Many people have heard of David and Goliath, but what about Jeroboam and the golden calf? Or Ahab and the fire from heaven? Or Manasseh and the Assyrian siege? The legends of Israel’s kings have been preserved through the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish tradition. This course will dive deep into these rarely-told stories, will enliven them through context, and will examine the depth of ancient folklore and the messages that they convey, even to today. David and Goliath isn’t an outlier. It finds its place in an entire corpus of emotive and poignant stories. This course will unveil more of those stories.

Jason Hensley, Ph.D., teaches religious studies at a private school in Los Angeles. He is a fellow of the Michael LaPrade Holocaust Education Institute of the Anti-Defamation League, a member of Civic Spirit's teacher education cohort, and the award-winning author of 10 books. His work has been featured in The Huffington Post as well as the BBC, and he has served as the historical advisor for a Holocaust documentary.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for people aged 50 and older.