBS412 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 20 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 2 |
| BIBS413 | 2024, 2025 | God, Suffering and Justice (Advanced) | 20 points | Semester 1, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| BIBS421 | 2024, 2025 | Greek New Testament Exegesis (Advanced) | 20 points | Full Year |
| BIBS423 | 2024, 2025 | Special Topic | 20 points | Not offered in 2024, Semester 1 |
| BIBS490 | 2024, 2025 | Dissertation | 60 points | Not offered in 2024, Full Year, 1st Non standard period (28 February 2025 - 20 February 2026), 2nd Non standard period (11 July 2025 - 3 July 2026), 2nd Non standard period (11 July |
Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.
Theology Programme
School of Arts
Email theology@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/theology
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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2024 Calendar and supplementary material.
