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Buffalo Course of Study Hebrew Bible .

United Methodist Course of Study

Buffalo, New York Extension

Hebrew Bible I

CoS-211

Rabbi Drorah Setel, J.D., M.T.S.

716-310-6646 (no calls on Friday evenings or Saturdays, please)

Session 1: October 12-13, 2012; Session 2: November 9-10, 2012

Required Texts

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version edited by Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler and Carol A. Newsom (Oxford University Press, 2010) ISBN: 978-0-19-528955-8

The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures, Michael D. Coogan (Oxford University Press, 2011). ISBN: 978-0-19-537840-5

Recommended Texts

Who Wrote the Bible? Richard Elliott Friedman (HarperOne, 1987)

The Women's Bible Commentary - expanded edited by Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998)

Assignments

for Session 1:

1.In Coogan, The Old Testament, read Part One, Part Two and Part Three

2. In The New Oxford Annotated Bible, read the following short essays:

“Introduction,” p. 3

“The Canons of the Bible,” p. 2185-2188

(up to the section on “The New Testament”)

“Textual Criticism,” P. 2192-2195

(up to “The New Testament: Texts and Versions”)

“The Hebrew Bible’s Interpretation of Itself,” p. 2201

“The New Testament Interprets the Jewish Scriptures,” p. 2204

“The Interpretation of the Bible from the Nineteenth to the Mid-twentieth Centuries,” p. 2221

“Contemporary Methods in Biblical Study,” p. 2227

“Cultural Contexts: The Ancient Near East,” p. 2236

In addition, please skim through the reference materials on pp. 2254-2265 and 2269-2288, as well as the maps following p. 2286.

3. In The New Oxford Annotated Bible read the introductory essays to the books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).

4. After reading the material, please answer the following questions. Each answer should be 2-3 pages in length. You should use Times New Roman font size 12, double spaced, with standard margins. Include your name and essay number in the heading and staple each essay separately. You may give them to me in a folder with pockets if that is easier for you but do not place the papers in a three hole binder. Please bring your essays to the first session. If you have questions about the reading and/or essays please feel free to email or call me before the first class.

(1) Scholars refer to the first part of the Christian Bible as “The Hebrew Bible.” What is the difference between using the term “Hebrew Bible” and the term “Old Testament”? Why do Jews, Protestants and Roman Catholics have different versions of the Bible? What are the major differences?

(2) What is the Documentary Hypothesis? What are the perspectives and themes of the major sources (J, E, D, and P)?

(3) How do biblical narratives and poetry draw on ancient Near Eastern mythology? Please give specific examples.

(4) What are the issues involved in determining the historicity of biblical traditions such as the patriarchs and matriarchs, the Exodus and the wilderness narratives? How have archaeological discoveries affected scholarly understanding of those traditions?

(5) The concept of covenant is central to the Hebrew Bible. What are some of the ancient Near Eastern sources for biblical ideas of covenant? What did ancient Israelites mean when they described their relationship with God as a covenant?

(6) There are differing theories to describe the emergence of ancient Israel in Canaan. Describe them and the evidence for each.

5. Please be able to define the following terms:

Apocrypha Baal Canaan canon

Code of Hammurapi Cohen cosmology Covenant Code

El Elohim Hebrew Holiness Code

Israel Judah judge Levite

mythology sacrifice scapegoat Shema

suzerainty treaty Tanak Tetragrammaton theophany

Torah Yahweh

for session 2:

1. In Coogan, The Old Testament, read Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven

2.. In The New Oxford Annotated Bible read the introductory essays to The Historical Books (p.313), The Poetical and Wisdom Books (p.721) and The Prophetic Books (p.961) as well as the short introductory essays at the beginning of each biblical book in those sections and the following short essays:

“Cultural Contexts: The Persian and Hellenistic Periods,” p. 2242

“Cultural Contexts: The Roman Period,” 2247

3. After reading the material, please answer the following questions, following the instructions for session 1:

(1) What factors led to the establishment of the monarchy in ancient Israel? What were the reasons for opposition to it? What is the theological problem that arose with the establishment of the monarchy in Israel?

(2) Descrbe the “royal ideology” and how it differed from older, premonarchic views of the Israelite confederation. What are the tensions between the agreements of the Sinai Covenant and those of the Davidic Covenant?

(3) Define the term “prophet” as it was used in ancient Israel. How did a prophet function in society? How was the development of prophecy connected to the establishment and growth of the monarchy? What were some of the core messages of the prophets?

(4) The lives and contributions of women in the Hebrew Bible are less well documented than those of men. What are some of the things we do know about the status of women in ancient Israel? What roles did they play socially, religiously, and politically?

(5) The Psalms address many aspects of human experience. What are their principle genres? How were they used in personal and communal life in ancient Israel?

(6) Define the term “theodicy.” What were some of the historical developments that made the issue so central to the authors of the Hebrew Bible? How do the books of Job and Ecclesiastes differ from other biblical traditions in their response to theodicy?

4. Please be able to define the following terms:

apocalyptic Aramaic Davidic covenant

Dead Sea Scrolls Diaspora Essene

First Temple Hellenism messiah

parallelism Pharisee proverb

Sadducee Samaria Second Temple

synagogue United Monarchy wisdom literature

Zealot Zion