History of Ancient Israel and its Religion - RETA1003

• Title: SZPV2-History of Ancient Israel and its Religion
• Form of teaching: lecture
• Guaranteed by: Katedra biblických studií (27-BS)
• Faculty: Protestant Theological Faculty
• Actual: from 2025 to 2025
• Duration in semesters: 1
• Semester: summer
• Points: 2
• E-Credits: 2
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:2/0, C [HT]
• Capacity: unlimited / unknown (unknown)
• Maximum number of enrolled students: unlimited
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Repeated enrollment: 2 / 2 / 2 / 2
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: prof. Filip Čapek, Ph.D.; doc. Petr Sláma, Ph.D.; doc. Mgr. Jan Rückl, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): prof. Filip Čapek, Ph.D.; doc. Mgr. Jan Rückl, Ph.D.; doc. Petr Sláma, Ph.D.

Annotation

The subject of the course is the history of the religion of ancient Israel. The main emphasis is placed on studying
the contemporary political contexts which provide the essential background for an understanding of particular
religious concepts and ideas, their formation and development. Special attention is paid to religions in
neighbouring cultures, since these contribute substantially to the religion of ancient Israel as such.

Outline
1. Definition of religion in the historical context of the Southern Levant
2. Particular forms of religion (cult and other phenomena)
3. Material culture relating to cult (archaeological evidence)
4. Topography of Israel and its important sites
5. Political interactions with surrounding political entities
6. Religious impact of neighbouring cultures
7. Literary world of the Old Testament in the light of contemporary research
8. Summary: biblical literature and ancient history

Last update: Čapek Filip, prof., Ph.D. (13.01.2026)

Course completion requirements

Regular preparation for the individual meetings and completion of the tasks assigned during them. In order to pass the course it is necessary to write a paper of 8000-10,000 characters on an assigned theme.

Last update: Čapek Filip, prof., Ph.D. (13.01.2026)

Literature

ČAPEK, Filip, Archaeology, History, and Identity Formation of Ancient Israel, Prague 2024.

CLINE, Eric H. 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed, Princeton 2014. 

DEVER, William G. Beyond the Texts. An Archaological Portrait of Ancient Israel and Judah, Atlanta 2017.

KEEL, Othmar and UEHLINGER, Christoph. Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God in Ancient Israel, Minneapolis 1998.

Edward LIPINSKI, On the Skirts of Canaan in the Iron Age, Leuven 2006.

Last update: Čapek Filip, prof., Ph.D. (30.01.2026)