Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of the Torah, the oldest and most important section of the Jewish Bible. Presented as the final speech of Moses on the eve of his death, Deuteronomy contains a number of key theological insights that helped to shape both Jewish and Christian understandings of the Bible as the Word of God. Quotations from this book appear in the Gospels in many unexpected ways, not least in the account of the temptation of Jesus. The Shema (Israel's Creed) and the Ten Commandments are part of Deuteronomy. This six-week course will explore these and other foundational texts from this rich treasury of biblical faith.

Of the Old Testament Prophets whose teachings have been preserved in the Bible, Amos and Hosea are among the earliest. Against a background of political and social exploitation in eighth-century Israel, their unambiguous denunciation of the moral bankruptcy of their contemporary religious and political leaders opened "a door of hope" (Hos 2:15) for the oppressed and exploited. Their message is strikingly modern in these times of financial and social uncertainty.

SISTER CARMEL McCARTHY will present two new Scripture courses in Orlagh on Tuesday evenings.

Carmel, a member of the Sisters of Mercy (South Central Province), is an expert in the Hebrew Bible and is Emeritus Professor of Near Eastern Languages at University College Dublin. A specialist in biblical textual criticism, she taught Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Greek. She was recently elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy.  Carmel is a trained spiritual director, with some background in psychology.