The course deals with the canonical texts of the three "heavenly" religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, to discover ground for their fundamental beliefs. Teacher provides introduction into the Bible of both Testaments within its cultural and religious setting within the Ancient Near East, considering also non-canonical Biblical literature and the Qur´an. Particular topics include notions of respective geography and historical roots of the three religions, survey of sacred texts, interpretive literature, and non-canonical legends. Some consideration is given to religious disputes, growth of the monotheistic formula and the trinitarian creed, especially in context with the onset of Islam. in this aspect, basics of Islamic creed and practice are explained, i.e. Five Articles of Faith and Five Pillars of Islam.

The introductory survey comprises geographical location of the ancient cultures of the Middle East, languages, scripts, cult, or types of sacred literature. The highlighted issue is the phenomenon of strict monotheism as observed in the canonical texts of the Old Testament and the Quran. These will be seen in the stream of apocryphal and “heretical” substrate, particularly documented in the stories of essential Biblical figures as Abraham, Solomon, Joseph, John the Baptist, or Jesus Christ himself. Respective interpretations of these will show the appearance and main teachings of the three “heavenly religions” – Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The seminar will combine visual presentations of the mentioned topics, interpretive reading of primary texts, and relation of secondary explanations presented in students´ papers.

Old Testament figures as Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc. are presented in biblical and apocryphal texts with visual illustrations from both western and eastern art. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions are compared to show the different interpretive outlines. Teacher's presentations are complemented with students' entries on chosen topics.