Introduction to the Bible
Fall 2017, BIBL
1015,
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00-1:15PM
This course will not be a study of any specific book of Tanakh but rather a study of the most important questions about Tanakh as a whole: how was it put together in the form we have it today, how has it been interpreted in the past and today, and what are its most impactful ideas? The background and methodologies gained in this course will hopefully inform and enhance all of your Tanakh studies, both in college and afterwards.
Required book: Moshe Sokolow, Tanakh: An Owners Manual (Ktav, 2015). Amazon, B-N.
Please bring a Tanakh to every class. All other course material will be available for download on the course website: intro.teachtorah.org.
Requirements:
(1) Attendance,
prompt arrival and class participation are assumed. Anything more than two
absences or three lates will lower your grade.
(2) Preparation
and Participation: Homework assignments and quizzes based on readings to prepare
may be given throughout the semester. The purpose of these is to make sure you
keep up with the preparation. In addition, students will be selected randomly
each class to read and explain the required texts. (10%)
(3) Exams.
A midterm (35%) and a final (40%) will assess your grasp and retention of
material as well as give the class an opportunity to review and notice patterns
that recur through many topics.
(4) The last 15% of your grade will be a written assignment of 7-8 pages on a topic of your choice relating to something we studied in class. Please approve the topic beforehand. For example, you can choose a biblical passage and compare traditional and modern commentaries and how they deal with the same questions. The paper should cite at least five primary sources (biblical passages or ancient commentaries) and two secondary sources (modern books or articles). Please confirm your topic with me before you start writing. All papers are due on December 14.
Office hours are immediately after class or by appointment in room 523.
Unit I - Creation and Transmission of the Bible
1. Tuesday, August 31
The Aleppo Codex and Ba`ale Hamesorah
2. Tuesday, September 5
Dates and Historical Overview
powerpoints -
3. Thursday, September 7
The Dead Sea Scrolls and "Lower Criticism"
4. Tuesday, September 12 - No class, I will be away at a conference.
5. Thursday, September 14
6. Tuesday, September 19
7. Tuesday, September 26
Marc Brettler, “The Canonization of the Bible,” in The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 2072-77.
Sid Leiman,
The
Canonization of Hebrew Scripture: The Talmudic and Midrashic Evidence,
30-34, 56-66, 86-103, 131-135.
8. Tuesday, October 17
9. Thursday, October 19
10. Tuesday, October 24
Ketav Ivri - powerpoint
Unit II - Interpreting the Bible
11. Thursday, October 26
Inner-Biblical Exegesis
The First Commentary: The Bible Interpreting Itself handout
12. Tuesday, October 31
James
Kugel, The Bible as It Was,
pp. 1-42.
13. Thursday, November 2 -
Second
14. Tuesday, November 7
Moshe Shamah, “On Interpreting Midrashim,” General Remarks and Examples.
15. Thursday, November 9
16. Tuesday, November 14
Midrash Halakha - 13 Middot, What is Midrash?
Towner, W. Sibley. “Hermeneutical
Systems of Hillel and the Tannaim: A Fresh Look.”
17. Thursday, November 16
Richard Hidary, “Talmudic Topoi: The Hermeneutical Methods of Midrash and Greco-Roman Rhetoric.”
Talmudic Topoi Powerpoint
18. Tuesday, November 21
Rashi and the Pashtanim
Barry Walfish, “Medieval Jewish Interpretation” in The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 1876-1900.
19. Tuesday, November 28
Ibn Ezra and Others
Sokolow, 98-133.
20. Thursday, November 30
Source Criticism
Reading: Hayyin
Angel, “The Yeshiva and the Academy: How
We Can Learn from One Another in Biblical Scholarship,” in Revealed texts,
Hidden Meanings: Finding the Religious Significance in Tanakh, pp. 19-29.
Rabbi J.B.
Soloveitchik, The Lonely Man of Faith.
Unit
21. Tuesday, December 5
Tanakh, Hazal, Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim.
22. Thursday, November 7
Biblical Law, Ancient Near Eastern Parallels
23. Tuesday, December 12
Biblical Narrative
24. Thursday, December 14
Biblical Narrative, Ancient Near Eastern Parallels
Genesis 1 and Enuma Elish
25. Tuesday, Deember 19
No class.
26. Thursday, December 21
Biblical Poetry
Robert Alter,
“The Dynamics of Parallelism,” in
The Art of Biblical Poetry, pp. 3-26.
Mizmorim 9 and 10 Structure - Summary Sheet Powerpoint Slides
Mizmor 37 Structure - Summary Sheet Powerpoint Slides
If we have time:
Biblical Prophecy
Impact of the Bible on the World
Final – Thursday January 4th at 1:00PM
R
Students with disabilities who are enrolled in this course and who will be requesting documented disability-related accommodations should make an appointment with the Office of Disability Services, (646) 592-4132, rkohn1@yu.edu, during the first week of class. Once you have been approved for accommodations, please submit your accommodation letter to ensure the successful implementation of those accommodations.