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Ph.D. Program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible

Assistant Director of Graduate Studies: Robert Wilson
Teaching Group in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible: John J. Collins, Christl M. Maier, Carolyn Sharp, Robert Wilson

Introduction

Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (OT/HB) is one of the ten subject fields in the Department of Religious Studies. The program in OT/HB is designed for students who wish to prepare for teaching and research in the literature, history, and religion, of ancient Israel from its origins through the Second Temple Period. Students normally do work in all of these areas before specializing in one of them and are also expected to do a significant amount of advanced work in Biblical Hebrew and cognate languages. While students are encouraged to take advantage of Yale's resources in other relevant fields, such as Judaic Studies, New Testament, Comparative Literature, and Anthropology, the study of the OT/HB remains the focus of the program. Students wishing to concentrate solely on the study of the Hebrew language should investigate doctoral programs in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

These guidelines are intended to provide information concerning the program in OT/HB and to assist students in developing a suitable program of study within the field. All students must work with the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies for OT/HB (Prof. Robert Wilson) and the Director of Graduate Studies (Prof. Phyllis Granoff) in order to define their own program. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the OT/HB faculty early in their academic program in order to discuss prerequisites and requirements and to design a course of study which will best prepare them for their qualifying examinations and subsequent work.

Applying to the Program

The standard procedure for applying to Yale Graduate School must be followed. Applications and information about the application process may be requested from the Office of Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 208323 Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520-8323 (phone: 203-432-2770; FAX: 203-432-7765). Ancient language study should be described in full on page 2 of the application form. Applicants are strongly urged to insure that recommenders have mailed their letters of recommendations by the end of December at the latest in order for them to be taken into account, since admission decisions are normally made at the beginning of February. Prospective applicants may schedule a visit to Yale by contacting the Graduate Registrar of Religious Studies at 203-432-0830. They are also invited to discuss their application by telephone with the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies for OT/HB (Prof. Wilson) at 203-432-0828. (Please note that official letters of admission are not mailed until mid-March, and that the departmental offices will not be able to provide application results by telephone in advance of that date.)

Language Requirements

Language prerequisites for admission to graduate study in the field are as follows: two or more years of Biblical Hebrew (most applicants have more than two years); some Greek; and a reading knowledge of German and French. Proficiency in German must be demonstrated on entrance and proficiency in French must be demonstrated before the beginning of the third year. Proficiency in German and French is demonstrated by (1) passing an examination administered by the department; (2) by accreditation from a Yale Summer School course designed for this purpose; or (3) by achieving a grade of A or B in one of Yale's intermediate language courses. During the first two years of course work, students must take at least one semester of Biblical Aramaic, if they have not already studied that language, and they must take a full year of Ugaritic. Students normally take at least a year of another ancient language, usually Akkadian, although in some cases Arabic, Greek, Egyptian, or further work in Aramaic may be appropriate.

Course Work

In the first year the normal load is four courses per semester. In the second year some students take fewer than four courses per semester. Each student must take at least one graduate seminar in OT/HB and at least one of the following advanced Hebrew courses each semester: Rapid Reading and the Syntax of Hebrew Prose, Problems in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, Problems in the History of the Hebrew Language, Text Criticism. Students normally fill in the remainder of their course schedules with aditional language work, biblical seminars, or courses in related fields, such as New Testament, Judaic Studies, Classics, Anthropology, or Literary Criticism.

Courses

Genesis and the Formation of the Pentateuch (RS) R. Wilson

The Book of Ezekiel (RS) R. Wilson

The Editing of the Book of Kings (RS) R. Wilson

Problems in the Book of Deuteronomy (RS) R. Wilson

The Prophetic Stories in Kings (RS) R. Wilson

Problems in the History of Israelite Religion (RS) R. Wilson

The History of Ancient Israel (RS) R. Wilson

Daniel and Related Literature (RS) J. Collins

Postexilic Prophecy (RS) J. Collins

Ezra and Nehemiah (RS) J. Collins

The Wisdom of Ben Sira (RS) J. Collins

Proverbs and Qohelet (RS) J. Collins

The History and Methods of the Interpretation of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (RS) J. Collins and R. Wilson

Dead Sea Scrolls Seminar (RS) J. Collins and S. Fraade [topic changes each year; previous topic: Qumran Rule Books]

Second Temple Seminar (RS) J. Collins, S. Fraade, C. Hayes, and Participating Faculty [topic changes each year; previous topics: Ideas of Impurity in the Second Temple Period; Wisdom and Retribution]

The Book of Jeremiah (YDS) C. Sharp

Advanced Biblical Hebrew: Rapid Reading and the Syntax of Hebrew Prose (RS) R. Wilson

Problems in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Job (RS) R. Wilson

Aramaic (NE) S. Bhayro

Ugaritic (NE) S. Bhayro

Ethiopic (NE) S. Bhayro

Comparative Semitic (NE) S. Bhayro

Beginning Akkadian (NE) B. Foster and Staff

Advanced Akkadian (NE) B. Foster and Staff

Egyptian (Early, Middle, and Late) (NE) J. Darnell and K. Simpson

Qualifying Examinations

The qualifying examinations in OT/HB are taken after the conclusion of required course work and must be completed before admission to candidacy. The scope and focus of each examination is a matter of discussion and negotiation with the individual examiners. In preparation for the general examination, the student should aim for an up-to-date survey knowledge and an orientation to (but not expertise in) the problems that have concerned scholarship. The examination is not meant to test the student's ability as a research scholar, for this is done in research papers and the dissertation. Rather, its purpose is to certify preparedness to begin special research and to construct one's own courses as a teacher.
Ordinarily, students take their qualifying exams in their third year of residence and on the following schedule: First semester: 1) a written exam in Hebrew language covering translation and linguistic analysis of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic prose and poetry. Unpointed Second-Temple Hebrew texts are also included in the exam; and 2) a written exam in text criticism; and in the Second semester: 3) a written exam covering (a) Israelite history, (b) Israelite literature, (c) Israelite religion, and (d) a topic of the student's own choosing; and 4) an oral examination covering the entire field.

Teaching Fellowships

Teaching fellowships are often available, and they offer an opportunity to gain fluency with the subject matter of the program and to develop pedagogical and lecturing skills under the supervision of an experienced teacher, in addition to providing financial resources. Especially relevant, academically, are fellowships in the introductory courses in OT/HB history and literature given at the Divinity School and in Yale College. Teaching opportunities in other subjects also arise.

Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus is prepared following the completion of the qualifying exams. Students normally submit a dissertation prospectus and have a colloquium on the prospectus no later than the first semester of their fourth year. The prospectus is developed in consultation with the faculty, and submitted to the teaching group in the field, who meet with the student for a two-hour colloquium to assess the scope, significance, and feasibility of the topic and the student's preparation to accomplish it in a reasonable time. The prospectus itself ordinarily should include a statement of the precise nature of the topic, its significance, its relationship to previous work, and the method and sources to be employed. After approval by the teaching group, a two-page summary of the prospectus is submitted to the entire graduate faculty in Religious Studies and thence, if none object, to the Dean of the Graduate School. Once accepted this prospectus becomes the basis for the eventual assessment of the completed dissertation. After acceptance of the prospectus, the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.

Dissertation

Students normally begin writing their dissertation in the fourth year and normally will have finished by the end of the sixth. The completed dissertation must be approved by a committee of three readers and the departmental faculty. There is no oral examination on the dissertation.

Recent Dissertations

Recent dissertation topics include: Job and the meaning of suffering; Malachi and the history of the priesthood; Jeremiah's oracles about the future; the background and structure of Second Isaiah; the social settings of the apocalyptic sections of Joel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah; Ezekiel's blueprint for the Jerusalem temple; the authoring of religious identity in the period of the Restoration, focusing on priesthood, prophecy, and apocalyptic; the psalms in the narrative contexts of the Hebrew Bible; a study of hospitality in the Old Testament, using the tool of linguistic pragmatics; cult and society in First Temple Judah; the editorial perspective of the Book of Judges; textuality and the dynamics of discourse in Ezekiel; reactions to the Exile in Jeremiah; biblical and extra-biblical evidence for the cult of Molek; the literary and theological framework of Numbers; human and divine sleep in the Old Testament; a study of the theme of consolation in the Old Testament; biblical naming and poetic etymology, focused on the language of Adam; the tradition history of the psalms of Asaph.

Contact Information

The Department of Religious Studies
P.O. Box 208287
451 College Street
New Haven, CT 06520-8287
Phone: (203) 432-0828
robert.wilson@yale.edu

 
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