The general scope of the course of Old Testament theology is to attempt to frame the diverse theological content of the Old Testament and to highlight the referential points which through the mediation of Judaism and Christianity have eventually become the cultural treasures of humanity. The course gives an overview of Old Testament pictures of the divine world in its ancient Near Eastern context. Specific topics to be discussed include monotheism, divine representation and mythological language.

Mesopotamia, the world's earliest literate culture, developed a rich philosophical conception of representation in which the world was saturated with signs. Instead of imitating the natural world, representation—both in writing and in visual images—was thought to participate in the world and to have an effect upon it in natural, magical, and supernatural ways. The Graven Image is the first book to explore this tradition, which developed prior to, and apart from, the Greek understanding of representation.