Spring 2018/Pasadena

OT533

Dearman

OT533: JERUSALEM IN THE BIBLICAL TRADITION AND ANCIENT HISTORY (4 Units: 195 hours). J. Andrew Dearman.

DESCRIPTION: In this course we will examine the place of Jerusalem in ancient historical and literary settings, from the second millennium BCE to the second century CE. Attention to the Old and New Testaments is primary. We will also look at other primary sources (e.g. Amarna Letters and Neo Assyrian Annals), archaeological reports, along with literary-historical reconstructions related to the first and second temple periods.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated: (1) an understanding of Jerusalem as an ancient Near Eastern City; (2) the ability to exegete and to evaluate biblical texts related to Jerusalem; (3) knowledge of and engagement with scholarly theories regarding the role of Jerusalem in antiquity and in the biblical tradition.

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. Class will meet in a classroom in Pasadena, but will be taught by the professor from Houston for most of the quarter. Professor and students will communicate via live, interactive audio/video link.

REQUIRED READING: [1,500 pp. assigned. 100 hours]

Keel, Othmar. Jerusalem and the One God: A Religious History. Fortress Press, 2017. ISBN:978-1451478181. Pub. Price $29.00 [280 pp. assigned].

Boda, Mark, Carol J. Dempsey, and LeAnn Snow Flesher, eds. Daughter Zion: Her Portrait, Her Response. Society of Biblical Literature, 2012. ISBN: 978-1589837010. Pub. Price $32.45. [440 pp. assigned] ebook available through Hubbard Library.

Levine, Lee I. Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period (538 B.C.E.-70 C.E.). Jewish Publication Society, 2002. ISBN: 9780827607507. Pub. Price $35.95 [480 pp. assigned] ebook available through Hubbard Library.

Course Reader (reserve and ereserve): Sandra Richter, Andrew Vaughn, Nadav Na’aman, Israel Finkelstein, Ronald Clements, Jacques Vermeylen, J. J. M. Roberts, Eilat Mazar, Lois Dow, Jane Cahill, J. Bradley Chance, Timothy Wardle. Nazek Khalid Matty, Erin Darby, Daniel Pioske, Jon Levenson, Tova Ganzel. Rebecca Poe Hayes. P. W. L. Walker, Lena Tiemeyer, Lloyd Gaston, et al [approximately 300 pp.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1,500 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [100 hours].
Regular attendance and participation at class meetings. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [30 hours].
Weekly Exegetical Assignment. Students will translate and exegete assigned passage. There will be 6 texts @5 hours each (50%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [30 hours].
Preparing and leading discussion on assigned materials. Two students will work together on leading class discussion. The instructor will meet with them after presentation for feedback and discussion (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [10 hours of directed learning activities].
Final Paper, ca. 2,500 words/10 pages (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [25 hours].

PREREQUISITES: Written permission of instructor is required. No audits.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.