HEBREW & JUDAIC STUDIES
NMC 1305H EARLY HEBREW EPIGRAPHY
A seminar on ancient Hebrew inscriptions, as well as the closely related Moabite, Edomite, Ammonite, and Phoenician texts. Knowledge of biblical Hebrew is supposed. A basic bibliography is supplied, and a grasp of the scholarly literature is required. The texts are prepared in advance and presented by the students, with emphasis on grammatical, syntactic, literary, historical, and religious questions, and with consideration of orthographic and paleographical issues.
Evaluation: based on the seminar presentations, a research paper, and one exam.
R. Holmstedt
NMC 1306H SCRIBES, MANUSCRIPTS AND TRANSLATIONS OF THE HEBREW BIBLE
This course focuses on text-critical study of the Hebrew Bible, providing an introduction to the manuscript evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, the Masoretic text and the Samaritan Pentateuch, as well as from other ancient sources. Issues pertaining to paleography, orthography and manuscript production are discussed, as well as processes of textual composition and development, and techniques used by ancient translators (Greek, Latin, etc.). Of particular interest is the state of the biblical text leading to the time of canonization in the first or second century CE. Elementary Hebrew is a prerequisite and elementary Greek recommended.
S. Metso
NMC 1309H WISDOM LITERATURE IN ANCIENT ISRAEL
Ancient Jewish sages understood wisdom as a ‘skill in living,’ practical knowledge of the laws of life and of the world, based upon experience. Some of history’s most enduring collections of ancient wisdom are included in the Hebrew Bible books of Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and wisdom perspectives are also found in the Song of Songs and many of the Psalms. This course investigates the genre of wisdom literature—its style, language, and historical and theological backgrounds, with special emphasis on the book of Ecclesiastes. It aims at developing skills in reading biblical wisdom literature in its ancient Near Eastern historical and literary contexts, and understanding the origins and development of wisdom traditions. Evaluation is based on participation (20%) and class presentations (30%), and on one major research paper (50%).
S. Metso
NMC 1311Y POST BIBLICAL HEBREW: MISHNAH AND MIDRASHIM
Various current researches in Tannaitic and/or Midrashic literature will be the focus of this course. The relationship of Midrash to Tosefta and to the Talmuds; the relationship of the Halakhic Midrashim to these; comparisons among redactional time frames; and text-criticism are all topics that will be addressed, with emphasis changing in accordance with the background of the student.
H. Fox
NMC 1313H MISHNAH AND TOSEFTA (=NML 358H)
Mishnah and Tosefta constitute two of the three foundational documents of Middle Hebrew. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to specific features of this level of Hebrew (syntax, grammar, vocabulary), to note the developments from Biblical Hebrew, to examine these compositions independently, and to analyze their interaction (textuality and intratextuality). Tractate Niddah will be the focus of our analysis. We will also examine current scholarly positions concerning the redaction of these documents and their relationship to each other. Students will be trained to use the Bar Ilan Responsa Project database effectively to facilitate word searches and location of parallels to assist them in evaluating variant readings. Students will learn to interpret and to create a critical apparatus.
Evaluation: one test (30%), two exercises (15% each), one essay (30%), active class participation (10%).
Prerequisites: Knowledge of Intermediate Hebrew (Biblical or Modern).
T. Meacham
NMC 1314H LAW IN ANCIENT JUDAISM
Law reflects the way in which society understands and organizes itself through common agreements and forms of restraint. This course examines the different ways religious legislation was generated in ancient Jewish communities and the different functions such legislation served in these communities. Special attention will focus on the legal codes embedded in the Torah, exploring the many similarities with and dependence upon other ancient Near Eastern legal corpora and judicial systems. Extra-canonical Jewish texts from the Second Temple and early rabbinic period will be studied as well, since they illumine the processes of scriptural exegesis and community development through which legal codes evolved.
S. Metso
NMC 1316H MODERN HEBREW POETRY (=NML 455H)
Extensive reading in the works of a major poet. Emphasis will be on the poetry of Bialik and Amichai. Conducted in Hebrew.
Evaluation: Based on one paper, one term test and class participation
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
H. Fox
NMC 1317H MODERN HEBREW PROSE (=NML 456H)
The course is designed to introduce the advanced student of Modern Hebrew to modern prose written primarily in what today is this state of Israel. To this end we spent two weeks looking at the motifs and styles available in contemporary children's literature with an eye to the use of biblical allusions. This then serves as background to a study of selections of short stories by the Nobel laureate Agnon. The conclusion of the course is an analysis of one of Agnon's major novels. Having mastered primary reading skills in prose literature, students will be introduced to postmodern literary analysis, misprision, anxiety of influence and temporal cultural models. The course will be conducted in Hebrew and students are strongly urged to write their essays in Hebrew.
Evaluation: One term test (30%), one essay (60%) and active class participation (10%).
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
H. Fox
NMC 1318H MIDRESHEI HALAKHA (=NML 452H)
Halakhic Midrash, the rabbinic continuation of biblical law, is one of the three major literary creations of the Tannaitic period, making it one of the most important sources for Middle Hebrew. Midreshei Halakha are the ancient Jewish biblical interpretations and constitute the earliest and closest reading of the Pentateuch excluding Genesis. A study of terminology and methodology indicates the existence of two midrashic systems: D’vei R. Yishmael and D’vei R. Aqiva. We will examine the scholarly debate concerning the exact time in which midreshei halakha were composed and redacted and concerning the transfer of terminology and material between the schools. In this course we shall study selections from the cultic and purity texts from Leviticus in Sifra or Torat Kohenim and/or from Numbers in Sifrei and Sifrei Zuta. In the course of our study, we shall develop facility with midrashic terminology and midrashic logic. We shall compare the texts in the standard scholarly editions with the manuscripts of those texts, parallel material in other compositions in Meddle Hebrew (Mishnah and Tosefta) and the Talmudim. Students will gain facility in reading and creating a critical apparatus. This course will demonstrate the context of ancient Jewish law in matters of purity and cultic practice for students of Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Rabbinics.
Evaluation: Based upon one test (30%), two exercises (15% each), one essay (30%) and active class participation (10%).
Prerequisites: Solid knowledge of Hebrew (grade 12 or advanced Hebrew)
Additional hours of instruction, assignments, and papers as well as bibliography increase the rigor of the graduate component relative to the undergraduate.
T. Meacham
NMC 1319H MIDRESHEI HALAKHA: LEGAL TEXTS & NARRATIVE
Halakhic Midrash, the rabbinic continuation of biblical law, is one of the three major literary creations of the Tannaitic period, making it one of the most important sources for Middle Hebrew. In this course, students will study selections from the legal texts of Exodus in Mekhilta and Mekhilta deRabbi Shimon ben Yohai, and/or from the legal texts of Deuteronomy in Sifrei Devarim. Students will develop facility with midrashic terminology and midrashic logic. They will compare the texts in the standard scholarly editions with the manuscripts of those texts, parallel material in other compositions in Middle Hebrew (Mishnah and Tosefta) and the Talmudim. Students will gain facility in reading and creating a critical apparatus. This course will demonstrate the context of ancient Jewish law for students of Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Rabbinics.
Evaluation: Based upon one test (30%), two exercises (15% each), one essay (30%) and active class participation (10%).
Prerequisites: Solid knowledge of Hebrew (grade 12 or advanced Hebrew)
T. Meacham
NMC 1326Y TOPICS IN MIDRASHIC LITERATURE
This course is intended to introduce the student to the exegetical methods of the rabbis in their analysis of concepts related to the Divine, man and the Jewish people. The selections are chosen from the two Talmuds as well as other midrashic and rabbinic literature. Close attention will be paid to the literary forms, organization, language and technique of this material. The course is conducted in Hebrew; essays to be written in Hebrew. Each student will be expected to conduct a 20-minute seminar, for which she/he will prepare an outline with questions, for the second term, on a subject to be selected from a list of prepared topics or on a topic from her/his own choosing in consultation with the instructor.
H. Fox
NMC 1327H THEMES IN MIDRASHIC LITERATURE
This course is intended to introduce the student to the exegetical methods of the rabbis in their analysis of concepts related to the Divine, to human beings and to the Jewish people. The selections are chosen from the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds and midrashic and other rabbinic literature. Close attention will be paid to the literary forms, organization, language and exegetical techniques of this material. The student will be introduced to concepts of philology, text criticism and redaction criticism, and become acquainted with the manuscript traditions of the primary text analyzed. The shaping and reshaping of these traditions will be explored through a study of textual parallels. The essential modern debates concerning the text under consideration will inform the background of the study as well as methods to help resolve if possible these scholarly conflicts.
H. Fox
NMC 1328H INTERTEXTUALITY: TANNAITIC AND AMORAIC LITERATURE
This course will examine the interconnections between the various layers of rabbinic literature in terms of theme, sources, hermeneutics, orality and textual variation. Development of terminology and exegetical methods from the earlier to the later genres of literature will be investigated. Solid knowledge of Hebrew and some background in Aramaic are prerequisites for this course. All textual readings in the seminar course will be in original languages. Students will be introduced to the use of the most important database in rabbinic literature, about Bar Ilan Responsa Project and learn its usefulness in comparing texts.
H. Fox
NMC 1609H GENDER –RELATED TOPICS IN LAW AND RELIGION (=NMC 484H)
This year's topic is Levirate Marriage. We will examine various modes of marriage in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature in the context of levirate marriage. We will examine the regnant theories of the genesis of this phenomenon: polyandry or group marriage; preservation of the bride wealth in the dead husband’s family; preservation of the dead husband’s name; preservation of the dead husband’s line by assigning the firstborn to his place in the line of inheritance; and the treatment of wives as property. We will examine the legal changes from the biblical context to the rabbinic context with particular reference to concepts of adultery and the “chained woman”.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
T. Meacham
NMC 1651H PHOENICIAN AND PUNIC EPIGRAPHY
A seminar on Phoenician and Punic inscriptions and their relationship to contemporary Judaean literature. Knowledge of biblical Hebrew is supposed. The texts are prepared and presented by the students. Preparation includes grammatical, syntactic, literary, historical, and palaeographical analysis, in the light of the relevant scholarly literature, and with due attention to comparative materials. Evaluation is based on the weekly seminar presentations, and on an essay or an exam, whose weight is determined by mutual agreement.
R. Holmstedt
NMC 1652H UGARITIC
A seminar on the language, literature, and religion of Ugarit. Knowledge of biblical Hebrew or some other Semitic language is presupposed. The texts are prepared in advance and presented by the students, with attention to grammar and syntax, and with consideration of literary and religious questions, from an historical and comparative point of view, and with reference to all the relevant scholarly literature. Evaluation is based primarily on the seminar presentations, secondarily on an exam, whose weight is determined by mutual agreement.
R. Holmstedt
NMC 1653H ISSUES IN ANCIENT HEBREW PHILOLOGY
This course will discuss the current state of philological research on ancient Hebrew. Possible topics include (but are not limited to): diachronics, diglossia, dialects, style, prose vs. poetry, narrative vs. reported speech, participant reference. The issues will be contextualized by building the linguistic profile of specific texts, such as Qoheleth, Ben Sira, or the Community Rule.
R. Holmstedt
NMC 1654H ADVANCED ANCIENT HEBREW GRAMMAR
Advanced discussion of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of ancient Hebrew. Consideration of the various linguistic methods used to investigate ancient Hebrew. Investigation of the most visible and currently unresolved grammatical issues. For each language issue addressed, selections of texts from ancient Hebrew will be used as a reference point. Weekly Hebrew composition will also be required.
R. Holmstedt
NMC 1655H COMPARATIVE SEMITICS (=NML457H)
This course will consider the genetic, geographic, and typological features of the major Semitic language branches. Attention will be given to 1) classifications of Semitic languages (genetic and typological); 2) comparison of phoneme and lexical inventories, morphology and syntax; 3) methods used to reconstruct “proto-
Semitic”; 4) causes of language change.
R. Holmstedt
NMC 1657H ISSUES IN ANCIENT HEBREW LINGUISTICS
The course will concentrate on features of biblical Hebrew foreign to English and other European languages, and on the problems of representing them in English. Possible topic areas are: apparent redundancy, such as the repetition of an introduction to speech within the words of a single speaker; the significance of choice between possible alternatives, such as clause types, verbs introducing speech, as “said, said saying, spoke and said, spoke saying”, and so on (following the view that variation of the type usually called “stylistic” cannot avoid carrying variant meaning).
Evaluation is based on class participation and on one or more written papers as agreed between students and instructor.
R. Holmstedt