BIBS318 Judaism in the Time of Jesus (Advanced)

An advanced overview of the history and literature of Judaism from Alexander the Great to the fall of Masada (332 BCE - 74 CE), focusing particularly on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The history and literature of early Judaism from Alexander the Great to the Bar Kochba Revolt (332 BCE-135 CE), focusing particularly on the Dead Sea Scrolls. This paper covers the history and literature of Judaism in the last centuries before the fall of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE. It is an essential introduction to the background of the two major religious traditions to come out of this period, Judaism and Christianity.

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Prerequisite

One 200-level BIBS or BIBX paper

Restriction

RELS 211, RELS 311, RELX 211, RELX 311, BIBS 218

Schedule C

Arts and Music, Theology

Eligibility

Any student with an interest in the background to Judaism and Christianity.

Contact

james.harding@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View more information on the Theology website: www.otago.ac.nz/theology

Teaching staff

Reverend Dr James Harding

Paper Structure

Lectures, teaching day and videoconferences.Assessment:

• Summaries of three readings (20%)
• One 1,500-word essay (20%)
• One three-hour examination (60%)

Teaching Arrangements

Campus: 26 x 1-hour lectures.Distance: Teaching day plus four 2-hour videoconferences.Distance students participate in the class via a desk-top videoconferencing programme called Zoom (available free of charge). Classes are recorded, and students who are unable to join classes can download the videos and watch them later.

Textbooks

Shaye J. D. Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (3rd ed.; Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 2014).

Further readings and notes will be made available via eReserve and Blackboard.

A Course Book also exists for this paper.

Course outline

View the course outline for BIBS 318

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this paper will have

• Acquired a broad overview of the history and literature of Judaism in the late Second Temple period
• Gained a broad understanding of the Jewish context in which Jesus lived and early Christianity emerged
• Gained finesse with the critical skills needed to weigh evidence and analyse arguments offered by scholars working on early Judaism
• Become familiar with the sources and methods within this field of study

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