"It's important to be able to see it in its full glory," he adds.

For students with traditional beliefs, Kugel offers a disclaimer at the beginning of his Core course, telling the class that some of the material he assigns might be unsettling.

But the professor says in almost 20 years of teaching "The Bible," he knows of no student dropping out because of problems with the readings.

In light of his own experience, Kugel recommends exposure to a wide range of Biblical scholarship.

"People who are in the same position as I was [as an undergraduate] would not be well-served by being told, 'Oh forget about [the modern work]. Other people know this, but it's not for you,'" Kugel says.

Asked about how students react to learning that he is an Orthodox Jew, Kugel explains a theory he has developed.

"I hate to say it, but I think there's probably some voyeuristic pleasure...[in] watching someone who does come from traditional religious beliefs dealing with modern Biblical scholarship and its rather unsettling conclusions for those beliefs," Kugel says.

Although he is in the minority as an Orthodox Jew at Harvard, the professor says he finds the atmosphere on campus "altogether congenial."

"My main problem is Kosher food," he says. "It's hard to get that around here, but that's a real minor problem."