History and Religion of Second Temple Judaism -- The Dead Sea Scrolls (2016 Boccaccini), course

History and Religion of Second Temple Judaism -- The Dead Sea Scrolls is a course offered by Gabriele Boccaccini at the University of Michigan in Winter 2016

Description

The seminar covers the history and religion of Second Temple Judaism, from the Babylonian exile (6th cent. BCE to the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism (3rd cent CE), with special emphasis on the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was an age of great conflicts, in which the Jews had to face powerful neighbors and rulers: The Egyptians and the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. It was also an age of great creativeness, in which different varieties of Judaism (including the early Christian movement) developed sophisticated and lasting theologies and restlessly struggled for supremacy or survival.

The focus is on reading of primary sources in the original text (or English translation), within a methodological approach that frees the documents from the cages of their denominational corpora and restores their original links, as representatives of competing forms of Judaism.

Grading is based on daily reading assignment, two oral presentations, and a final research paper on a topic of your choice (approved by the Instructor).

Syllabus

(1) January 6, 2016

• 5:10pm to 6:50pm -- From Polytheism to Monotheism: The end of the Davidic Monarchy, the Babylonian Exile, ad the Return to the land of Israel (major historical developments)
• 7pm - 8pm -- The Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

(2) January 13, 2016

The Establishment of House of Zadok: The Priesthood and the Covenant (major religious developments)

• See Persian Period -- Zadokites
• 7pm - 8pm -- The Excavations at Qumran
• See The Orion Virtual Qumran Tour

(3) January 20, 2016

The Opposition to the Sadokites: Samaritans, Sapiential Judaism and Enochic Judaism

• Tobiads -- Sanballats -- Enochic Judaism

• The Publication of the Scrolls: An endless series of scholarly and public controversies
• The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

(4) January 27, 2016

The Hellenistic Period between Ptolomeis and Seleucids

• Biblical Fragments at Qumran (student presentation)
• Enoch Fragments at Qumran (student presentation)

(5) February 3, 2016

The Maccabean Revolt and the end of the Zadokite Rule

• Testament of Levi (student presentation)
• Genesis Apocryphon (Jade Weathers)

(6) February 10, 2016

The Aftermath of the emergence of Jewish Sectarianism (Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes.

• Book of Jubilees (Marcotte)
• Temple Scroll (Merna Ameer)

(7) February 17, 2016

The Hasmonean Rule

• Philo on the Essenes (Justin Villanueva)
• Josephus on the Essenes (student presentation)

(8) February 24, 2016

The Roman Conquest, Herod the Great and His Successors

• Damascus Document (Harrison Angoff)
• Community Rule (Kayla Garthus)

< March 2 - Spring Break >

(9) March 9, 2016

The Rise of Messianism: Psalms of Solomon, Book of the Parables of Enoch

• Halakhic Letter (Sion Aronoff)
• Pesher Habakkuk (Fadi Antwan)

(10) March 16, 2016

Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls

• Thanksgiving Hymns (Hodayot) (Hollis Wyatt)
• New Jerusalem (student presentation)

(11) March 23, 2016 (5pm to 7pm - because of Purim)

Paul, early Christians, and the Dead Sea Scrolls /

• War Scroll (Johnny Lee)
• " Copper Scroll (Joseph Bursten)

Lecture: Jodi Magness (7pm - Rackham Amphitheater) Seminar: Jodi Magness (12-2pm - Kelsey Museum)

(12) March 30, 2016

The Jewish War and the Destruction of Jerusalem

• The Aftermath of the Rebellion: The End of the Essene Movement and the Partings of the Ways between Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism

(13) April 6, 2016

"Qumran Festival": Research Paper Presentations (I)

(14) April 13, 2016

"Qumran Festival": Research Paper Presentations (II)

Major sources

• Biblical Fragment at Qumran / Enoch Fragments at Qumran

• Testament of Levi / Temple Scroll

• Book Jubilees / Genesis Apocryphon

• Philo on the Essenes / Josephus on the Essenes

• Document of Damascus / Community Rule

• Halakhic Letter / Pesher Habakkuk

• Thanksgiving Hymns (Hodayot) / " Copper Scroll

• War Scroll / New Jerusalem

Textbooks and Essential Bibliography

Source-texts:

The New Revised Standard Version Bible with the Apocrypha (New York: Oxford University Press, Press, 1989) F. Garcia Martinez, and E.J.C Tigchelaar (eds.), The Dead Sea Scrolls: Study Edition, 2 vols. (Leiden: Brill, 1997). J.H. Charlesworth (ed.), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (New York: Doubleday, 1983-85) L.H. Schiffman, Texts and Traditions: A Source Reader for the Studyof Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism (Hoboken: Ktav, 1998)

Textbooks:

G. Boccaccini, Roots of Rabbinic Judaism: An Intellectual History, from Ezekiel to Daniel (Eerdmans: Gran Rapids, 2002) G. Boccaccini, Beyond the Essene Hypothesis: The Parting of the Ways between Qumran and Enochic Judaism (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1998) L.L. Grabbe, An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: Jewish Religion and History in the Second Temple Period (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996). T. Ilan, Integrating Jewish Women into Second Temple History (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999

Additional Readings:

• G. Boccaccini, Middle Judaism, Jewish Thought, 300 BCE to 200 CE (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991)
• G. Boccaccini, Portraits of Middle Judaism in Scholarship and Arts (Turin: Zamorani, 1992)
• J.J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998)
• J.J. Collins and D.C. Harlow, The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (Grand Rapid: Eerdmans, 2010)
• S.J.D. Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1987)
• S.J.D. Cohen, The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties (Berkeley: University of California, 1999)
• L.L. Grabbe, Judaism from Cyrus to Hadrian, 2 vols. (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992)
• L.L. Grabbe, Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period (London: Routledge, 2000)
• M. S. Jaffee, Early Judaism (Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 1997)
• J. Neusner, The Four Stages of Rabbinic Judaism (London: Routledge, 1999)
• P. Sacchi, The History of the Second Temple Period (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 2000)
• E.P. Sanders, Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63 BCE – 66 CE (Philadelphia: Trinity, 1992)
• L.H. Schiffman, From Text and Traditions: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism (Hoboken, Ktav, 1991)