General Surveys

JDST 761au, History of Jewish Culture to the Reformation. Ivan Marcus.
TTh 11.30–12.45
A broad introduction to the history of Jewish culture from its beginnings until the late Middle Ages, with the main focus on the formative period of classical rabbinic Judaism and on the symbiotic relationship among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. An overview of Jewish society and culture in its biblical, rabbinic, and medieval settings. Also HIST 535au, RLST 773au.

[JDST 781bu, History of Jewish Culture, 1500 to the Present.]

Biblical Period

JDST 701au, Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible). Christine Hayes.
MW 10.30–11.20, 1 HTBA
The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) as an expression of the religious life and thought of ancient Israel, and a foundational document of Western civilization. A wide range of methodologies, including source criticism and the historical-critical school, tradition criticism, redaction criticism, and literary and canonical approaches to the study and interpretation of the Bible. Special emphasis on the Bible against the backdrop of its historical and cultural setting in the ancient Near East.

JDST 702au, Exodus and Exile in the Hebrew Bible. David Lambert.
TTh 2.30–3.45
This course examines the theme of exodus in the Hebrew Bible. We examine the political, historical, literary, and theological dimensions of key biblical narratives in their ancient Near Eastern contexts and in formative Judaism and Christianity. Also RLST 786au.

JDST 703bu, Good Deeds in Judaism and Christianity. David Lambert.
MW 2.30–3.45
This course examines the language used in the Hebrew Bible to depict ideal behavior and also considers this subject in works of early Judaism and Christianity. Readings concentrate on wisdom literature. Also RLST 787bu.
classical period

JDST 721bu, Introduction to Judaism in the Ancient World: From Temple to Talmud. Steven Fraade.
TTh 1–2.15
The emergence of classical Judaism in its historical setting. Jews and Hellenization; varieties of early Judaism; apocalyptic and postapocalyptic responses to suffering and catastrophe; worship and atonement without cult; interpretations of scriptures; religious imagination; law and life; the rabbi; faith in reason; Sabbath and festivals; history and its redemption. No prior background in Jewish history assumed.

JDST 722b, Ancient Judaism. Christine Hayes.
T 10–12
An in-depth survey of the history and literature of Judaism in late antiquity though the rabbinic period. Special attention is given to the problems and possibilities of employing rabbinic sources for the purposes of historical reconstruction in the period that saw the emergence of the Gospels and the formation of Christianity. Emphasis on methodological trends and cutting-edge scholarship. This course is designed primarily for students in the PH.D. program in New Testament and Ancient Christianity. Doctoral students in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism are also welcome. Also RLST 675b.

JDST 725au, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Ancient Judaism. Steven Fraade.
TTh 1–2.15
An examination of the place of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community within the history of ancient Judaism. We focus on the major genres of the sectarian scrolls, with an eye to understanding the community’s history, religious ideology, social structures, and place within the broader varieties of Graeco-Roman Judaism. Texts are available in English translation. No prerequisites. Also RLST 753au.

JDST 727au, Mishnah Seminar: Tractate Ta’anit on Fasting. Steven Fraade.
Th 9.30–11.20
Close study of a section of the Mishnah, the earliest digest of Jewish law, treating procedures for public fasts in response to drought and other forms of collective adversity. Particular attention to the textual practices of rabbinic legal discourse in relation to its social function, and to the interplay of law and narrative. Prerequisite: reading fluency in ancient Hebrew, or two years of college Hebrew. L5. Also RLST 752au.

JDST 729au, Talmud Seminar: Sources of Jewish Law and Rabbinic Authority. Christine Hayes.
MW 1–2.15
How can a legal system based on an eternal and immutable revelation grow and develop, and what are the special anxieties that attend human administration of a divine legal system? Exploration of the sources of Jewish law and authority in the Talmudic period; the interaction of divine revelation and human interpretation; and the theoretical basis and practical application of the rabbis’ authority to both administer and interpret—at times radically—biblical law. Secondary readings in comparative law, contemporary legal theory, and legal interpretation inform our analysis of the Hebrew sources. Prerequisite: reading knowledge of Hebrew. Also RLST 785au.

JDST 731au, New Approaches to Josephus. Tessa Rajak.
W 1.30–3.20
Close readings and discussion of central issues and key passages in the writings of Flavius Josephus, with consideration of recent debates on the historian in relation to his environment. Knowledge of Greek not required, but opportunities are offered to consider issues of expression and style in the original. Also CLSS 803au, HIST 505au.

JDST 732bu, Diaspora Interaction among Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Tessa Rajak.
TTh 11.30–12.45
An in-depth study of the primary evidence and of the leading modern interpretations of the Mediterranean Jewish diaspora, from the Hellenistic Age to late antiquity. The emphasis is on understanding the relationships between Jews and “pagans” in a world of ethnic diversity and on exploring the connections among politics, society, culture, and religion. Knowledge of the original languages not required. Also CLSS 806bu, HIST 506bu.

JDST 733bu, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Jewish Prayer in Late Antiquity. Esther Chazon.
Th 9.30–11.20
A wide selection of the hundreds of prayers uncovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls is studied in depth with a view to the Scrolls’ impact on major issues in Second Temple Judaism and the institution of the synagogue liturgy by the rabbis and authors of the first prayer books. Also RLST 759bu.

JDST 756b, The Required Ancient Judaism Seminar: Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Judaism. Steven Fraade, John Collins.
W 1.30–3.20
An examination of the variety of forms and methods of biblical interpretation from the Hellenistic period into late antiquity. Topics may be drawn from inner-biblical interpretation, Dead Sea Scrolls, Alexandrian Judaism, pseudepigrapha, midrash, targum, and early Christianity. Also RLST 756b.

Medieval and Early Modern Periods

JDST 762au, Jewish Philosophy from Maimonides to Spinoza. W. Zev Harvey.
MW 2.30–3.45
A discussion of the role of the intellect and the passions in the writings of major Jewish philosophers from Maimonides through Spinoza. Also RLST 789au.

[JDST 764bu, Jews in Muslim Lands from the Seventh to the Sixteenth Century.]

JDST 765au, Jewish Intellectual and Cultural Life in Early Modern Italy. Daniel Stein Kokin.
TTh 2.30–3.45
This course explores the intellectual and cultural life of Jews in Italy from the fifteenth through early seventeenth century. Christian attitudes toward, and interest in, Judaism and Jewish sources are of special interest, including Jewish philosophy in the Humanist movement; Christian Hebraism; the rise of printing; the Ghetto; censorship and anti-Semitism; and Jewish confraternities and preaching. Also HIST 583au.

JDST 766bu, Jewish Messianisms in Historical Context and Theory. Daniel Stein Kokin.
Th 1.30–3.20
An exploration of the development and place of messianism in Jewish history and theology. The course focuses on major messianic figures (e.g., Bar Kokhba, Shlomo Molkho, Shabbetai Tzvi) and influential theories of messianism (e.g., Maimonides, Abraham Abulafia, Avraham Yitzhak Kook). Classic scholarly approaches to messianism are also studied and evaluated. Also HIST 584bu.

[JDST 790b, Jews in Christian and Muslim Lands from the Fourth to Sixteenth Century.]

Modern Period

JDST 782au, Jews and Modernity in Eastern Europe and Russia. Marci Shore.
TTh 10.30–11.20, 1 HTBA
This course explores the variety of ways in which Jews and Jewish communities in Eastern Europe responded to a radically changing world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. How did Jews engage with new ideas about time and history, and about nation and class, which wreaked havoc with traditional societies—both Jewish and non-Jewish—in this part of the world? Also HIST 687au.

JDST 783bu, Jews and Cosmopolitanism in Modern European Intellectual History. Marci Shore.
TTh 11.30–12.45
This seminar, inspired by Isaac Deutscher’s essay “The Non-Jewish Jew,” examines Jewish contributions to “cosmopolitan” ideas in modern European intellectual history. Topics include Marxism, psychoanalysis, and deconstruction. Also HIST 688bu.

JDST 784au, Memory, Memoirs, and Modern Jewish History. Paula Hyman.
W 1.30–3.20
An exploration of the representation of Jewish historical experience from the seventeenth to the twentieth century through a selection of memoirs. Focus on the construction of identity, with special attention to the interaction of minority status, gender, and class in a variety of historical contexts. Also HIST 952au, RLST 762au.

JDST 785au, Weimar German-Jewish Thought. Mara Benjamin.
Th 1.30–3.20
Seminar focusing on early twentieth-century German-Jewish theology; emphasis on strategies for reading religious texts in light of nineteenth-century critiques of religion. In-depth treatment of Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig; attention to other contemporaneous Jewish and Christian thinkers; contemporary literature on religious hermeneutics. Also RLST 779au.

JDST 788au, The Holocaust in Historical Perspective. Paula Hyman.
MW 10.30–11.20, 1 HTBA
A survey of the major issues raised by the Holocaust, including the roots of Nazism; different theoretic perspectives and ways of accounting for genocide; the behavior of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders; and problems of representation. Also HIST 979au, RLST 768au