Body & Sexuality in Hebrew Bible

Instructor: Amy Erickson

The notable explosion of thought and literature on the subject of the “body” in the last decades has begged a question of definition, which is not so easily grasped, let alone answered. It is as if we are clear about an agreed cultural obsession – the “body”—but far from assured about its referent… But why, then are “bodies” simultaneously so ubiquitous and yet so hard to get our “hands” around?

-- Sarah Coakley ( Religion and the Body , 2-3)

Becking, B. Only One God? Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah.  London : Sheffield Academic Press. 2001 

*Boer, Roland. The Earthy Nature of the Bible: Fleshly Readings of Sex, Masculinity, and Carnality. New York: Palgrave 2012.*

Hornsby, Teresa J. and Deryn Guest, Transgender, Intersex, and Biblical Interpretation. Atlanta: SBL 2016.

Jennings, Theodore. Jacob’s Wound: Homoerotic Narrative in the Literature of Ancient Israel. Continuum 2005

*Sommer, Ben. The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.*

                  *this book is available electronically through the library*

Discussion Forums: Your first post in the discussion forum is due Wednesday at midnight; in general, responses to your peers are due by Saturday at midnight.

Course Description

In this class, we will explore the diverse representations of embodiment and sexuality in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the context of the ancient Near Eastern world. We will give particular attention to embodied notions of self; bodily experience and metaphor; gender and difference; the formation of the body through ritual and practice; divine embodiment; and sexuality, both human and divine. 

Sarah Coakley (quoted above) highlights the ubiquity and the instability of the notion of the body—in part, this can be explained by the observation that the body is caught between “an obvious materiality and a complex historical, theological, philosophical, sociological, psychological, biological, and various other cultural discourses” (J. Koosed, [Per]Mutations of Qoheleth, 7). Negotiating this theoretical terrain provides us with a way of working with the HB that is rich and complex and connected to some of the key questions other disciplines are asking. Thus our inquiries in this class are, by definition, interdisciplinary.

Participation in the Gathering Days sessions is required.

1. Weekly postings (40%)

Thoughtful participation in discussion forums is essential to the success of this class! Therefore, these assignments, collectively, will account for 40% of your final grade. Each week, you can 'earn' a maximum of 10 points for the week's (cumulative) postings. Failure to follow instructions, to post on time, to respond to your peers in a timely manner, or to post in a way that shows you engaged the assigned reading means you will receive fewer than 10 points for that week's assignment.

2. Exegesis paper. 1000-1200 words (4-5 pages) (50%)

Pick a text - any text but *no more than 10 verses - and write a body-informed exegesis paper. You can borrow a methodological stance or a readerly position from one of the scholars we have engaged thus far or you can use a more traditional literary or historical method (such as Sommer does) - as long as you use it in a way that is attentive to body- or gender-related issues in the text. However you choose to go about your reading, be sure to tell me about it in the paper!

Students are expected to engage the scholarly literature related to their chosen passage by making reference to at least:

- two of the assigned readings for the course

- two commentaries (please see the guide and limit yourselves to scholarly series - if you are not sure about a commentary not listed here, please ask me) 

- two scholarly journal articles (the library staff can help you find such items)

Papers exceeding 1200 words will be frowned upon (i.e., your grade will be adversely impacted). Word count is to include all notes (I prefer footnotes but you can use any widely accepted citation method). Please include your word count at the end of your paper.

3. Peer review (10%)

You will be creating a reverse outline (about 2 pp double spaced) for the paper you have been assigned to peer review.  

Posts to discussions where people are no longer 'in the room' serve no purpose. Posts registered after the Saturday at midnight deadline will not be accepted (even if you post them in the forum, there is no one there). If you do not post during the week (before Sat at midnight), you have missed the book discussion.

If you miss more than one discussion, your grade for that discussion assignment group (20% total) could drop to 100/200 points, depending of the quality and timeliness of your other contributions.

If you miss two discussions, your grade for the discussion assignment group (20% total) could drop to 0/200 points, depending of the quality and timeliness of your other contributions.

If you miss three discussions, it is likely you will fail the course. This is the equivalent of missing three residential class sessions, which is grounds for failure.

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.