HEBREW LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE 62 - Topics in Classical Hebrew Literature and Culture

Institution:

Dartmouth College

Subject:

Description:

10S: 2A Classical Hebrew literature spans 3000 years from the Biblical period until the advent of Jewish 'modernity' in the 18th-19th centuries, and reflects the lives and values of Jews in their ancient homeland and across the Ashkenazi and Sephardi diasporas. Among the outstanding products of this literature, whose effects on Jewish and Western civilization have been incalculable, are the Bible, the Midrash and Talmud of late Antiquity. Medieval Hebrew genres include the theological and erotic poetry of Spain and Italy, the laments of the Crusades, the travelogue, ethical fables, philosophical essays, and Messianic folklore. Courses listed under Hebrew 62 are open to students of all classes.In 10S, Midrash: How the Rabbis Interpreted the Bible ( Identical to Comparative Literature 70 and Jewish Studies 24.3). Midrash is the ancient Jewish term for Biblical interpre-tation. We examine how the Bible was interpreted by the Rabbis 1500 to 2000 years ago, at the crucial juncture in history when the Bible was being canonized in the form it now has. We focus on powerful motifs such as the Creation, the Flood, Jacob and Esau, the Sacrifice of Isaac, and the Exodus, and view them through two prisms: through a wide range of ancient Midrashic texts themselves; and through one influential modern Jewish literary reading of the Midrashic themes of Genesis. Dist: LIT; WCult: NW. Glinert.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.dartmouth.edu

Phone Number:

(603) 646-1110

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Quarter

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.