DESCRIPTION: This course, the first of a two-course sequence, will provide the student with an introduction to the language and literature of ancient Ugaritic. Particular attention will be paid to the pertinence of this corpus to the field of Old Testament studies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students successfully completing this course will have demonstrated: (1) a basic competence in translating epistolary, legal, economic and literary texts in the Ugaritic language; (2) insight into Classical Hebrew grammar via the development of other Northwest Semitic languages; (3) increased mastery over the semantics and theology of biblical poetry, particularly as represented by the Psalms (4) a greater understanding of the issues regarding both Israelite and "Canaanite" religion as portrayed in the Old Testament.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The study of Ugaritic is crucial for students pursuing an advanced degree in Old Testament. The Ugaritic corpus has played a crucial role for our current understanding of Classical Hebrew and the development of Israelite religion. For Bible students, the rich literary works of Ugarit provide witness to the larger world of ancient Israel.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will meet once weekly for a three-hour session. Class sessions will primarily involve prepared translations in Ugaritic as well as discussions and lectures based on grammatical issues and peripheral topics.

REQUIRED READING:

Hunt, Joel H., and William M. Schniedewind. A Primer for Ugarit: Language, Culture and Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming. (Provided by instructor on the first day of class.)

Sivan, Daniel. A Grammar of the Ugaritic Language. 2d ed. Leiden: Brill, 2001.
OR Tropper, Josef. Ugaritische Grammatik. AOAT 273. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2000.

Del Olmo Lete, G. and J. Sanmartin. A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition. 2d ed. 2 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2004.

Watson, Wilfred, and Nicolas Wyatt, eds. Handbook of Ugaritic Studies. 2 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1999.

Yon, Marguerite. The City of Ugarit at Tell Ras Shamra. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2006.

1. Class Participation: This includes full participation in translation exercises, secondary readings, and discussions (50%).

2. Literature review on a specific topic related to Ugarit such as aspects of grammar, text-study, Late Bronze Age trade, Israelite religion, the goddess Anat, poetry, etc. This literature review will set the foundation for a term paper due at the end of LG534/834 (20%).

3. Final take-home examination based on translations of a Ugaritic passage, as well as more general questions on the lectures and secondary readings (30%).