Intro to the Hebrew Bible

Office Hours : Wednesdays, 4-5 (MT). Exception = the Wed of Gathering Days (2/9): Join Zoom Meeting https://iliff-edu.zoom.us/j/99621821474?pwd=Q2kxZnN1cEVZT0xyYWtWUVFOQ2hNUT09

Instructor : Amy Erickson, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible. aerickson@iliff.edu

Teaching Assistant : Amanda Henderson, PhD Student in the Iliff/DU Joint Doctoral Program. amhenderson@iliff.edu

Please use email to communicate directly with us !

Zoom Gathering Days : Wed, Feb 9, 1-2:30 and Thurs, Feb 10, 10-11:30

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Teaching and Learning during COVID (Jan 4, 2022)

Course Description : This course introduces students to important themes in the Hebrew Bible, including creation, identity and ethnicity, history and memory, power, violence and war, hope, justice, and the nature of God and the gods. The course also covers the historical development of the literature, religion, and culture of ancient Israel, and methods and interpretive strategies for understanding ancient texts.

“To be sure, the Bible never was easy reading; and the finest interpretation cannot and should not make it so. Whatever one wrote in ancient Israel, it was not for speed-reading…Reading the Bible has always demanded that one be prepared for contemplation.”

--Gerhard von Rad, “How to Read the Old Testament,” in idem, God at Work in Israel (trans. John H. Marks; Nashville: Abingdon, 1980 [German orig.: 1974]),10, 18.

Required Texts

1. The Bible (NRSV)

Any study bible is fine as long as the translation is NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). Here are a few I recommend:

- The Peoples’ Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrypha . Edited by Curtiss Paul DeYoung, et al. Fortress, 2008.

-HarperCollins Study Bible : Student Edition: Fully Revised & Updated. Edited by Harold W. Attridge, et al. Society of Biblical Literature; HarperOne, 2006. ISBN-10: 0060786841 | ISBN-13: 978-0060786847

- The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version . Edited by Michael Coogan, Marc Brettler, et al. Oxford University Press, 2018.

- The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter Harrelson. Abingdon Press, 2003.

2. Michael Coogan, A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament . New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Second Edition. (note: a third edition is available, but I prefer the second edition). ISBN-10: 0199830118 | ISBN-13: 978-0199830114 | Edition: 2

3. Wilda C. Gafney, Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne . Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017.

4. Michael Joseph Brown, What They Don’t Tell You: A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies . Louisville: Westminster Knox, 2011 or 2000 (either version is fine). ISBN-10: 066422220X • ISBN-13: 978-0664222208

*Note: I’ll be asking you to read Michael Brown’s book prior to the first class session

Recommended

Victor Harold Matthews and Don Carlos Benjamin. Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East . Revised and Expanded Third Version. Mahwah, N.J: Paulist Press, 2007 ( I believe this one is available in e-book form through the library ). • ISBN-10: 0809144352 • ISBN-13: 978-0809144358

Or more accurately, if you are going to google the Bible, do so critically.

Why?

Last year, I had two students (yes, two! and yes, I do wonder if I'm a failure) cite the Enduring Word Bible Commentary in their papers. 'Hmm.' I thought, 'I'm a professional biblical scholar and I've never heard of this resource.' I don't discuss it in the guide to commentaries, and it's not available through the Iliff library. So I googled it. My quick search reveals that the author's name is David Guzik and I see what he looks like because there's a picture; it's not something you'd typically find on a university site featuring faculty, but who am I to judge a man by his head shot?

Another click reveals that David Guzik is the pastor of Calgary Chapel Santa Barbara and not a biblical scholar. So right out of the gates, I’m suspicious. So I google a little deeper. On Guzik's personal website, it says, "David has been in pastoral ministry since 1982. David has no formal Bible College or seminary training, but does have a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.”

OK, so far, so not-good, so then I went to the website for his church: https://calvarysb.com/statement-of-faith

Here are some illustrative statements:

'We believe in a personal devil called Satan who, along with all his evil angels, called demons, is destined to spend eternity in hell, and who now seeks to deceive the believers and defeat the work of God, but who can be resisted by believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, protected by God, and interceded for by Jesus our Lord.'

'We await the pre-tribulational rapture of the church, and we believe that the Second Coming of Christ with His saints to rule on the earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible.'

Does this sound consistent with a critical academic approach to biblical interpretation? Do I need to say more?

Probably, I've made my point, but let's do one more.

I found another eyebrow-raising citation in a student paper: a commentary called the Pulpit Commentary. 

This is Wikipedia: "The Pulpit Commentary is a homiletic commentary on the Bible created during the nineteenth century under the direction of Rev. Joseph S. Exell and Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones."

The nineteenth century, friends. It may have been a respectable resource for preaching in 1850, but we've moved on a bit... (I mean, Exell wrote a book called The Men of the Bible). Is this the person you want guiding you through the text? I can't even find a photo of him because - man, it was pricey to get your picture made in 1800s. But I'm guessing he looked something like this.

Even if it's 11 pm and your paper is due at midnight and you're really really desperate, don't do it. Resist the temptation.

 

The Stages of Plagiarism

Stage 1.

 

Stage 2.

Stage 3.

Stage 4.

Stage 5.

Stage 6.

Stage 7.

 

https://youtu.be/qLnIvyvy6dc

Required Texts

1. The Bible (NRSV)

Any study bible is fine as long as the translation is NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). Here are a few I recommend:

-The Peoples’ Bible. Edited by Frank Yamada, et al. Fortress, 2008.

-HarperCollins Study Bible: Student Edition: Fully Revised & Updated. Edited by Harold W. Attridge, et al. Society of Biblical Literature; HarperOne, 2006. ISBN-10: 0060786841 | ISBN-13: 978-0060786847

-The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version. Edited by Michael Coogan, Marc Brettler, et al. Oxford University Press, 2018.

-The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrypha.Edited by Walter Harrelson. Abingdon Press, 2003.

2. Coogan, Michael. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Second Edition. (note: a third edition is available, but I prefer the second edition). ISBN-10: 0199830118 | ISBN-13: 978-0199830114 | Edition: 2

3. Wilda C. Gafney, Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017.

4. Brown, Michael Joseph. What They Don’t Tell You: A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies. Louisville: Westminster Knox, 2011 or 2000 (either version is fine). ISBN-10: 066422220X • ISBN-13: 978-0664222208

*Note: I’ll be asking you to read Michael Brown’s book prior to the first class session

Recommended

Matthews, Victor Harold, and Don Carlos Benjamin. Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East. Revised and Expanded Third Version. Mahwah, N.J: Paulist Press, 2007 (I believe this one is available in e-book form through the library). • ISBN-10: 0809144352 • ISBN-13: 978-0809144358

Assignments and Grading

Participation. 40%

Includes twice-weekly conversations, which conclude on Tuesday and Thursday at midnight. Please post your initial contribution and 2-3 responses to your peers (mind the hashtags!) by 11:59 pm (Mountain time) of the designated day.

Also includes engagement in discussions during gathering days.

Complete self-evaluation regarding participation grade.

Please note this Iliff Policy: Online attendance is based on participation in class activities. Interacting with the instructor, interacting with other students, attending required on-campus meetings and/or submitting course assignments all constitute attendance. Attendance for the online classes follows the same policy as residential and hybrid classes. An online class absence is identified as a missed assignment or inactivity in the course site in discussion posts and other assignments. It is up to the instructor to determine their specific grading and attendance standards, which is listed in their syllabus. Students should access their courses regularly to remain current regarding expected due dates and assignments.

Two exegesis exercises (about 150 words each). 10% (5% each)

Focused on two pericopes: Joshua 2, 6 and Isa 52:13-53:12. There are questions listed to get you thinking about what it means to “exegete a text,” but you should not answer every question. Please keep your postings to a maximum of five sentences, consisting of a thesis, your supports and evidence, and your line of argumentation. The goal of these assignments is to help you begin to learn how to formulate a thesis or an argument for a biblical passage and to present appropriate evidence to support that argument.

I am interested in hearing your individual voice come through, and I love creative interpretations, but I also want you to free yourself from any perceived need to make the text “preach.” Preaching is a related, but different, exercise (see Brown, What They Don’t Tell You). While I value and honor the task of preaching (and regularly do it and write about it myself), I have found that my students tend to rush through the text itself, overstating and overemphasizing what works for them theologically. It’s easier (and less fraught!) at this point to table those ideas about what the Bible should say or what we’d like it to say or what we have to make it say; just read the text closely and focus on where it surprises you and challenges your assumptions (resisting, while we can, the need to make it work for a particular audience with particular theological needs; there will be plenty of time for this later). Rather than smoothing over problems or inconsistencies in the text, look for problems and then play with a variety of solutions (one of which you might turn into a thesis statement).

A small group discussion will precede this post.

Final Exegesis Paper (1200 words). 50% 

Your paper should consist of 1000-1300 words (approximately four pages). You may choose any passage from the Hebrew Bible, but I would recommend a selection from a book we've covered in class. You may not write your papers on texts we have covered in exegetical exercises (if you’re not sure, please ask!).

The paper is to be a focused essay demonstrating careful study of the passage chosen by the student (I recommend students limit the length of their passage to about 10 verses). Students are to identify the methodological approach or approaches they are employing, then demonstrate the use of that method in their exegesis (in my view, it would be wise to limit yourself to one primary method).

Students are expected to engage the scholarly literature related to their chosen passage by making reference to at least two commentaries, and at least two scholarly journal articles (the library staff can help you find such items). 

Papers exceeding 1300 words will be frowned upon (i.e., your grade will be adversely impacted). Word count is to include all notes. Please include your word count at the end of your paper.

The goal of this course is to orient students to major aspects of the critical study of the Hebrew Bible. In order to accomplish this goal, we will:

1. introduce and familiarize students with the content of the Hebrew Bible, the types of literature contained therein, and the historical and cultural contexts in which this literature was produced, through readings, lectures, and examinations;
2. examine a number of critical issues and methods pertaining to the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, through readings, lectures, and discussions;
3. develop students’ skills in the use of critical methodologies when interpreting the Hebrew Bible, through written assignments, readings, and discussions.

There will be two discussions each week. Posts and responses are due by Tuesday and Thursday at midnight. After the first week, I will not give partial credit for posts made after the deadline.

You don't need more than a well organized, short paragraph (3-4 sentences) to say something substantial. 

Please watch this 4-minute video: "What I'd Love to See in the Discussion Forums"

https://youtu.be/dcEDXQ79UrE

Throughout the quarter, we will have several discussions which will compose a large part of our engagement with each other in this online learning space. For these discussions to be meaningful conversation spaces, we all need to take responsibility for consistent and substantial participation. Instead of grading discussions based on number of words posted or on frequency, we will assess discussions based on the degree to which you substantially engage in the conversation each week. Over the course of a conversation, substantial engagement means:

1. Extend the conversation - creatively and critically push the conversation forward, do not just regurgitate what has already been said. If 1 or 2 other students have already responded directly to instructor provided prompts for the week, do not simply write another response to the prompts unless it adds something new to the conversation. You need to extend the conversation by adding an additional or different insight from the course materials, by asking a new question that stems from one of the posts already offered, by offering a related and contextualized example of the issue being discussed from your own experience, or by creatively integrating your own perspective with what has already been posted. 
2. Ask contextualized questions - situate your questions within the discussion by referencing the course materials and other parts of the conversation thread that inform your inquiry. Give us a little background as to why this question matters to you and how it relates to the course.
3. Engage others in the course - thoughtful engagement with other students in the course and with the instructional team. 
4. Engage the course materials - thoughtful engagement with readings, lectures, student presentations, and any other materials related to the course.Referencing and citing course materials in your posts where appropriate is encouraged. 

Each post need not do all of these things, but your overall participation in each conversation should demonstrate all of these components. You might have several short posts and a handful of longer posts in a week or you might have only a few strategic substantial posts. Either way, your overall participation in each conversation will be evaluated for substantial engagement. The goal of this discussion design is to encourage and reward interchange, so post often and engage each other with meaningful questions that open to other questions.

Structure of Discussions

Each of our online discussions will involve different areas of inquiry, either different discussion topics or different close reading texts. The instructional team will provide hashtags (e.g. #art, #women, #job2) for each of these areas of inquiry in the discussions. Each student will choose one of these areas to focus on in a given discussion. You will indicate your focus each week by tagging your posts with the provided hashtags somewhere in your post. If you get overwhelmed by the large volume of posting in a week's discussion, you can filter the discussion posts using the discussion search feature with a given hashtag to see only the posts related to that topic or text, read those and add your own posts with the same hashtag to extend the conversation. If you see a substantial and compelling way to integrate 2 of the areas in your contribution to the discussion, then feel free to tag with 2 of these areas. In a given discussion, you are not required to read all of the posts. These hashtagged areas of inquiry offer students a way to self select into smaller pockets of conversation amidst the larger course discussion. So, if you choose to focus on one hashtag in a given discussion, we expect you to follow the conversation stream on that tag and to incorporate these posts into your contributions to the conversation. Please feel free to read and engage beyond the area of inquiry you choose as a focus for a given discussion.

Our course this term will have 2 discussions a week that overlap. Typically, this will involve a Tuesday-Wednesday discussion on the course materials for that week and a Thursday-Friday discussion that will ask you to closely read and reflect on some texts from the hebrew bible. We expect you to bring relevant course materials to bear on your close readings of biblical texts. You will notice that there are two due dates associated with each discussion. This means we expect you to engage each discussion at least two times throughout the week using the guidelines above and the hash tagging procedures below. 

Posts to discussions that have ended will not be accepted. The point is to have conversation. If you don't show up for the conversation when it's happening, you miss out. Posting just for my benefit defeats the purpose.

Other assignments submitted late are marked down at the rate of a grade per day.

No incompletes. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, which "typically include a death of a loved one, an unforeseen medical emergency of the student or immediate family member, students with granted ADA accommodations, or other substantive changes" (that's from the Masters Student Handbook)

Iliff Policies 

Residential, Hybrid, and Online Class Attendance

Class attendance and class participation is an integral part of the degree programs. Absence from classes equivalent to 20% of course work (two weeks for a ten-week course) is grounds for suspension from a course with WF (Withdrawal Failing) recorded on the transcript. 

Students must be present within the first two class meetings for residential courses or be present within the Friday of the second week for online/hybrid classes.

If not, student will be dropped from class and the financial policy for dropping courses will be applied. Student, who wants to stay in the class, must petition for the instructor’s permission and the highest eligible grade to be received for the class is a B+.

A student may petition via the Academic Requirement Petition form, which must be signed by the instructor and submitted to the student's academic advisor. The Academic Vice-President/Dean will make the final decision after reviewing the petition. 

Online attendance is based on participation in class activities. Interacting with the instructor, interacting with other students, attending required on-campus meetings and/or submitting course assignments all constitute attendance. Attendance for the online classes follows the same policy as residential and hybrid classes. An online class absence is identified as a missed assignment or inactivity in the course site in discussion posts and other assignments. It is up to the instructor to determine their specific grading and attendance standards, which is listed in their syllabus. Students should access their courses regularly to remain current regarding expected due dates and assignments.

Hybrid courses require on-campus class attendance in addition to online attendance. On-campus hours and schedules are posted on the syllabus and within the course description. Students are responsible for making travel arrangements to ensure their presence for all of the hours required on-campus for hybrid courses. Since there are multiple hybrid courses offered at the same time, students are responsible for ensuring they do not schedule course conflicts. Students unable to attend hybrid sessions will need to submit a petition to the Dean and the instructor of the course. Petitions are rarely granted, except for rare emergencies, and in most cases, the student will need to drop the course, or receive a failing grade, when they miss the required on-campus class meetings.