{"id":1033,"date":"2013-05-31T14:11:16","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T18:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=1033"},"modified":"2013-05-31T14:11:16","modified_gmt":"2013-05-31T18:11:16","slug":"course-syllabus-2009-10","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/course-materials\/rels-6000-readings-in-rabbinic-hebrew\/course-syllabus-2009-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Course Syllabus (2009-10)"},"content":{"rendered":"

RELS 6000
\nReadings in Rabbinic Hebrew
\nF 11:00-12:20
\nDr. John C. Reeves
\n204B Macy
\nOffice hours: W 2:00-3:00; or by appointment
\njcreeves@uncc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Course Description<\/h3>\n

This course provides an introduction to postbiblical Hebrew for those graduate students who are already reasonably conversant with the linguistic structures of biblical Hebrew.\u00a0We will study the basic features of postbiblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and syntax while simultaneously reading and translating a number of selections drawn from talmudic and midrashic literature.<\/p>\n

Required Textbooks<\/h3>\n

Marcus Jastrow, A Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature<\/em> (London and New York, 1903; repr., New York: Judaica Press, 1996).\u00a0 This work is also on-line at: http:\/\/www.tyndalearchive.com\/TABS\/Jastrow\/index.htm<\/a> .<\/p>\n

H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger, Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash<\/em> (trans. Markus Bockmuehl; Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1992).<\/p>\n

We may utilize certain lessons from:<\/p>\n

Miguel P\u00e9rez Fern\u00e1ndez, An Introductory Grammar of Rabbinic Hebrew<\/em> (trans. John Elwolde; Leiden: Brill, 1999).\u00a0But given this work\u2019s unreasonable cost and erratic reliability, I will reproduce for you any pages that we might work from.<\/p>\n

Some secondary tools, essays, and articles (to be distributed or assigned by the instructor) including:<\/p>\n

Werner Weinberg, \u201cRabbinic Usage: Examples for Sentence Structure in Rabbinic Hebrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra Spicehandler and Werner Weinberg, \u201cAlphabetical Index of Idiomatic Uses and Special Structures in Rabbinic Hebrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

For resolving Hebrew word abbreviations, try looking here: http:\/\/library.princeton.edu\/departments\/tsd\/katmandu\/hebrew\/open.html<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/em> purchases (not available at UNC Charlotte bookstore):<\/p>\n

M. H. Segal, A Grammar of Mishnaic Hebrew<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon, 1927; repr., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979).<\/p>\n

Angel S\u00e1enz-Badillos, A History of the Hebrew Language<\/em> (trans. John Elwolde; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993).<\/p>\n

H. N. Bialik and Y. H. Ravnitsky, Sefer ha-Aggadah: Muvhar ha-aggadot shebatalmud uvamidrashim<\/em> (repr., Tel Aviv: Dvir, 2000).<\/p>\n

Reuben Alcalay, Milon \u2018ivri-angli shalem\/The Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary<\/em> (Tel Aviv & Jerusalem: Massadah Publishing Co., 1965).\u00a0 Or one of its later revisions and\/or reprints; the latest revised edition dates from 2000.<\/p>\n

Course Requirements<\/h3>\n

a. Diligent attendance and preparation<\/em>.\u00a0Almost perfect attendance is an essential requirement for this course.\u00a0Each class session builds upon the knowledge gained and skills acquired during previous meetings.\u00a0Moreover, oral recitation and group study\/discussion comprises practically the entirety of every class session.\u00a0Weekly class meetings will combine oral recitation and English renderings of an extensive selection of readings drawn from classical rabbinic sources (both halakhic and aggadic), the Qumranic 4QMMT, H. N. Bialik and Y. H. Ravnitsky\u2019s Sefer ha-Aggadah<\/em>, and Moses Gaster\u2019s The Exempla of the Rabbis<\/em>.\u00a0Some of these readings may be keyed to the individual interests of the students.\u00a0The instructor\u2019s assessment of one\u2019s attendance, class preparation, oral recitation, and verbal contribution to class discussions constitutes 100% of the final course grade.<\/p>\n

b. Critical discussions<\/em>.\u00a0Almost every week during a portion of the class period students will orally expound and collectively discuss the content of at least one secondary article or essay that has been previously assigned by the instructor.\u00a0Individual students may be asked to present and guide our discussions.\u00a0The readings will come initially from Strack-Stemberger and then some language and culture articles and essays culled from the works listed below.\u00a0The instructor\u2019s evaluation of the student\u2019s contributions to these assignments will be factored into the class preparation component of the final course grade.<\/p>\n

c. Each student is responsible for all lectures, class discussions, assignments, and announcements, whether or not he\/she is present when they occur.<\/p>\n

Miscellaneous Information<\/h3>\n

a. The grading scale used in this course is as follows:<\/p>\n

91-100\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A<\/p>\n

81-90\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B<\/p>\n

71-80\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C<\/p>\n

\u00a0 0-70\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 U<\/p>\n

b. One of the requirements of this course is to complete the work of the course on time.\u00a0Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for late work\u2014an illness or other emergency.\u00a0\u2018Emergency,\u2019 however, does not include your social involvements, travel plans, job schedule, disk and\/or printer failures, the state of your love life, your obligations to other courses, or general malaise over the state of the world.\u00a0The world has been in a mess as long as anyone can remember, and most of the world\u2019s work is done by people whose lives are a mass of futility and discontent.\u00a0If you haven\u2019t learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is.\u00a0Therefore<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1) All assignments are due at their announced dates and times.\u00a0In other words (and please note well!), there will be NO MAKEUP OPPORTUNITIES scheduled.\u00a0All missed assignments (these include weekly oral recitations!) will be averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade. No exceptions will be considered or granted.<\/p>\n

2) Any written homework exercises for which a roman font is used must be typed and double-spaced; apart from Hebrew print or script, no handwritten exercises will be accepted.\u00a0Written homework exercises are assessed according to the following formulae: \u221a+ = A- (roughly 5 or fewer errors); \u221a = C+ (roughly 6-20 errors); \u221a- = U (more than 20 errors and\/or incomplete work).<\/p>\n

3) For accounting purposes, letter grades bear the following values: A=95; A-=92; B=85; C+=78; C=75; U=35.<\/p>\n

4) Since your diligent physical participation is critical for the success of this course, attendance at class meetings will be monitored by the instructor.\u00a0One absence is regrettable; two absences are the limit of tolerability.\u00a0Three (3) or more absences will result in an automatic U for the course.\u00a0Please note that the instructor does not distinguish \u2018excused\u2019 from \u2018unexcused\u2019 absences.\u00a0Unsanctioned late arrivals and early departures will be tallied as absences.<\/p>\n

5) Policy regarding Audits<\/span>: the instructor expects auditors (whether formally enrolled as such or not) to meet the same attendance, preparation, and oral participation standards as those students who are taking the course for credit.\u00a0The instructor does not expect auditors to prepare and submit any written assignments.<\/p>\n

c. The Cuneiform Studies Laboratory (located in Macy 216) houses a number of lexical and grammatical aids (both print and electronic) for the close study of biblical and postbiblical Hebrew.\u00a0Please consult with the instructor for access to this learning resource and the regulations regarding its use.<\/p>\n

d. Assistance and solicitation of criticism is your right as a member of the class. It is not a privilege to be granted or withheld.\u00a0Do not hesitate to request it nor wait too late in the course for it to be of help.<\/p>\n

Some Readings for Assessing the Nature of Rabbinic Hebrew<\/h3>\n

David H. Aaron, \u201cJudaism\u2019s Holy Language,\u201d in Approaches to Ancient Judaism, New Series: Volume Sixteen<\/em> (ed. Jacob Neusner; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1999), 49-107.<\/p>\n

J. A. Emerton, \u201cThe Problem of Vernacular Hebrew in the First Century A.D. and the Language of Jesus,\u201d Journal of Theological Studies<\/em> n.s. 24 (1973): 1-23.<\/p>\n

Jehoshua M. Grintz, \u201cHebrew as the Spoken and Written Language in the Last Days of the Second Temple,\u201d Journal of Biblical Literature<\/em> 79 (1960): 32-47.<\/p>\n

E. Y. Kutscher, \u201cHebrew Language, Mishnaic,\u201d Encyclopaedia Judaica<\/em> (16 vols.; Jerusalem: Keter, 1971), 16:1590-1607.<\/p>\n

Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, \u201cThe Language,\u201d in Qumran Cave 4 V: Miqsat Ma\u2018a\u015beh ha-Torah<\/em> (DJD 10; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 65-108.<\/p>\n

Chaim Rabin, \u201cThe Historical Background of Qumran Hebrew,\u201d Scripta Hierosolymitana<\/em> 4 (1958): 144-61.<\/p>\n

Stefan C. Reif, \u201c[Review of Charles F. Whitley, Koheleth: His Language and Thought<\/em>],\u201d Vetus Testamentum<\/em> 31 (1981): 120-26; note also 32 (1982): 346-48.<\/p>\n

Seth Schwartz, \u201cLanguage, Power and Identity in Ancient Palestine,\u201d Past and Present<\/em> 148 (1995): 3-47.<\/p>\n

Moses H. Segal, \u201cMishnaic Hebrew and its Relation to Biblical Hebrew and to Aramaic,\u201d Jewish Quarterly Review<\/em> o.s. 20 (1909-10): 647-737.<\/p>\n

Abraham Tal, \u201cIs There a Raison d\u2019\u00catre for an Aramaic Targum in a Hebrew-Speaking Society?\u201d Revue des \u00e9tudes juives<\/em> 160 (2001): 357-78.<\/p>\n

Edward Ullendorff, \u201cIs Biblical Hebrew a Language?\u201d Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies<\/em> 34 (1971): 241-55.<\/p>\n

Steve Weitzman, \u201cWhy did the Qumran Community Write in Hebrew?\u201d Journal of the American Oriental Society<\/em> 119 (1999): 35-45.<\/p>\n

Some Recommended Readings for the Conceptual Universe of the Sages<\/h3>\n

Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert and Martin S. Jaffee, eds., The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).<\/p>\n

Catherine Hezser, \u201cClassical Rabbinic Literature,\u201d in The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies<\/em> (ed. Martin Goodman; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 115-40.<\/p>\n

Steven T. Katz, ed., The Cambridge History of Judaism, Volume IV: The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period<\/em> (ed. Steven T. Katz; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).<\/p>\n

David Kraemer, The Mind of the Talmud: An Intellectual History of the Bavli<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990).<\/p>\n

Jacob Z. Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays<\/em> (Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1951).<\/p>\n

Saul Lieberman, Hellenism in Jewish Palestine: Studies in the Literary Transmission, Beliefs and Manners of Palestine in the I century B.C.E.-IV century C.E.<\/em> (2d ed.; New York: Jewish Theological Seminary, 1962).<\/p>\n

C. G. Montefiore and H. Loewe, A Rabbinic Anthology<\/em> (London, 1938; repr., New York: Schocken Books, 1974).<\/p>\n

Jacob Neusner, Judaism: The Evidence of the Mishnah<\/em> (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981).<\/p>\n

Jeffrey L. Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud<\/em> (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003).<\/p>\n

______, Talmudic Stories: Narrative Art, Composition, and Culture<\/em> (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999).<\/p>\n

Shmuel Safrai, ed., The Literature of the Sages, First Part: Oral Tora, Halakha, Mishna, Tosefta, Talmud, External Tractates<\/em> (CRINT 2.3a; Assen\/Philadelphia: Van Gorcum\/Fortress, 1987).<\/p>\n

______, The Literature of the Sages, Second Part: Midrash and Targum, Liturgy, Poetry, Mysticism, Contracts, Inscriptions, Ancient Science, and the Languages of Rabbinic Literature<\/em> (CRINT 2.3b; Assen\/Minneapolis: Royal Van Gorcum\/Fortress Press, 2006).<\/p>\n

Solomon Schechter, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology: Major Concepts of the Talmud<\/em> (New York, 1909; repr., New York: Schocken Books, 1961).<\/p>\n

Seth Schwartz, Imperialism and Jewish Society, 200 B.C.E. to 640 C.E.<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001).<\/p>\n

Ephraim E. Urbach, The Sages: Their Concepts and Beliefs<\/em> (2d ed.; trans. Israel Abrahams; 2 vols.; Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1979).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RELS 6000 Readings in Rabbinic Hebrew F 11:00-12:20 Dr. John C. Reeves 204B Macy Office hours: W 2:00-3:00; or by appointment jcreeves@uncc.edu Course Description This course provides an introduction to postbiblical Hebrew for those graduate students who are already reasonably conversant with the linguistic structures of biblical Hebrew.\u00a0We will study the basic features of postbiblical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":871,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1033","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-gF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1033"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1034,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1033\/revisions\/1034"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}