HBRW 313 Postbiblical Hebrew Literature

Spring 2005, CRN 38030

14:00-1550 MW, 810 PLC

 

Professor Daniel K. Falk

814 PLC; 346-4980

dfalk@darkwing.uoregon.edu; home page: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~dfalk/

Office hours: MUW 4-5 pm, or by appointment

 

Course Description and Objectives

This course is intended to help students improve their skills at reading, translating, and analyzing Hebrew texts. The course will include selections of postbiblical Hebrew literature, including Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocrypha, rabbinic texts, and inscriptions. Students will be introduced to the major orthographic and grammatical features of these Hebrew texts, as well as to reading unpointed transcriptions and photographs of manuscripts. Class time will focus on students reading, translating, and analyzing grammar of texts prepared in advance.

 

Course Requirements and Grading

Required Texts available from bookstore:

  • Course packet with texts
  • Bill Arnold and John Choi, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Cambridge, 2003)
  • Shemu'el Ahituv, Handbook of Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions [Hebrew] (Yerushalayim: Mosad Byalik, 1992).

Students will also be expected to have or have access to:

  • Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.
  • A Hebrew lexicon. See bibliography below.  

 

1. Weekly parsing sheets: In advance of class, students will prepare assigned sections of texts, looking up unfamiliar words, and parsing difficult words. Keep careful notes, including page numbers consulted. Students must also explore at least one aspect of grammar/syntax that comes up in the reading and write a short paragraph summary. For this, they must consult Arnold and Choi, and may consult another grammar. These notes will be evaluated during test periods.

This will be worth 15% of the final grade (10 x 3).

 

2. Class participation:  In class, students will read aloud, translate, and parse verses that they have prepared in advance. Students will also be expected to comment on the grammatical feature they studied. 15% of final grade.

 

3. Tests: There will be three tests at the end of weeks 3, 6, and 9. 30% of final grade (3 x 10). The final exam (3:15 pm Tues June 7) will be worth 20%. Tests will be on assigned texts and grammar reviews.

 

4. Short Paper: Each student will write a short paper on a topic to be agreed with professor. Topics can include a word study, an examination of a grammatical feature, a philological study of a particular passage.  Final paper due no later than Monday of Week 10. 20% of final grade.


Class policies:

Attendance is required. After one unexcused absence or two excused absences, a whole letter grade will be deducted per absence. At least 80% attendance is required to receive a passing grade.

Grading. To receive credit for the course, all requirements must be met. Failure to complete all requirements will result in an F, unless student has approved a contract for an Incomplete with the professor in advance of the end of term. 

Academic honesty. All work submitted in this course must be your own and produced exclusively for this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged. Cases of plagiarism or cheating will be treated according to the University of Oregon's Policy on Academic Dishonesty . If you are in doubt regarding any course requirements, please consult with the instructor. 

 

Bibliography:

 

Lexicons:

  • Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew-English Lexicon. A good, old standard, but only biblical words; of limited help with Dead Sea Scrolls or rabbinic texts.
  • Koehler, L. and Walter Baumgartner. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Brill, 1994. (REF PJ4833 .K61813). Probably the best overall––it focuses on the Hebrew Bible, but takes account of some post-biblical Hebrew such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, although only where it helps with biblical words.
  • Clines, D. J. The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. (REF PJ4833 .D53). This is better for our purposes because it takes full account of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other post-biblical Hebrew, but it is not yet complete; so far there are only 5 volumes up to the letter nun.
  • Dead Sea Scrolls, glossary of Elisha Qimron, The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls
  • For rabbinic literature: Jastrow, Dictionary of the Talmud (REF PJ5205.J3)

 

Grammars:

  • Bill Arnold and John Choi, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Cambridge, 2003)
  • Waltke and O’Connor, Biblical Hebrew Syntax. (intermediate grammar)
  • P. Joüon and T. Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. (reference grammar)
  • Kautzsch, E., ed. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Transl. A. E. Cowley. 2nd English ed. Clarendon, 1910. (492.4G33)
  • Elisha Qimron, The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls
  • M. H. Segal, A Grammar of Mishnaic Hebrew (Wipf and Stock, 2001)
  • Pérez Fernández, M. An Introductory Grammar of Rabbinic Hebrew. Leiden: Brill, 1997.

 

Concordances:

  • Even-Shoshan, A New Concordance of the Old Testament (REF BS1121 .E93 1988 )
  • Old Testament: Lisowsky (REF BS1121.L55); Mandelkern (REF BS1121.M3)
  • Martin G. Abegg, Jr. The Dead Sea Scrolls Concordance (2 vols.; REF BM487 .A72)
  • Charlesworth, Graphic Concordance to the Dead Sea Scrolls (REF BM487 .G66 1991 )

 

 

Additional:

  • Hatch and Redpath, Concordance to the Septuagint (REF BS1122.H3)
  • Sokoloff, A Dictionary of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic (REF PJ 5255.S65)
  • Sokoloff, A Dictionary of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic ( (REF PJ 5305.S65)
  • Tal, Dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic (REF PJ5275.T35)
  • Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (REF BS440.B5713)