Old Testament/Hebrew Bible MPhil Pathway
Module 1. Formation of the HB: the book of Joshua
Module Coordinator: Professor Nathan MacDonald
The module seeks to equip students with advanced tools for the study of the Hebrew Bible and to acquaint them with scholarly approaches and textual resources that they may not have encountered during their undergraduate education. The emphasis will be on demonstrating methodological and theoretical issues through hands-on experience and concrete examples. How the Bible came about and how it is represented in our ancient evidence are highly debated fields of study. We will trace the Bible from the earliest moments of its being written down to the copying and transmission of texts. Students will be equipped to understand better the textual diversity of the ancient witnesses and to appreciate each witness on its own terms. The implications for exegesis and biblical interpretation will then be addressed.
Prerequisites: A reading knowledge of Hebrew is expected. Anyone interested in participating should consult the module coordinator, who will determine whether you have sufficient language experience.
Seminars
- Writing in Ancient Israel
The first seminar will begin with some introductory issues on the Masoretic text before examining the discussion of scribalism and the origins of writing in connection with biblical Israel. The vital contribution of inscriptions for the history of the Bible will be examined. Recent debates regarding scribes and scribal practice will then be considered in light of discussion over editorial layers of the text.
- Redaction History of Joshua:
The class will introduce students to the discussion of Joshua’s redaction history. The focus will be on the conquest narratives in Joshua 2–12, a text
usually thought to contain the oldest core of the book of Joshua. Specific examples will be used to show how later redactional material is identified.
- Joshua and its Surrounding Books:
The class will explore the inter-textual relationship that the book of Joshua has with surrounding texts. The focus will be on Joshua chapters 1, 13–19, 22–24 and their relationship to the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy and Judges. Contemporary debates about whether it is helpful to consider Joshua to be part of a Hexateuch or a Deuteronomistic History will be considered.
- Joshua at Qumran and in the Septuagint
The final class will examine how the texts of Joshua in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QJosha-b), and the Septuagint throw light on the early history of the text.
Assessesment. An essay according to the length specified in the regulations on one of the following subjects. The precise textual focus is to be agreed upon in discussion with the module coordinator.
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- Is scribalism a helpful concept for understanding the formation of the biblical text?
- What evidence is there of textual growth in the book of Joshua?
- How does Qumran or the Septuagint illuminate our understanding of the book of Joshua?
Supervisions. Two supervisions of one hour each will be given. Supervisions will be arranged by the module coordinator.
Select Reading
Seminar 1
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- Carr, David M., The Formation of the Hebrew Bible: A New Reconstruction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
- Carr, David M., Writing on the Tablet of the Heart (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).
- Toorn, Karel van der, Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007).
- Rollston, C., Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel: Epigraphic Evidence from the Iron Age, Archaeology and Biblical Studies (Altanta, GA: SBL, 2010).
- Richelle, Matthieu, “Elusive Scrolls: Could Any Hebrew Literature Have Been Written Prior to the Eighth Century BCE?” Vetus Testamentum 66.4 (2016): 556–94.
Seminar 2
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- Kratz, Reinhard Gregor. The Composition of the Narrative Books of the Old Testament (London: T&T Clark, 2005), 186–209.
- Briend, Jacques. “The Sources of the Deuteronomistic History: Research on Joshua 1-12,” in Israel Constructs Its History: Deuteronomistic Historiography in Recent Research (ed. Albert de Pury, Thomas Römer, and Jean-Daniel Macchi; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), 360–386.
Seminar 3
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- Albertz, Rainer, “The Canonical Alignment of the Book of Joshua”, in Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century BCE (ed. O. Lipschitz, G.N. Knoppers and R. Albertz; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2007), 287–303.
- Smend, Rudolf, “The Law and the Nations: A Contribution to Deuteronomistic Tradition History,” in Reconsidering Israel and Judah: Recent Studies on the Deuteronomistic History (ed. Gary N. Knoppers and
J. Gordon McConville; Sources for Biblical and Theological Study 8. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2000), 95–110.
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- Nihan, Christophe, “The Literary Relationship between Deuteronomy and Joshua: A Reassessment,” in Deuteronomy in the Pentateuch, Hexateuch, and the Deuteronomistic History (ed. Konrad Schmid and Raymond F. Person; Forschungen zum Alten Testament II/56. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012), 79–114.
Seminar 4
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- Fernández Marcos, Natalio, The Septuagint in Context: Introduction to the Greek Versions of the Bible (Leiden: Brill, 2000), chapter 3, pages 67-83.
- García Martínez, Florentino, “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Joshua,” in Nóra Dávid and Armin Lange (eds.), Qumran and the Bible. Studying the Jewish and Christian scriptures in light of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Leuven: Peeters, 2010), 97–109.
- Hendel, R. S., “Assessing the Text-Critical Theories of the Hebrew Bible after Qumran,” in The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls (ed. T. H. Lim, and J. J. Collins; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 281-302.
- Meer, van der Michaël N., “Provenance, Profile, and Purpose of the Greek Joshua,” in XII Congress of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Leiden, 2004 (ed. Melvin K.H. Peters. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006), 55–80.
Module 2. Lent Term. Dead Sea Scrolls
Module Coordinator: Dr Arjen Bakker
This module offers an introduction into current research on the Dead Sea Scrolls and will equip students with tools and theoretical models that will enable them (i) to do research on specific texts from Qumran, and (ii) to integrate materials from the Dead Sea Scrolls into their broader research on ancient Judaism, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and/or religion and culture in the Greco-Roman world. The four seminars will each focus on a significant concept: Law, Wisdom, Prayer, and Time. We will explore the depth and the dynamics of these concepts across a series of core texts while paying attention to materiality and scribal practices, linguistic features, literary form, versional differences, interpretation, and the broader conceptual framework in which specific terminology is embedded. The purpose of this module is to become familiar with the textual corpus and recent scholarship, as well as to gain insight into the ways in which the Dead Sea Scrolls have not only filled gaps in our knowledge of ancient Judaism, but also force us to rethink concepts and categories.
Prerequisites: A reading knowledge of Hebrew is expected. Anyone interested in participating should consult the module coordinator, who will determine whether you have sufficient language experience.
Seminars
- Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Prayer and Liturgy in the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Time in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Assessment. An essay according to the length specified in the regulations on one of the following subjects. Essays should engage at least one primary text in detail (in consultation with the module coordinator).
- How have the Dead Sea Scrolls transformed our understanding of canon and textual authority?
- What can we learn from the Dead Sea Scrolls about the interaction between writing and orality in ancient Judaism?
- Can we find elements of philosophical thinking in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Supervisions. Two supervisions of one hour each will be given. Supervisions will be arranged by the module coordinator.
Select Reading
Seminar 1
- Baumgarten, Joseph. Studies in Qumran Law and Thought. STDJ 138. Leiden: Brill, 2022.
- Ben-Dov, Jonathan, et al. Interpreting and Living God’s Law at Qumran: Miqṣat Ma῾aśe Ha-Torah – Some Of The Works Of The Torah (4QMMT). Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020.
- MacDonald, Nathan. The Making of the Tabernacle and the Construction of Priestly Hegemony. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.
- Najman, Hindy. “The Law of Nature and the Authority of Mosaic Law,” Pages 87-106 in Past Renewals: Interpretative Authority, Renewed Revelation, and the Quest for Perfection in Jewish Antiquity. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
- Sussman, Yaakov. “The History of the Halakhah and the Dead Sea Scrolls.” Pages 179–200 in Qumran Cave 4 V: Miqsat Ma’aseh ha-Torah. DJD 10. Edited by E. Qimron and J. Strugnell. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994).
Seminar 2
- Bakker, Arjen. “Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Jewish Interpretation.” Pages 141–53 in The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and the Bible. Edited by W. Kynes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
- Collins, John. Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997.
- Dell, Katharine. Get Wisdom, Get Insight: An Introduction to Israel’s Wisdom Literature. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2000.
- Kister, Menahem. “Wisdom Literature and its Relation to Other Genres: From Ben Sira to Mysteries.” Pages 13–47 in Sapiential Perspectives: Wisdom Literature in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by John Collins, Gregory Sterling and Ruth Clements. Leiden: Brill, 2004.
- Najman, Hindy. “Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Period: Towards the Study of a Semantic Constellation.” Pages 459–72 in Is There a Text in this Cave? Studies in the Textuality of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Honour of George J. Brooke. Edited by A. Feldman, M. Cioată and C. Hempel. STDJ 119. Leiden: Brill, 2017.
Seminar 3
- Bakker, Arjen. “Early Configurations of Jewish Prayer: Translating Sacrifice in the Second Temple Period.” Journal for the Study of Judaism (forthcoming 2024).
- Bekkum, Wout van. “Qumran Hymnology and Piyyūṭ: Contrast and Comparison.” Revue de Qumran 23 (2008): 341–356.
- Chazon, Esther, Ruth Clements and Avital Pinnick, eds. Liturgical Perspectives: Prayer and Poetry in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Leiden: Brill, 2003.
- Falk, Daniel. “The Contribution of the Qumran Scrolls to the Study of Ancient Jewish Liturgy.” Pages 617–51 in The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by John J. Collins and Timothy H. Lim. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
- Newman, Judith. Before the Bible: The Liturgical Body and the Formation of Scriptures in Early Judaism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Seminar 4
- Bakker, Arjen. The Secret of Time: Reconfiguring Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls. STDJ 143. Leiden: Brill, 2023.
- Ben-Dov, Jonathan. “The 364-Day Year in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Jewish Pseudepigraphy.” Pages 69–105 in Calendars and Years II: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient and Medieval World. Edited by J. M. Steele. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2011.
- Dimant, Devorah. “Time, Torah and Prophecy at Qumran.” Pages 301–314 in History, Ideology and Bible Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Collected Studies. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014.
- Momigliano, Arnaldo. “Time in Ancient Historiography.” History and Theory 6 (1966): 1–23.
- Stuckenbruck, Loren. “Eschatology and Time in 1 Enoch.” Pages 160–80 in Apocalyptic Thinking in Early Judaism: Engaging with John Collins’ The Apocalyptic Imagination. Edited by C. Wassen and S. W. Crawford. Leiden: Brill, 2018.