Text and Traditions
JUS 449 - Women in Ancient Israel
This course is an intensive investigation of the life of the ancient Israelite woman. It presents a multidisciplinary approach toward reconstructing the social, economic, religious and political life of women in Iron Age Israel. Through readings and class discussion, students will explore the ways in which women contributed to their society throughout the eras of the Judges and of the United and Divided Monarchies (1200-587 BCE).
Because women traditionally have been undervalued and marginalized, until recently little attention was devoted to this vitally important and stimulating topic. In consequence, students will be challenged to utilize multiple sources in their reconstruction of the lives of Israelite women. The sources used in this class will include (but not be limited to) archaeological, historical and art historical data, the witness of the Hebrew Bible and other pertinent texts, and anthropological and ethnographic studies of the roles of women in pre-industrial and Middle eastern societies.
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 438 - The Book of Psalms
The characteristic features of Hebrew poetry. The literary development of these writings and their function in the Israelite cult. Examples of biblical poetry outside the book of Psalms also considered.
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 435 - Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism
Surveys the ideology, symbolism, and major themes of Jewish mysticism as evidenced in several prominent mystical texts. The core of this course will be reading the texts in English translation and the development of skills in reading and understanding a Jewish mystical text.
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 426 - The History of Heaven
This course presents an examination of the origins and early evolution of images of the afterlife among the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean basin and Near East. The course will focus on ancient Israelite, biblical, and early Jewish and Christian images. Later developments of these images within Western religions will also be discussed.
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 415 - God and the Problem of Evil
A critical study of philosophical and religious theories regarding the role of God in the existence of evil, the sources of these theories in sacred texts of monotheistic religions, and the relationship between religion and violence in contemporary global cultures.
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 409B - Biblical Hebrew: Poetry
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 409A - Biblical Hebrew: Prose Texts
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
JUS 405 - Classical Aramaic
This course covers the fundamentals of Standard Literary or Imperial Aramaic grammar, deals with the place of Aramaic within the Semitic languages, and introduces the student to texts in a few Aramaic dialects. The course emphasizes grammar and reading comprehension.
Course Credits
3
JUS 399 - Independent Study
Qualified students working on an individual basis with professors who have agreed to supervise such work.
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks