The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)
RELI 201Spring 2017TR10:20-11:40SCIE 113
Prof. Jenny Caplan ()
Office Hours: M 1-3, W 3-5, and by appointment RSC 207
This course is an introduction to The Hebrew Bible, one of the primary scriptures of Judaism. It will look at the historical and cultural events that shaped the writing of the Bible, as well as looking at the literary features of the text as a text. It will move canonically through the text, meaning we will work with the order of the books as found in a Hebrew Bible, not in the order in which they were written. This course will familiarize students with a text that is of religious importance to over 2 billion people, and of cultural importance to an even larger number than that.
Learning Objectives:
1.Learn the structure and sections of the Hebrew Bible
2.Learn to write critically about religious texts and synthesize them with historical material
3.Learn to think critically about religion and religious interaction
Required Texts:
The Jewish Study Bible by Oxford University Press
Who Wrote The Bible by Richard Elliott Friedman
How To Read The Bible by James Kugel
**All books are available for purchase in the bookstore and are on reserve at the library. Be aware that older editions will have different pagination, as will some of the library editions, so purchase older editions with caution. If using an e-book edition let me know so that I can be sure I understand your citations.
Grade Breakdown:
Mid Unit Quizzes: 15% (5% each)
End of Unit Essays: 45% (15% each)
Final Exam (5/17, 2pm-5pm): 30%
Participation: 10%
Schedule of Classes
R 1/26: Introduction
T 1/31: Biblical Scholarship
REF: 15-32
JK: 1-17
R 2/2: Ancient Southwest Asia
REF 33-49
JK: 29-40
Unit 1: The Torah
T 2/7: Creation
REF: 50-69
JSB: pp 7-10, GEN 1-4
JK: Ch. 2
R 2/9: Life Before The Law
JSB: GEN 6-9, 11:1-9
JK: Ch. 4-5
T 2/14: Covenant
REF: 70-88
JSB: GEN 12-26
JK: Ch. 6 & 8
R 2/16: The Abrahamic Family Drama
A-H: 27-33, JK Ch. 9
I-O: GEN 34-40, JK Ch. 11
P-Z: GEN 41-50, JK Ch. 12
T 2/21: Moses & The Exodus
Quiz #1
JSB: pp 95-99 EX 1-14, 20, 25, 32, 34:10-28
JK Ch. 15-16
A-H: EX 21
I-O: EX 22
P-Z: EX 23
R 2/23: The Law
REF: 188-206
JSB: pp 193-195 LEV 10-13, 16-18, 23
JK: Ch. 17
T 2/28: The Law
REF: 89-100
JSB: pp 267-270 NUM 4-6, 12, 15:14-41, 16, 21:4-9, 34-35
JK: Ch. 19
R 3/2: The Deuteronomistic Worldview (Paper #1 Due)
REF: 101-135
JSB: pp 339-344 DEUT 30-31, 32:44-52, 34
JK: Ch. 21
A-H: DEUT 27
I-O: DEUT 28
P-Z: DEUT 29
Unit 2: The Nevi’im
T 3/7: The Promised Land and Tribal Organization
JSB: pp 429-441 & 495-497, JOSH 1-3, 6, 22; JUDG 4, 9, 11
JK: Ch. 22-23
A-H: JUDG 6:11-8:35
I-O: JUDG 13-16
P-Z: JUDG 19-21
R 3/9: What is a Prophet?
REF: 136-149
JSB: pp 545-547, 1SAM 1, 2:11-3:20, 8-10, 15, 25, 2SAM 9, 11-13, 16-19, 24:10-25
JK: Ch. 25 & 27
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: Read JK Ch. 24 and write a 2 page response to the issue of polytheism in the Bible.(due 3/28, 3% EC max.)
T 3/28: Kings and Prophets
A-H: 1SAM 17-20
I-O: 1SAM 21-24
P-Z: 1SAM 26-30
R 3/30: The Davidic Line
Quiz #2
REF: 207-215
JSB: pp 653-656, 1KINGS 1-3, 5:27-7:1, 8, 10:1-13, 15:9-34, 18-19, 21, 2KINGS 2, 4, 15:27-31
JK: Ch. 28
A-H: 1KINGS 11:29-13:34, JK Ch. 29
I-O: 2 KINGS 18-20
P-Z: 2KINGS 22-25
T 4/4: Prophecy and Messianism
REF: 150-160
JSB: pp 763-766, ISA 24-27, 44, 53
JK: Ch. 30
R 4/6: Prophecy, Exile, and Mysticism
JSB pp 901-906 & 1033-1037, JER 7-10, 35-39, EZEK 1-3, 37
REF: 161-173
JK: Ch. 31-32
T 4/11: Prophecy and The Law
JSB: pp 1125-1132, 1187-1188, Hosea, Jonah
JK: Ch. 33
R 4/13: Prophecy and Social Justice (Paper # 2 Due)
A-H: Joel
I-O: Amos
P-Z: Micah
Unit 3: The Kethuvim
T 4/18: Poetry and Biblical Interpretation
JSB: pp 1263-1269, PS 19, 22, 29, 111-112, 137
JK: Ch. 26
R 4/20: The World of the Psalms
Choose TWO A-H: 1-50 (NOT 23)
I-O: 51-100
P-Z: 101-150
T 4/25: Theodicy
JSB: pp 1489-1495, JOB 1-2, 32-40
A-H: JOB 3-11
I-O: JOB 12-20
P-Z: JOB 21-31
JK: Ch. 34
R 4/27: The Bible and Memory
Quiz #3
JSB: pp 1581-1583, 1599-1601 Lamentations, Ecclesiastes
T 5/2: Women’s Narratives
JSB: pp 1573-1574, 1619-1621, Ruth, Esther
R 5/4: Post-Exilic Rebuilding and Xenophobia
REF: 217-233
JSB: pp 1661-1664, Ezra (skip ch.2), Nehemia (skip 7:8-72, 10:2-28, 11:4-12:38)
T 5/9: Apocalypticism (Paper #3 Due)
JSB: pp 1635-1637 Daniel
JK: Ch. 35
Please note: NO grades will be discussed within the first 24 hours of an assignment being returned. If you wish to discuss a grade take a day (or more) to think about my comments and what you wish to say and then come see me.
Attendance Policy
I will not be taking attendance in this class. I will, however, be assigning credit for active and engaged participation, and I will notice when you’re missing. Being unprepared for call or poor attendance will result in a lower participation grade.
Due Dates and Late Work
Things are due when they are due. If you have extenuating circumstances, talk to me in advance and we will attempt to work something out. Barring previously-made arrangements work will not be accepted late in this class.
Class Courtesy
All students are expected to follow simple rules of academic courtesy with respect to fellow students and instructors. Please come to class on time to avoid disrupting the class. Once class begins, you must refrain from personal conversations. You must put away all non-course reading materials (e.g. newspapers). Turn off and put away all cell phones and MP3 players. Do not text during class. Refrain from using computers for any non-course related activities. Please avoid premature preparations to leave class; I will let you know when class is over. Eating and drinking are allowed, but will be banned if food or drink become distractions or problems. You may be asked to leave the class for the day if you do not follow these rules.