{"id":46,"date":"2013-04-10T20:09:33","date_gmt":"2013-04-10T20:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=46"},"modified":"2013-05-27T15:33:27","modified_gmt":"2013-05-27T19:33:27","slug":"rels-2104-syllabus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/course-materials\/rels-2104-hebrew-scripturesold-testament\/rels-2104-syllabus\/","title":{"rendered":"RELS 2104: Syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"

RELS 2104
\nHebrew Scriptures\/Old Testament
\nTR 12:30-1:50
\nDr. John C. Reeves
\n204B Macy
\nOffice hours: MW 1:00-2:00;or by appointment
\n<\/span>jcreeves@uncc.edu<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n

Course Description<\/h3>\n

Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh<\/i>), or \u2018Old Testament,\u2019 played a formative role in the development of the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course provides an overview of the diverse genres of literature contained within the Hebrew Bible as well as an introduction to its modern critical study. Representative passages drawn from the mythological, imaginative, prophetic, and cultic strata of the Bible are examined in some detail, with emphasis laid upon acquiring a nuanced understanding of the significance of these passages within their historical and literary contexts.<\/p>\n

The course falls into two parts. First we will study a variety of short selections culled from a variety of biblical and extrabiblical sources in order to foster and develop interpretative skills, as well as gain sensitivity to the complex issues involved in the discipline of biblical studies. Once a sufficient number of such skills have been learned, I will then introduce you to an ongoing research project entitled Reconstructing the Primeval Legends in Genesis 1-9<\/i>. Therein the class will actually \u2018do\u2019 biblical studies as it is practiced at the beginning of the twenty-first century and will engage in original research under the guidance of the instructor.<\/p>\n

Texts<\/h3>\n

There is one fundamental text required for this course\u2014that of the Hebrew Bible itself in a non-sectarian, linguistically responsible English translation. Such a text is very hard to find. While many students may already own Bibles or at least have ready access to public copies in the library, very few undergraduates realize that some popular translations are outdated and\/or are of substandard quality. Moreover, many of the popular or liturgical editions possess little (if any) annotation and cross-referencing, whereas the so-called scholarly editions vary widely (from book to book) in the competence of their translation and annotation. Therefore, in order to complete the assignments for this course, the following text is\u00a0required<\/b>:<\/p>\n

<\/i>Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text\u00a0<\/em>(Philadelphia & Jerusalem: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985).<\/p>\n

The following collection of ancient texts is also\u00a0required<\/b>\u00a0for this course:<\/p>\n

Stephanie Dalley,\u00a0Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991).<\/p>\n

Occasionally, supplementary readings will be assigned or distributed by the instructor as needed.<\/p>\n

Course Requirements<\/h3>\n

a.\u00a0Take-home written exercises<\/i>. An indeterminate number of written exercises (around one per week) will be prepared and submitted for in-class discussion and out-of-class evaluation. These exercises vary in length from a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of five (5) typewritten or electronically printed pages. All of these exercises will be announced by the instructor during the course of or at the conclusion of a class meeting. The instructor\u2019s evaluation of the student\u2019s collective written exercise performance will comprise 60% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0Pop-quizzes<\/i>. An indeterminate number of unannounced brief pop-quizzes may transpire during the course of the semester, usually at the beginning or near the end of the class period. These generally focus upon assigned readings and\/or class discussions, and are offered solely at the discretion of the instructor. The student\u2019s cumulative pop-quiz performance will comprise 15% of the course grade. Should no quizzes be deemed necessary, this component of the course grade will be folded into that of the preceding section.<\/p>\n

c.\u00a0Final Examination<\/i>. One (1) written take-home final examination, consisting of one or more essays, comprising 15% of the course grade. The exam will be distributed in class at the final class meeting and will be due approximately one week from that date (exact details will appear on the question sheet). This exam is subjective in format, comprehensive in content, and will draw equally upon assigned readings and class discussion for its content.<\/p>\n

d.\u00a0Individual involvement<\/i>. Almost perfect attendance (see below) is an essential requirement for this course. Each class meeting builds upon the knowledge gained during previous meetings. Moreover, in-class discussion and analysis comprises a significant portion of every class meeting. Preparation for every class usually involves the completion of a series of assigned readings and\/or written assignment(s). Students are expected to contribute\u00a0in an informed manner<\/span>\u00a0to the public analysis and discussion of any assigned topic. The instructor\u2019s assessment of one\u2019s attendance, class preparation, and informed oral contributions will constitute 10% of the final course grade.<\/p>\n

e.\u00a0Zakhor<\/i>\u00a0(Remember!): Mastery of the assigned readings and diligent class attendance are necessary prerequisites for the successful completion of this course. 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 \u00a0A = demonstrable mastery of material; can creatively synthesize<\/p>\n

81-90\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B = some demonstrable proficiency in control of material & analysis<\/p>\n

71-80\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C = satisfactory performance of assignments; little or no analysis<\/p>\n

61-70\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D = inadequate and\/or faulty understanding of material<\/p>\n

0-60\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F = unacceptable work<\/p>\n

b. One of the requirements of this course is to complete the work of the course on time. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for late work\u2014an illness or other emergency. \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. The 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. If you haven\u2019t learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is.\u00a0Therefore:<\/b><\/p>\n

1) All missed quizzes, unwritten papers, and unsubmitted exercises will be averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade. There is no such thing as a \u2018make-up pop quiz.\u2019 No exceptions will be considered or granted.<\/p>\n

2) All papers and written exercises are due on the dates scheduled in the syllabus, or on the date announced by the instructor in class (usually, the next class meeting). \u2018Late\u2019 submissions bear the following penalties: one day late\/one letter grade; two days late\/two letter grades; three or more days late\/F.\u00a0Please note: these \u2018days\u2019 are calendar days, not class meeting days<\/span>. For accounting purposes, letter grades bear the following values: A=95; B=85; C=75; D=65; F=30. An untyped paper or written exercise automatically receives the grade F, as do those typed papers which violate the required parameters or which the instructor deems physically unacceptable and\/or grammatically incomprehensible.<\/p>\n

3) Attendance at class meetings will be monitored by the instructor. One or two absences are somewhat understandable, three (3) is the limit of tolerability. Each successive absence lowers the Individual Involvement component of your assessment by one letter grade; seven (7) or more earns an automatic F in that component. Please note that the instructor does not distinguish \u2018excused\u2019 from \u2018unexcused\u2019 absences. Unsanctioned late arrivals and early departures will be tallied as absences.<\/p>\n

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

Rough Course Outline<\/h3>\n

1. Introduction: Learning how to read the Bible<\/p>\n

a. the book and the books<\/p>\n

i. the world’s fastest presentation of how to conceptualize Israelite literary history<\/p>\n

ii. ‘canonizing’ the Hebrew Bible: historical, literary, and cultural issues<\/p>\n

b. some exercises in historical and literary criticism<\/p>\n

i. textual criticism: corruption and ‘glosses’<\/p>\n

ii. source criticism<\/p>\n

iii. form criticism<\/p>\n

iv. redaction criticism<\/p>\n

c. some exercises in interpretation<\/p>\n

i. categories in medieval (as opposed to modern and postmodern) biblical exegesis<\/p>\n

ii. some targumic renderings<\/p>\n

2. More exercises in biblical interpretation and narrative strategies<\/p>\n

a. The world’s fastest presentation of how to conceptualize biblical ‘history’<\/p>\n

b. Why Bible is not history (I): 1 Kgs 18-19\/\/2 Chr 32\/\/Sennacherib’s Annals<\/p>\n

c. Why Bible is not history (II): 2 Kgs 3\/\/Moabite stone<\/p>\n

d. Case study I: representing Moab, Ammon, Esau, et al<\/em>.<\/p>\n

e. Case study II: representing Abraham<\/p>\n

f. Case study III: representing Jacob<\/p>\n

g. Case study IV: representing ‘Judah’<\/p>\n

h. Case study V: representing Jeroboam I<\/p>\n

3. \u2018History\u2019 as story: the paradigm events of redacted Israelite tradition<\/p>\n

a. The Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12-13, 15-22; cf. Isa 51:2; Ezek 33:24; Mic 7:20)<\/p>\n

b. Egyptian exodus and the Mosaic covenant (Exod 1-24; Josh 3 & 5; Hos 2:14-20; Mic 7:14-20; Isa 11:11-12:6, 43:18-21)<\/p>\n

c. The Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:1-17; Ps 89:19-37; Jer 33:17; Ps 132:11-12; 1 Kgs 2:4, 8:22-26; 1 Chr 28:7)<\/p>\n

d. Babylonian exile and the restoration (2 Kgs 25; Deut 4:1-9, 25-27; 2 Chr 36:11-21; Gen 2:4b-3:24)<\/p>\n

4. Legends of the Fall: Reconstructing the Primeval Legends of Genesis 1-9<\/p>\n

a. The ‘genesis’ of the project<\/p>\n

b. Introduction to the source materials (Jewish, Christian, ‘gnostic,’ Muslim) and various caveats<\/em><\/p>\n

c. Issues in cosmogony<\/p>\n

d. Issues surrounding the story of the protoplasts (Adam & Eve)<\/p>\n

e. Issues surrounding the story of Cain and Abel<\/p>\n

f. Issues surrounding the antediluvian generations<\/p>\n

g. Issues surrounding the story of Noah<\/p>\n

Supplemental Bibliography for\u00a0RELS 2104<\/h3>\n

In response to student requests for recommendations regarding useful and enlightening discussions of certain topics, themes, and personalities that are presented in class and\/or readings, I offer the following suggestions for further study at the student\u2019s leisure. I confine myself to materials which I myself have used with profit and which are currently available at Atkins Library.<\/p>\n

It is often helpful for the student to begin with appropriate articles in the standard Bible dictionaries. The latest and best is\u00a0The Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/i>\u00a0(6 vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1992). Also reliable are\u00a0The Interpreters\u2019 Dictionary of the Bible<\/i>\u00a0(4 vols.) and its\u00a0Supplementary Volume<\/i>\u00a0(ed. George A. Buttrick; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962 & 1976), and the\u00a0Harper\u2019s Bible Dictionary<\/i>\u00a0(ed. Paul J. Achtemeier; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985). Highly recommended are the relevant articles in the\u00a0Encyclopaedia Judaica<\/i>\u00a0(16 vols., Jerusalem: Keter, 1971).<\/p>\n

Introductions to the Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha<\/b><\/h3>\n

R. J. Coggins,\u00a0Introducing the Old Testament<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990).<\/p>\n

S. R. Driver,\u00a0An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament<\/i>\u00a0(repr., New York: Meridian, 1957). Originally published in 1897 and still worthy of close study.<\/p>\n

Otto Eissfeldt,\u00a0The Old Testament: An Introduction<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Harper & Row, 1965). Still the standard work in the field.<\/p>\n

A. H. J. Gunneweg,\u00a0Understanding the Old Testament<\/i>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978).<\/p>\n

Daniel J. Harrington,\u00a0Invitation to the Apocrypha<\/i>\u00a0(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1999).<\/p>\n

Bruce M. Metzger,\u00a0An Introduction to the Apocrypha<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Oxford University Press, 1977).<\/p>\n

Samuel Sandmel,\u00a0The Hebrew Scriptures: An Introduction to their Literature and Religious Ideas<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Oxford University Press, 1978).<\/p>\n

Histories of Ancient Israel and Early Judaism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

John Bright,\u00a0A History of Israel<\/i>\u00a0(3rd ed.; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1981). A standard treatment, currently being revised for a 4th edition.<\/p>\n

Shaye J. D. Cohen,\u00a0From the Maccabees to the Mishnah<\/i>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

Roland de Vaux,\u00a0The Early History of Israel: To the Period of the Judges<\/i>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976).<\/p>\n

John H. Hayes and J. Maxwell Miller,\u00a0Israelite and Judaean History<\/i>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977).<\/p>\n

<\/i>Judaic Perspectives on Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(ed. Jacob Neusner, Baruch A. Levine, and E. S. Frerichs; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987).<\/p>\n

Martin Noth,\u00a0The History of Israel<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960). Another standard providing a different perspective from that of Bright.<\/p>\n

Harry M. Orlinsky,\u00a0Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(2nd ed.; Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1960).<\/p>\n

Morton Smith,\u00a0Palestinian Parties and Politics that Shaped the Bible<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Columbia University Press, 1971). An extraordinarily important study highlighting the religious diversity of ancient Israelite religion.<\/p>\n

J. Alberto Soggin,\u00a0A History of Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985).<\/p>\n

Julius Wellhausen,\u00a0Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(repr., New York: Meridian, 1957). Its original publication in 1878 inaugurated the modern critical study of the Bible.<\/p>\n

Religion of Ancient Israel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rainer Albertz,\u00a0A History of Israelite Religion<\/i>\u00a0(2 vols.; Louisville: Westminster\/John Knox, 1994).<\/p>\n

William F. Albright,\u00a0From the Stone Age to Christianity<\/i>\u00a0(2nd ed.; Garden City: Doubleday & Co., 1957). An eccentric yet classic and highly readable study.<\/p>\n

Roland de Vaux,\u00a0Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions<\/i>\u00a0(2 vols.; New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961). Especially volume 2, which focuses upon religious life.<\/p>\n

Yehezkel Kaufmann,\u00a0The Religion of Israel: From its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile<\/i>\u00a0(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960). An abridgement and translation of a classic study by an influential Israeli scholar.<\/p>\n

Susan Niditch,\u00a0Ancient Israelite Religion<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Oxford University Press, 1997).<\/p>\n

Johannes Pedersen,\u00a0Israel, Its Life and Culture<\/i>\u00a0(4 vols. in 2; 2nd ed.; London: Oxford University Press, 1959).<\/p>\n

Helmer Ringgren,\u00a0Israelite Religion<\/i>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966).<\/p>\n

Mark S. Smith,\u00a0The Early History of God: YHWH and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990).<\/p>\n

J. E. Wright, “Israelite Traditions,”\u00a0in The Early History of Heaven<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 52-97.<\/p>\n

Literary Studies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Robert Alter,\u00a0The Art of Biblical Narrative<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Basic Books, 1981).<\/p>\n

______,\u00a0The Art of Biblical Poetry<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Basic Books, 1985).<\/p>\n

Robert Alter and Frank Kermode,\u00a0The Literary Guide to the Bible<\/i>\u00a0(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

M. Z. Brettler,\u00a0The Creation of History in Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(London & New York: Routledge, 1995).<\/p>\n

H. C. Brichto,\u00a0Toward a Grammar of Biblical Poetics: Tales of the Prophets<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

David Damrosch,\u00a0The Narrative Covenant: Transformations of Genre in the Growth of Biblical Literature<\/i>\u00a0(San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1987).<\/p>\n

<\/i>Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism<\/i>\u00a0(ed. J. H. Tigay; Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1985).<\/p>\n

Michael A. Fishbane,\u00a0Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985). Probably the best book ever written about the Bible and its interpretation.<\/p>\n

S. E. Gillingham,\u00a0The Poems and Psalms of the Hebrew Bible<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994).<\/p>\n

D. M. Gunn and D. N. Fewell,\u00a0Narrative in the Hebrew Bible<\/i>\u00a0(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993).<\/p>\n

James L. Kugel,\u00a0The Bible As It Was<\/i>\u00a0(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997).<\/p>\n

Susan Niditch,\u00a0Oral Word and Written Word: Ancient Israelite Literature<\/i>\u00a0(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996).<\/p>\n

Alexander Rof\u00e9,\u00a0The Prophetical Stories: The Narratives about the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, their Literary Types and History<\/i>\u00a0(Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1988).<\/p>\n

Joel Rosenberg,\u00a0King and Kin: Political Allegory in the Hebrew Bible<\/i>\u00a0(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986).<\/p>\n

S. David Sperling,\u00a0The Original Torah: The Political Intent of the Bible\u2019s Writers<\/i>\u00a0(New York: New York University Press, 1998).<\/p>\n

Meir Sternberg,\u00a0The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading<\/i>\u00a0(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985). Extremely rewarding, but also difficult.<\/p>\n

Shemaryahu Talmon,\u00a0Literary Studies in the Hebrew Bible<\/i>\u00a0(Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1993).<\/p>\n

Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Theodor H. Gaster,\u00a0Myth, Legend, and Custom in the Old Testament<\/i>\u00a0(New York: Harper & Row, 1969). A revision of James G. Frazer\u2019s classic\u00a0Folklore in the Old Testament <\/i>(1919).<\/p>\n

James B. Pritchard,\u00a0Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament<\/i>\u00a0(3rd ed.; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969). The standard English collection of Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, and Canaanite texts that enlighten the background and environment of Hebrew biblical texts.<\/p>\n

Leila Avrin, “The Hebrew Book,” in her\u00a0Scribes, Scripts and Books: The Book Arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance<\/i>\u00a0(Chicago: American Library Association, 1991), 101-37.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RELS 2104 Hebrew Scriptures\/Old Testament TR 12:30-1:50 Dr. John C. Reeves 204B Macy Office hours: MW 1:00-2:00;or by appointment jcreeves@uncc.edu Course Description Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), or \u2018Old Testament,\u2019 played a formative role in the development of the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course provides an overview of the diverse genres […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":44,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-46","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-K","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46","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=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46\/revisions\/292"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}