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Class: M/W 2:30-3:45, 579 Van Hise
Instructor: E. Tod Twist
email: todtwist@gmail.com
Office: 1340 Van Hise Hall
office phone: # 262-9553
Office Hours: M/W 4:00-4:30
Course Description:
What would you do if you were a refugee? What if your country had been
invaded by a global superpower that destroyed your city, crushed your
defenses and government, and took you and your fellow citizens into
exile? Suppose you were a member of your society's religious caste--how
would you try to explain the disaster to the other exiles as you
struggled to live in a foreign land? You would dream of a return, of
national restoration and spiritual transformation—but what hope of
these could you possibly offer?
The Book of Ezekiel is a composition from the Hebrew Bible/Old
Testament dating to the sixth century BCE. Written in a time of
national catastrophe after the invasion of the Babylonian army, the
author of this book responds to the destruction of the land of Israel,
its social structures, and its religious institutions by attempting to
explain the disaster and create hope for the future.
But the story does not end there. Curiously, the Book of Ezekiel was preserved and used as religious literature long after the events depicted in the book took place. What did later readers find in it that spoke to their situations? Why did some see it as a source for mystical speculation and apocalyptic hope? In this course we will read and analyze the Book of Ezekiel (in translation) in its historical context and study its use by early Jewish and Christian readers in antiquity.
Goals:
1. To become familiar with the contents of the Book of Ezekiel—its
literary features, themes, and arguments
2. To understand Ezekiel's historical and social situation and how he
responded to that situation
3. To develop skills for reading ancient Israelite prophetic literature
4. To understand how and why later Jewish and Christian interpreters
read and used the Book of Ezekiel
5. To trace the intellectual history of important religious ideas
Requirements and Grading:
1. Attendance: you are expected to attend class. You must attend class
and stay through the entire class session in order to have your
homework accepted. Two unexcused absences are allowed (in other words,
the two lowest homework grades are dropped).
2. Courtesy:
(a) Please do not disrupt the class by arriving late or leaving early
(b) No private talking; no reading of outside material
(c) No meals; no noisy wrappers; no elaborate food or drink
(d) Cell phones turned off; no MP3 (I-Pod) listening; no email; no text
messaging; no web browsing; no electronic games
3. Reading: Worksheet Assignments, Secondary Articles and (some) Primary Text Selections will be made available via “Learn@UW-Madison” [https://learnuw.wisc.edu]. Every reading assignment must be completed on the indicated day. Lectures and class discussion will be based on the assigned readings. Bring assigned readings to class.
You are expected to have access to an English translation of the Hebrew Bible (I will provide some biblical texts, but not all of them). You may use any translation that you wish, but I suggest that you use a scholarly translation that is fairly literal (i.e. “word-for-word”) in its style, because this will help you notice underlying language features more readily. If you have no preference, an online version of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is available here: http://www.devotions.net/bible/00old.htm
4. Assignments (35%): there are regular written assignments (27 total) connected with the readings. These assignments will guide you in your reading, allow you to discuss topics intelligently in class, and assist you in studying for your exams. Assignments are due at the beginning of each class and must be submitted in typed hardcopy (i.e., not emailed, not handwritten). Late assignments will NOT be graded, because the topics they cover will be discussed in class on the day they are due.
5. Exams (30% each): There will be two exams in the course, a midterm (Wednesday, March 12) and a final (Friday, May 16 at 2:45 p.m.). I will provide a study guide for both exams. You must take the exams at the scheduled time; missed exams may be made up only in the case of an emergency.
The two exams will be based upon all aspects of the course, including the primary and secondary readings, homework, and class lectures and discussions. Your answers should be based upon the primary and secondary readings and the type of analysis used in this course. Previous or outside knowledge may supplement — but may not substitute for — the readings and analysis employed in this course.
6. External Lecture (5%) and Possible Extra Credit:
The department of Jewish Studies offers external lectures as part of
the “Jewish Heritage Lecture Series.” You are required to attend one of
these external lectures and submit a one-page summary of the content of
the lecture on the next class session following the lecture.
Several of you may find yourselves in need of making up a homework
assignment or trading a bad grade for a better one. You may trade
attendance at an additional external lecture for a missed homework
assignment or a low grade. I will allow you the option of making-up or
trading-up two homework assignments by attending up to two additional
external lectures during this semester.
7. Grading scale: A
94.0–100
C 70.0–75.9
AB 88.0–93.9 D 60.0–69.9
B
82.0–87.9
F 0–59.9
BC 76.0–81.9
Possible External Lectures (the information can also be found at: http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/jewishst/)
March 25th (Tuesday) - 4 pm - Pyle Center
Hasia Diner
"A Generation of No Silence: Post-World War II American Jews and the
Memory of the Holocaust"
March 26th (Wednesday) - 4 pm - Pyle Center
Hasia Diner
"When Justice and Brotherhood Shall Reign: American Jews, the
Holocaust, and Post-War Political Action"
April 10 (Thursday) - 7pm - Chazen Museum, Room L140
Geoffrey Hartman
Center for the Humanities/Mellon Workshop on Testimony
Holocaust Testimony in a Genocidal Era
April 15th (Tuesday) - 4 pm - State Historical Society Auditorium
Pierre Sauvage
"Did Americans Fight the Holocaust"
April 17th (Thursday) - 4 pm - Memorial Union
Mitchell Hart
"Nature's Chosen People: Darwinism, Eugenics, and the Reinterpretation
of Jewish History"
Office hours and Special
Accommodations:
I am available during office hours and by appointment. Please see me as
soon as possible if you are having difficulty with the course. Students
needing special accommodations for disabilities should provide
documentation from the McBurney Center at the beginning of the
semester. In addition, any foreseen extreme circumstances must be
brought to my attention in advance.
Syllabus:
During the course of the semester, the syllabus may be modified, and
handouts may be added. Any modifications / additions will be announced
/ distributed either in class, or by email (to your “wisc” address), or
in both ways. I will also post this information on the news board for
the course in “Learn@UW-Madison” [https://learnuw.wisc.edu].
Provisional Reading Schedule
Articles from the Reader are marked "(R)"; selections from biblical texts other than Ezekiel are marked "(B)"
Monday and Wednesdays
23 Jan Intro to Course + Historical Background
28 Jan Introduction to Prophecy
Due: Treaty of Ashurnirari (R); Leviticus 26 (B); Assignment 1
30 Jan Ezekiel as Literature; Assignment 2
4 Feb Due: Ezek 1; Wilson (R); Teugels (R); Assignment 3
6 Feb Due: Ezek 2-3; Assignment 4
11 Feb Due: Ezek 4-6; Assignment 5
13 Feb Due: Ezek 7-8; Klawans (R); Assignment 6
18 Feb Due: Ezek 9-10; Assignment 7
20 Feb Due: Selections on the Chariot (R); Elior (R); Assignment 8
25 Feb Due: Selections from the Talmud (R); Assignment 9
27 Feb Due: Ezek 11-13; Assignment 10
3 Mar Due: Ezek 14-16; Lapsley (R)
Assignment 11
5 Mar Due: Ezek 17-18
Assignment 12
10 Mar Review for Exam, Due:
Assignment 13
12 Mar *Midterm*
17 Mar Spring Break
19 Mar Spring Break
24 Mar Due: Ezek 19-20; Assignment 14
26 Mar Due: Ezek 21-22; Garcia Martinez (R); Assignment 15
31 Mar Due: Ezek 23-24; Assignment 16
2 Apr Due: Ezek 25-26; Newsom (R); Assignment 17
7 Apr Due: Ezek 27-30; Boadt (R)
Assignment 18
9 Apr Due: Origen (R); Theodoret (R); also read Isaiah 14:3-22; Luke
10:17-18; Revelation 12:7-9 (B); Assignment 19
14 Apr Due: Ezek 31-33; Assignment 20
16 Apr Due: Ezek 34-35; Schwartz (R); Assignment 21
21 Apr Due: Ezek 36-37; Fox (R); Assignment 22
23 Apr Due: Ezek 38-39; Collins (R); Collins (R); Assignment 23
28 Apr Due: Garcia Martinez (R); Assignment 24
30 Apr Due: Ezek 40-48; Assignment 25
5 May Due: Revelation 1, 4, 10, 18-22 (B); Assignment 26
7 May Review for Exam, Due: Assignment 27
Final Exam—FRIDAY 16 May at 2:45 p.m.