Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

NREL 3425 Fall 2005

Tuesdays 4:00-5:50

65 5^th Ave, Room 206

Alex Jassen

Department of Humanities

66 W 12^th St

E-mail: apj205@nyu.edu

Office Hours: by appointment (or after class)

Required Textbooks

1. Bible: Any of the following Bible translations are approved: Revised Standard Version (RSV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), New American Bible (NAB), or New Jewish Publication Society (NJPS). If you would like to use a different Bible translation that you already own, please show it to me before doing so. Please bring to class every day. If you would like a Bible with annotation, I would suggest: New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, College Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) [NRSV] or The Jewish Study Bible: Tanakh Translation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) [NJPS]

2. Lawrence Boadt. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. New York: Paulist Press, 1984.

3. Course Reader. Available at East Side Copier. 15 E 13^th St. (212-807-9465)

Please bring to class every day.

Course Overview

This course in intended to introduce the student to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), its major themes and ideas and the methods of modern biblical criticism. We trace the historical development of ancient Israel and treat the central historical questions dominating contemporary biblical scholarship. The primary goal of the course is to engage the texts of the Hebrew Bible. Basic information is provided about the individual books in order to develop a deeper capacity to analyze the texts. Emphasis is placed on close reading of selected texts with an eye toward literary technique and cultural context. Special attention is paid to the relationship of the Hebrew Bible to the literature of the ancient Near East. Relevant texts from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Canaan, and Greece are read in order to shed light on the Hebrew Bible.

Course Requirements

1. Midterm exam (25%)

2. Final exam (30%)

3. Paper one (10%) [Due Oct 1]

4. Paper two (10%) [Due Dec 20]

5. Weekly writing assignments (20%) [Due Sep 20, 27; Oct 11; Nov 1, 15, 22, 29; Dec 6, 13, 20]

6. Participation and attendance (10%)

Course Schedule

Part One: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, its World, and the Modern Study of the Bible

1. September 6: Introduction to Course

a. The Bible as a book: the many names for the Bible.

b. Historical overview of ancient Israel and the ancient world

Readings: Boadt 11-51; Reader 1-25

2. September 13: The Modern Study of the Bible

a. Text criticism and the ancient versions

b. Introduction to Pentateuchal Criticism (source criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis)

Readings: Boadt 69-108; Reader 26-28

Part Two: The Pentateuch

3. September 20: The Primeval History and Near Eastern Cosmology

a. Creation in the Bible and ancient Near East

b. The flood

Readings: Genesis 1-11

Boadt 109-132; Reader 29-64

4. September 27: The Formation of Religious History (Genesis and Exodus)

a. The Patriarchs of history and tradition

b. The Exodus

Readings: Genesis 12-36 (37-50); Exodus 1-15

Boadt 133-172; Reader 65-84

October 4: No Class (Rosh Hashanah)

6. October 11: The Law

a. The Sinai Covenant and the Ten Commandments

b. Law codes and types of law

c. The Code of Hammurapi and biblical law

Readings: Exodus 19-20, 24; Leviticus 1-5; 11, 18-19; 24:17-22, 25; Numbers 5:11-31, 6

Boadt 173-194; Reader 85-98

October 18: No Class (Sukkot)

October 25: No Class (Sukkot)

9. November 1: Deuteronomy

a. Composition and Contents

b. The Deuteronomic reform

c. Introduction to the Deuteronomistic History

Readings: 2 Kings 22-23; Deuteronomy 1-34

Boadt 347-357, 374-382; Reader 99-104

Midterm distributed (Due Nov 8)

Part Three: Kings and Prophets

10. November 8: Initial Settlement in the Land: Joshua and Judges

a. The question of the conquest and the origins of ancient Israel

b. The world of ancient Israel in the period of the Judges

Readings: Joshua 1-6, Judges 1-5, 19-21

Boadt 195-212; Reader 105-112

11. November 15: The Monarchic Period (Samuel-Kings)

a. David, Solomon, and the United Monarchy

b. The Divided Monarchy

Readings: 1 Samuel 8-12; 2 Samuel 1, 11-13; 1 Kings 1-3; 10-12; 16:15-34; 21; 2 Kings 9-10; 15:1-31; 16:1-9; 17:1-19:37; 18:9-12

Boadt 227-243, 292-297; Reader 113-126

12. November 22: Early Israelite Prophecy

a. Prophecy in the ancient Near East

b. The beginnings of Israelite prophecy

Readings: Exodus 7-8; Deuteronomy 18:9-22; 1 Kings 13, 17-19; 2 Kings 2, 4; Hosea 1-3; Amos 1-3; 7

Boadt 297-337; Reader 127-160

13. November 29: Classical Israelite Prophecy

a. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel

b. The mission and message of Israelite prophecy

Readings: Isaiah 1-6, 11, 19-20; Jeremiah 1-3, 7, 27-31; Ezekiel 1-5, 16-18, 36:1-37:14

Boadt 324-337, 360-374, 386-398

14. December 6: Exile and Restoration

a. The Babylonian destruction and exile

b. Restoration of life in Judah

Readings: 2 Kings 24-25; Lamentations 1-5; Psalm 79, 137; Obadiah 1; Isaiah 40; 44:24-45:8; 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12; Ezra 1-6; Haggai 1-3; Zechariah 1-3

Boadt 338-346, 383-386, 405-471; Reader 162-179

Part Four: Other Biblical Literature

15. December 13: Wisdom Literature and Psalms

a. What is a “wisdom” text?

b. The idea of biblical poetry

Readings: Job 1-3, 38-42; Proverbs 1-2; 22-23; Ecclesiastes 1-3, 11-12; Psalms 1-2, 19, 29-30, 45, 48, 91-93, 104, 145

Boadt 279-291, 472-490; Reader 180-196

16. December 20: Biblical Literature in Transition

a. Prophecy and apocalyptic (Daniel)

b. Historical literature (Chronicles)

c. Closing the Canon

Readings: Zechariah 13-14; Malachi 1-3; Daniel 1-12; 2 Chronicles 33, 36; 2 Kings 21

Boadt 449-459, 462-464, 506-516; Reader 197-202