This course examines the origin and development of ancient Israel's portrayals of God. It traces these beliefs from their origins in the religions of the surrounding ancient Near Eastern cultures through the development of monotheism and the apocalyptic worldview, exploring the various ways in which ancient cultures contrasted divine and human standards of ethical behavior. The course concludes with various early Christian descriptions of the relation of the Christian Messiah to the God of Israel in the writings of the New Testament.