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The Land of Israel through the Ages
Text Box: Alex Jassen Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies 53 Washington Square South E-mail: apj205@nyu.edu Office Hours: by appointment (or before or after class) Textbooks Kurt L. Noll, Canaan and Israel in Antiquity: An Introduction (New York: Continuum, 2001). Lee I. Levine, Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period, 538 B.C.E.-70 C.E. (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society: Published in cooperation with the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2002). Alan F. Segal, Rebecca’s Children: Judaism and Christianity in the Roman World (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990). Michael Avi-Yonah, A History of Israel and the Holy Land (New York: Continuum, 2001). Bible: We will occasionally read from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Apocrypha. Articles: Available on Blackboard Site. Course Overview This course traces the history of the Land of Israel from pre-historic times through the modern age. The course is primarily focused on the political and social history of the Land of Israel. We will examine the succession of political rulers of the land and the cultural legacy of the inhabitants of Israel. This will be achieved through a reading of literary sources and archaeological evidence. We will also explore the cultural developments that took place within the Land of Israel throughout the ages. The course treats the origins and development of the three monotheistic religions that claim Israel as a religious center: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, examining the historical context of their emergence and the nature of their relationship with the land. Course Requirements Midterm exam (25%) [Oct 31] Final exam (35%) [Date TBA] Research paper (20%) [Due Dec 5] Periodic quizzes (10%) Participation and attendance (10%) Class Schedule September 7: Introduction to Course The Land of Israel and its neighbors Overview of important terms September 12: Prehistoric – Bronze Age Canaan Prehistoric time Egypt and the Amarna Period Readings: Noll 15-29, 83-94, 108-124 September 14: Late Bronze Age – Early Iron Age Canaan The Emergence of the Israelites Israelite Society in the Early Iron Age Readings: Joshua 1-2, 6, 12; Judges 1-2, 5; Noll 124-128, 136-166 September 19: The United Monarchy The Davidic and Solomonic Empires Reconsidered Jerusalem: The City of David Readings: 2 Samuel 2-3, 7, 11-12; 1 Kings 1-3, 8; Avi-Yonah 69-78; Noll 170-195 September 21: The Divided Monarchy Judah and Israel The threat of Assyria and Babylonia Readings: 1 Kings 12-16; 2 Kings 3, 17-19, 22-23; 2 Chronicles 32; Noll 199-236 Quiz 1 September 26: Israel and Imperial Forces The Babylonian Exile Cyrus and the Persian Province of Yehud Readings: 2 Kings 24-25; Ezra 1-6; Noll 283-292; Levine 3-44 September 28: Alexander and the Greeks Alexander and Hellenism Ptolemaic and Seleucid Judah Readings: Avi-Yonah 114-125; Levine 45-68 October 3: The Maccabean Revolt Antiochus IV and Hellenization The Origins of the Maccabean Revolt Readings: 1 Maccabees 1-5; 2 Maccabees 1-6; Avi-Yonah 125-132; Levine 68-90 Quiz 2 October 5: No Class (Rosh Hashanah) October 10: No Class (Columbus Day) October 12: Judaism in the Hasmonean Period Political and Religious Life in the Hasmonean Period The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran Settlement Readings: Levine 114-148; L.H. Schiffman, Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their True Meaning for Judaism and Christianity (New York: Doubleday, 1995), 3-35 October 17: Herodian Jerusalem Herod and the Herodian Dynasty The Herodian Temple Readings: Levine 151-186, 219-253 Quiz 3 October 19: No Class October 24: Judea as a Roman Province First Century CE Judah Jewish Responses to Roman Imperialism Readings: Levine 285-311, 351-361; Avi-Yonah 162-167; Segal 64-95 October 26: No Class October 31: Midterm November 2: The Rise of Christianity Jesus and the Gospels The Apostles and the Early Church Readings: Matthew 1-2; Mark 1-4, 10-16; Acts 1-2, 9, 11-12; Levine 382-387; Segal 96-116 November 7: The Rise of the Rabbinic Class Origins of the rabbinic movement Judaism without temple Readings: Avi-Yonah 167-79; Segal 117-141 Quiz 4 November 9: Between the Temple and the Synagogue The Synagogue and the Temple (pre-70 C.E.) The Synagogue after the Temple (post-70 C.E.) Readings: P.V.M. Flescher, “Palestinian Synagogues before 70 C.E.: A Review of the Evidence,” in Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery (ed. D. Urman and P.V.M. Flescher; Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), 27-39. L.I. Levine, The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000), 195-131. November 14: Israel under Byzantine Rule Israel as the Holy Land Churches in Late Antiquity Readings: Avi-Yonah 179-193; Y. Tsafrir, “Byzantine Jerusalem: The Configuration of a Christian City,” in Jerusalem: Its Sanctity and Centrality to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (ed. L.I. Levine, New York: Continuum, 1999), 133-150 November 16: The Rise of Islam The Origins of Islam Jerusalem and the Land of Israel in Muslim Thought Readings: Avi-Yonah 194-223 November 21: No Class November 23: The Land of Israel under Muslim Rule Muslim building projects in Jerusalem Muslims, Jews, and Christians Reading: Avi-Yonah 224-234; J.M. Bloom, “Jerusalem in Medieval Islamic Literature, in in City of the Great King: Jerusalem from David to the Present (ed. Nitza Rosovsky; Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996), 205-217, 507-509. Quiz 5 November 28: The Crusades The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem Readings: Avi-Yonah 235-271 November 30: Pilgrimage to the Land of Israel in the Middle Ages Readings: R.L. Wilken, “Christian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land,” in City of the Great King: Jerusalem from David to the Present (ed. Nitza Rosovsky; Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996), 117-135, 495-499. M. Friedman, “Jewish Pilgrimage after the Destruction of the Second Temple,” in City of the Great King: Jerusalem from David to the Present (ed. Nitza Rosovsky; Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996), 136-146, 499-502. December 5: Zionism The Jewish Return to the Land Palestine under the British Mandate Readings: Avi-Yonah 323-331; Handout Paper Due December 7: The Modern State of Israel Readings: Avi-Yonah 332-358 Quiz 6 December 12: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Readings: I. Pappe, A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 185-207, 232-253 December 14: The Land of Israel Through the Ages Final Thoughts Review for Final

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