Hebrew 323: Biblical Texts

Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall 2005

Class: MWF 1:20-2:15 Location: 119 Van Hise                 

Instructor: Jim Kirk                                                         Email: jkirk@wisc.edu

Office: 1336 Van Hise Hall Office Phone #: 262-8240

Office Hours: F 12:00-1:00 or by appointment

Welcome to Intermediate Biblical Hebrew (a.k.a. Biblical Texts)! The primary purpose of this course is to simply become comfortable reading Biblical Hebrew narrative. We will work towards this goal in the best way possible, by reading Biblical Hebrew. In addition to reading texts together in class we will systematically review Biblical Hebrew phonology, morphology, and syntax, and continue to build vocabulary (by the end of the spring semester you should know all the Biblical Hebrew words that occur in the Bible 25 times or more). Finally, we give some thought to the literary features of Biblical Hebrew narrative: how did the biblical authors artfully craft their language to create richly meaningful stories?

Requirements:

1) Attendance is crucial for your success in this class. You are expected to attend each and every class. If for some totally unavoidable reason you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes from another student and be prepared for the next class session.

2) Daily preparation: Classes will follow a simple pattern. On Mondays, we will begin by discussing the reading assigned for the week. The rest of the time students will take turns reading one- or two-verse portions of the assigned text aloud and then translating for the rest of us. When a student finishes reading and translating, I may ask a few simple grammatical questions. I will also field any questions that arise. Then we will move onto another reader, who will pick up where the last one left off.

To prepare for class, read the material we will be going through (roughly 10-15 verses per day). Look up any words you don’t know, and in general get ready to read and translate. Consult BHRG or another reference grammar if any phrases or words are unclear. Make a note of anything you can’t figure out on your own, and ask about it in class.

3) Every Monday we will begin class with a brief 10 minute quiz that will test you primarily on material covered the previous week, especially vocabulary, morphology review, and translation. See the attached schedule. No surprises at all on the quizzes. Just know everything! The quiz will start at the beginning of the hour, so please do not be late. There will be no make-up quizzes (except by very special permission), but your lowest quiz score will be dropped.

4) We will have a mid-term (October 21) and a final exam (Tue., Dec. 20 at 5:05 P.M.). Both exams will be cumulative. We will discuss them in more detail later in the semester.

5) Paper: You must read Shimon Bar-Efrat's Narrative Art in the Bible and write a 7-10 page analysis of the book of Ruth with respect to one of the literary features discussed in Bar-Efrat (i.e., narrator, characters, plot, time and space, stylistic devices). Your research may go beyond Bar-Efrat’s treatment of these features, but the paper should focus on your analysis and direct engagment with the text. In grading, well-argued original thought, with supporting examples from Ruth, will be valued over the citation of secondary literature. I am happy to look at and discuss drafts, if they are brought to me at least a week before the due-date. Bar-Efrat’s book should be finished by October 17. The paper is due on Wednesday, November 16.

6) It is important that you gain the ability early on in your study of Biblical Hebrew to not only understand the grammar of the language and translate, but also to read Hebrew aloud fluently. To encourage you in this you must prepare a narrative text of chapter length from Ruth or Jonah and read it for me during office hours (or by appointment). This is due by November 4 (feel free to complete the assignment earlier in the semester). A good, free, oral recording of the Hebrew Bible is available at http://www.aoal.org/hebrew_audiobible.htm. I have the same recording available on CD if you would like to copy it.

Special Requirements for Hebrew Dept. Graduate Students:

1) In addition to the assigned reading in BHRG, Hebrew Department graduate students should read the cooresponding sections in Joüon/Muraoka. We will work from BHRG in class, but please feel free to ask me questions arising from Joüon/Muraoka outside of class.

2) Hebrew Department graduate students will meet with Prof. Fox for an additional “4^th Hour” of credit in Hebrew composition and reading unpointed texts. Please contact him for more information. He will give me a grade for this 4^th hour that will be averaged in with your other grades for the class.

Email List:

I have set up a course email list for our use. The address is: hebrst323-1-f05@wisc.edu.

Please feel free to use this list to communicate with your fellow students, arrange study groups, ask questions, or do anything else related to Biblical Hebrew.

Grading: (approximate %) Grading Scale: A 94-100

Daily Preparation: 15% AB 88-93.99

Oral Reading: 10% B 82-87.99

Quizzes: 25% [GS 15%] BC 76-81.99

Midterm Exam: 25% [GS 20%] C 70-75.99

Final Exam: 25% [GS 20%] D 60-69.99

GS “4^th Hour” 20%

Textbooks:

Bar-Efrat, Shimon. 1997. Narrative Art in the Bible. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.

Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs. 1979. The New Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson.

Elliger, K. and Rudolph, W., ed. 1967-77. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 3rd ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.

Joüon, Paul. 1991. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Translated and edited by Takamitsu Muraoka. Subsidia Biblica 14, 1-2. Rome: Biblical Institute Press. [JM]

Merwe, Christo H. J. van der, Jackie A. Naudé, and Jan H. Kroeze. 1999. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. [BHRG]

Mitchel, Larry. 1984. A Student's Vocabulary for Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Date	Topics	Reading Due on Mondays
Sept. 2	Introduction; Start Ruth; Review Vocab (Mitchel §1-2)
Sept. 5	NO CLASS (Labor Day)
WEEK 1 9/5-9	Grammar: overview & terminology Ruth	BHRG §10-13
WEEK 2 9/12-16	QUIZ #1 (Mitchel §3A-D; Qal Strong Verb) Orthography/Phonology; Ruth	BHRG §1-9.4 JM §1-14; 17-33
WEEK 3 9/19-23	QUIZ #2 (Mitchel §3E-G; Niphal Strong Verb) Accents and Massorah; Ruth	BHRG §9.5-8 JM §15-16
WEEK 4 9/26-30	QUIZ #3 (Mitchel §4A-B; Piel/Pual Strong Verb) Nominal System 1; Ruth	BHRG §23-28 JM §34; 86-99; 102-105
WEEK 5 10/3-7	QUIZ #4 (Mitchel §4C; Hitpael Strong Verb) Nominal System 2 Ruth	BHRG §29-35 JM §132-142; 148-152
WEEK 6 10/10-14	QUIZ #5 (Mitchel §4D; Hiphil/Hophal Strong Verb) Nominal System 3 Ruth	BHRG §36-37 JM §35-39; 100-105; 143-147
WEEK 7 10/17-21	QUIZ #6 (Mitchel §4E); Finish Ruth	Bar-Efrat due
Fri. Oct. 21	MIDTERM EXAM
WEEK 8 10/24-28	NO QUIZ: Review Midterm Verbal System 1: Conjugations and Stems Start Jonah	BHRG §14-17 JM §40-66
WEEK 9 10/31-11/4	QUIZ #7 (Mitchel §4F) Verbal System 2: Syntax and Semantics Weak Verbs: Guttural; I-Aleph; Jonah	BHRG §19-22; 18.1-4 JM §111-124; 67-71; 73; 78
Fri. Nov. 4	ORAL RECITATION DUE
WEEK 10 11/7-11	QUIZ #8 (Mitchel §4G; Gutturals, I-Aleph Verbs) Weak Verbs: III-Aleph; III-He Jonah	BHRG §18.5 JM §78-79
WEEK 11 11/14-18	QUIZ #9 (Mitchel §4H; III-Aleph; III-He Verbs) Weak Verbs: I-Nun; I-w/y; Jonah	BHRG §18.6-7 JM §72; 74-77
Wed. Nov 16	PAPER DUE
Nov. 21	CLASS CANCELLED (SBL)
WEEK 12	Jonah
Nov. 25	NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
WEEK 13 11/28-12/2	QUIZ #10 (Mitchel §4I; I-Nun; I-w/y Verbs) Weak Verbs: II-w/y Jonah	BHRG §18.8 JM §80-1
WEEK 14 12/5-9	QUIZ #11 (Mitchel §4J; II-w/y Verbs) Weak Verbs: Geminate Jonah	BHRG §18.9 JM §82-85
WEEK 15 12/12-14	QUIZ #12 (Mitchel §4K; Geminate Verbs) Finish Jonah
Dec. 20	FINAL EXAM: Tue., Dec. 20 at 5:05 P.M.

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