DESCRIPTION: This is the first half of a two-quarter introduction to biblical
Hebrew, with the second half of the course offered the following quarter.
Students enrolling in this course are expected to enroll in LG502B the next
quarter with the same instructor. No transferring between sections is
permitted. The aim is to achieve, in two quarters, a command of the basic
vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and sounds of Hebrew. The Pratico/Van Pelt grammar
and workbook will structure the course and combine deductive and inductive
approaches to language acquisition.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the second quarter the
student will have the general proficiency in Hebrew to (1) have mastered the
writing system sufficiently to be able to read aloud; (2) have a command of the
most frequently occurring vocabulary items; (3) parse "regular" verb forms; (4)
recognize the "irregular" verb forms of the language; (5) understand the
grammar sufficiently to read narratives; (6) use lexicons and reference
grammars to investigate grammatical and syntactical issues; (7) understand the
exegetical, aesthetic, and devotional value of learning biblical Hebrew.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Hebrew literacy brings one closer to the social,
cultural and theological world of the Old Testament, and, for that matter, of
the New Testament. But the ministerial and leadership value of Biblical Hebrew
is found not only in the exegetical tools it sharpens but also in the
devotional habits it nourishes, such as those habits described in Psalm 1.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet for two-hour sessions twice a week. Class
time regularly will be spent reading aloud, translating, covering the
textbook's grammatical points, and taking quizzes on previous material.
Occasionally cultural, historical, and theological topics relevant to the
Hebrew of the assigned passages will be treated as time permits.
REQUIRED READING: