Spring 2015/Pasadena

OT564

Hays

OT564: OLD TESTAMENT TEXTUAL CRITICISM (4 Units: 160 hours). Christopher Hays.

DESCRIPTION: Every translation of the Bible that is read in churches and synagogues today is based on myriad decisions about what text to translate—decisions that most readers are largely unaware of, but that can make large differences in the interpretation of the texts. This course deals with the nature and origin of the major textual witnesses to the Old Testament. Textual criticism originated as a search for the “original form” of the biblical books, and this course gives attention to the pursuit of the “best text.” However, it also helps to describe how the biblical books were transmitted, and the viewpoints of the writers who transmitted them. The course will study the text of different OT books, examining particular passages where the text raises problems, the way scholars emend the text, and the way different English translations approach the text.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated (1) knowledge of the nature and origin of the major textual witnesses to the Old Testament; (2) the ability to make text-critical decisions on the basis of those witnesses; and (3) the ability to analyze and describe how text-critical decisions affect exegesis.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: 1,050 total pages required

Dines, Jennifer M. The Septuagint. T & T Clark, 2004. ISBN: 978-0567084644, Pub. Price $39.95 [150 pp. assigned].

Law, Timothy Michael. When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible. Oxford University, 2013. ISBN: 978-0199781720, Pub. Price $25.00 [125 pp. assigned].

Metzger, Bruce M. The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. Baker Academic, 2001. ISBN: 978-0801022821, Pub. Price $20.00 [100 pp. assigned].

Tov, Emanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Third Edition. Fortress Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0800696641, Pub. Price $90.00 [250 pp. assigned].

Ulrich, Eugene. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN: 978-0802846112, Pub. Price $32.00 [150 pp. assigned].

Course reader [275 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. 1,050 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3]. [70 hours].
2. Effective participation in class discussions (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3]. [30 hours].
3. Text-criticism exercises (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-2]. [10 hours].
4. Translation of selected biblical texts (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3] [20 hours].
5. A 12-page text-critical research paper on an assigned topic (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3]. [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: LG502 and LG512.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.