Hayim Lapin
2102Q FSK
301 405 4296
Hours: Tu Th 11–12
HIST
370/JWST 325
History
of the Jews in the Graeco-Roman Period
http://www.history.umd.edu/Faculty/HLapin/Syllabi/hist370.htm
1114
WDS, Tu-Th 2–3:15
This course examines the history of the Jews and Jewish
culture from the sixth century BCE to the first century CE. Over the course of
the semester we will (1) survey the political and social history of Jews in
both Palestine and the diaspora, and (2) examine some of the important problems
in the study of Jewish culture, religion, and society. Although this course
does not assume prior knowledge, it is an upper-level course and you will be
asked you to be able to read, write, and think about the material in a
sophisticated manner.
Requirements:
Attendance and preparation. (5%) You are expected to be in
class every session having read the material. If I find that the class as a
group is not keeping up with this requirement I will institute weekly quizzes
that will combine to count as an additional 10% of your grade, and other
grading items adjusted accordingly.
Exams. There will be an in-class midterm
March 8 and a final exam May 16. These will be worth 30% and 35%of your grade
respectively. The final exam will be cumulative.
Note: The
final exam time and date are scheduled by the University. Exceptions will be
made only for medical and or other similarly serious reasons. Non-refundable
plane tickets are not a valid excuse. Please plan accordingly.
Written Assignments. You will have one paper,
3,000–4,000 words (10–12 pages), due April 24 in class counting
toward 30% of the final grade. The topic will be about gentile attitudes toward
Jews in antiquity and the question of Òantisemitism.Ó Download the following guidelines and access the texts as follows:
Josephus, Against Apion (selections)
Tacitus, Histories 5.2-5 (Perseus [very slow of late] or MIT classics archive [without paragraph divisions]).
SchŠfer, Judeophobia
Gruen, Heritage and Hellenism
Readings. The following books have been
ordered at the University Book Center and at the Maryland Book Exchange:
Barclay, John M. G. Jews in the
Mediterranean Diaspora: From Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE-117 CE) (Hellenistic Culture and
Society). Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.
Cohen, Shaye J. D. From the
Maccabees to the Mishnah, Second Edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006.
Modrzejewski, Joseph Meleze. The
Jews of Egypt. Translated
by Robert Cornman. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
SchŠfer, Peter. History of the
Jews in the Greco-Roman World. New York: Routledge, 2003.
Tcherikover, Victor. Hellenistic
Civilization and the Jews. Rpt. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999.
For Biblical texts (Old
Testament/Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Apocrypha) you may use any translation you understand (please avoid paraphrases like
the Good News Bible). If you wish to make use of an electronic text, I recommend the
Revised Standard Version at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/rsv.browse.html.
The following web resources may be useful to you:
Early Jewish Writings
(http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com)
Early Christian Writings (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com)
Wesley Center Online (Northwest
Nazarene University) (http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies)
Christian Classics Ethereal
Library (http://www.ccel.org)
Douglas BinderÕs Second Temple
Synagogue site (http://www.pohick.org/sts)
Ancient World Mapping Center
(http://www.unc.edu/awmc)
In many cases you will also have
assigned readings that will be accessible through the web or that will be made
available to you as handouts or through some other means. Please remember
that these readings are required.
|
|
Outline of Assignments |
|
|
I. Historical
Survey—Palestine |
|
1/25 |
Introduction to the Course Ezra 1:1–7 (Bible) Proclamation of Cyrus (handout) |
|
1/30 |
Persian Period Ezra 1; 3:1–10:70 (Bible);
cf. Haggai 2:1–4; Zechariah 3 (Bible) Nehemiah 1:1–7:4;
13:1–30 (Bible) |
|
2/1, 6 |
Hellenistic Period (Alexander
to the Hasmonaean Revolt) SchŠfer, 1–34 Tcherikover, 1–89,
117–151 ¥Zenon Papyri (selections)
(handout) ¥Hephzibah inscription (handout) ¥Josephus, Antiquities, 12.138–146 (12.3.3 ) |
|
2/8, 13 |
Reform, Persecution, and the
Hasmonaean Revolt SchŠfer, 34–64 Tcherikover, 152–234 1 Maccabees 1:1–9:22
(Apocrypha) 2 Maccabees 4:7–6:31;
8:1–15:39 (Apocrypha) Daniel 7:1–28;
10:1–12:13 (Bible) |
|
2/15 |
Hasmonaean Rule in Palestine SchŠfer, 65–80 Tcherikover, 235–265 1 Maccabees 9:23–15:37 Josephus, Jewish War 1.4.1–1.7.7 (Whiston ed.) |
|
2/20 |
Early Roman Period (to 66CE) SchŠfer, 81–120 Josephus, Jewish War 1.14 (entire),
1.20.1–1.21.13 (Whiston ed.) |
|
|
II. Historical
Survey—Diaspora |
|
2/22 |
Origins of the Diaspora:
Egypt and Mesopotamia Modrzejewski, 47–72 Jeremiah 40–44 (Bible) 2 Kings 25 (Bible) Documents from Elephantine in
Egypt relating to Jews |
|
2/27,
3/1 |
Hellenistic and Early Roman
Diaspora in Egypt Modrzejewski, 73–183 Barclay, 19–78 Tcherikover, 269–296 Josephus, Antiquities, 19.278–91 (Handout) (Compare to the papyrus letter;
is Josephus telling the truth, lying, or mistaken?) ¥Emperor ClaudiusÕ Letter to the Alexandrians
(CPJ 153) ¥Philo, Legatio ad Gaium esp. sections 120–206, 349–73 |
|
3/6 |
Hellenistic and Early Roman
Diaspora outside Egypt Barclay 231–306 |
|
3/8 |
Midterm Exam, in class |
|
|
III. Jewish Culture and
Society in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods |
|
3/13,
15 |
Religious and Cultural Life Diaspora: Inscriptions from Egypt Palestine: *S. Schwartz, Imperialism and
Jewish Society 200 BCE to 640 CE (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001),
49–88 |
|
3/20,
3/22 |
Spring Break, no classes |
|
3/27,
29 |
Family, Economy, Gender Tobit (Apocrypha) Judith (Apocrypha) Ben Sira 9:1–9 (Apocrypha) Testament of Joseph (perhaps
from Syria?) 1–9 *R. S. Kraemer, in Jewish Women
in Historical Perspective, 46–72. |
|
4/3 |
1st day of Passover (class
cancelled) |
|
4/5 |
Sects and Parties (i):
Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc. Josephus, Jewish War (Whiston ed.) 2.8 (entire) *ÒSome Matters of the TorahÓ
(4QMMT), Vermes, CDSS, 222–228 (handout) The following passages (a
non-exhaustive list) from the New Testament relating to sects are recommended
(note that you will be reading all of Matthew and Acts for the next unit): Mark 2:15–3:6;
7:1–23; 8:11–13, 15; 10:2–10; 12:13–34 Matthew 3:1–6, 7; 4:3;
8:18; 9: 11–3, 14–17, (34); 11:2–19; 12:1–4,
22–32, 38–42; 16:1–12; 19:3–9; 21:23; 22:
15–22; 23:33, 34–45; chapter 23. Luke 5:17–6:11;
7:18–35; 7:36–49; 11:37–54; 13:31; 14:1–6;
15:1–2; 16:14–15; 17:20; 18:9–14; 20:45–7 John 1:24; 3:1–21;
7:32–36; (7:3–11;) 7:45–52; 9:13–41, 48;
11:45–53, 55–7; 18:3 Acts of the Apostles 4:1, 5,
5:17, 34, 21:38–39; 23:6–8 |
|
4/10 |
2nd day of Passover (class
cancelled) |
|
4/12 |
Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes
(contÕd) |
|
4/17,
19 |
Sects and Parties (ii): Early
Christianity Barclay, Diaspora, 381–95 Gospel of Matthew (New
Testament) Acts of the Apostles (New
Testament) |
|
4/24,
26 |
Ethnicity, Identity,
Alterity: With Special Focus on Diaspora Barclay, 82–124,
(320–380 recommended), 399–444 Tcherikover, 296–380 |
|
|
IV. Revolts in Palestine and
the Diaspora |
|
5/1, 3 |
Revolts in Palestine
66–70, 132–135 SchŠfer, 121–163 Revolts 66–70,
115–117, 132–135 CE Josephus, Jewish War (Whiston ed.) 2.17 (entire),
2.20.1–6; Josephus, Jewish War (Whiston ed.) 6.4.3–8 Tacitus Histories, 5.1–13 *Handout of documents
illustrating the Bar Kokhba revolt |
|
5/8 |
Revolts in the Diaspora
115–117 Barclay, Diaspora, 48–80 *Cassius Dio 68.32.1–3
(Stern, Greek and Latin Authors, II, 385–6) (Handout) *Eusebius, Ecclesiastical
History,
4.2.1–5 (Stern, Greek and Latin Authors, III, 29–30) (Handout) *Tcherikover, Corpus
Papyrorum Judaicarum , II, nos. 435 (p. 232), 438 (p. 238), 443 (p. 249); 450 (p. 260)
(Handout) |
|
5/10 |
Unfinished Business |
|
5/16 |
Final Exam, 10:30–12:30 |