Untitled Document

8.11.2009

Hebrew 605, SYRIAC Syllabus Autumn 2009
Prof. Michael V. Fox

Most of these items are in VH 1334, but almost everything seems to be online anyway.

* = required
Textbooks:
*T. H. Robinson, Paradigms and Excercises in Syriac Grammar. OOP, but:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=H840fIGC150C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=robinson+theodore+syriac&ots=MlDnJASrOc&sig=hNcFQ7DammH0rV6h_cA_0g5q7mw#PPA152,M1

Grammar:

Dictionaries:
*R. Payne Smith, Lexicon of the Syriac Language (GRR. Buy. This is a basic tool. Available for purchase but online at
http://www.tyndalearchive.com/TABS/PayneSmith/

* Michael Weitzman, The Syriac Version of the Old Testament. Cambridge 1999 etc. Purchase.

Reference grammars:
Th. Noeldeke, Compendious Syriac Grammar.Antiquated but useful. Available for purchase and online at
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VP_PP9VW-hUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR24&dq=noldeke+syriac+grammar&ots=GrL-X8n3B2&sig=woOnAK21t4bkMNUJUV_qjYGLttg#PPA111,M1

* Muraoka, Takamitsu. Classical Syriac: A Basic Grammar with Chrestomathy. Porta Linguarum Orientalum, 19. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1997. This is not the same as his Classical Syriac for Hebraists, though that is useful too.

Goals of course:
Part I
1.to attain a reading knowledge of Syriac
2.to attain a solid knowledge of Syriac grammar and a good basic vocabulary

Part I.
Weeks 1‑8 Robinson, Chapters 1‑32. We will use Robinson for the graded exercises and vocabulary and Muraoka for his more sophisticated linguistic explanations.

Read Robinson's grammatical explanations and learn the vocabulary. Read Muraoka on the matters covered in Robinson as they appear; see below. Eventually we will read all of Muraoka, so look for other relevant sections besides those listed (and tell me if you find any). The quantity of grammar in the chapters of Robinson is unbalanced, so when there is little new material, read ahead in a chapter that introduces much new material. Chapters with much new material may require two class sessions.

English Reading:
1. All of Robinson and (more important)
2. All of Muraoka.
3. "An Intro. to Syriac Studies" by Sebastian Brock. In Reader.

Exercises:reading all the Syriac sentences in Robinson in the exercise following the paragraphs assigned and written translation of a few English sentences to Syriac: the last three sentences in every English→Syriac exercise.

Midterm and final exams. The latter will be cumulative‑-you're not supposed to forget what you learned in the first eight weeks right away!

Schedule at end

Part II. Peshitta
I want to introduce the Peshitta into the first semester. The goal is to become acquainted with the Peshitta, its history, and its use. Read Weitzman by week 10. In fact, it would be a good idea to read Weitzman in advance.

Copies of the Leiden Peshitta are in 1334. Some will be available in photocopy. But the entirety (insofar as published) is theoretically available at:
http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/Peshitta.notice.html

Texts to be selected from:
     Gen 1; 22
2 Chron 20
     Jeremiah 1; 2
     Deuteronomy 49
     Ezekiel 16; 20
     Prov: to be coordinated with the Wisdom Literature class.
     Psalms 1
          Wis Sol 2
          Job 1:1-22; 3:1-10; 4:1-21; 13:1-10

Keep track of the MT to the passages we read in class and point out interesting variants & translation technique. For a few passages, we will compare the LXX as well.

SCHEDULE
Note: Do the exercise following the paragraphs listed below.
Schedule weeks 1-8
     Do §§ 1-4 on your own, i.e. learn how to read the Jacobite script smoothly.
Week:
1.   Th §§ 5-6
2. Tu §§ 7-8
     Th §§ 9-10
     Th § 11
3. Tu § 12
     Th § 13
     Th §§ 14-15
4.   Tu § 16
     Th § 17
     Th § 18
5.   Tu § 19
     Th §§ 20
     Th §§ 21-22
6.   Tu §§ 23-24
     Th §§ 25-26
     Th §§ 27
7.   Tu §§ 28
     Th §§ 29
     Th §§ 30
8. Tu § 31
     Th § 32
     Th MIDTERM EXAM. Oct 22

Whereas we should be able to maintain the schedule for Part I strictly, there will be more flexibility in Part II. The schedule will be something like this:

9. Tu S-Gen 1

Th No classes on Oct 29
10.
     Th S-Gen 1
     Th S-Gen 22
11. Tu S-Gen 22
     Th
     Th S-Deut 49
12. Tu
     Th S-2 Chron 20
     Th
13. Tu S-Jer 1-2
     Th
     Th S-Ezek
14. Tu
     Th S-Proverbs
     Th
15. Tu S-Psalms 1
     Th S-Job
     Th
16 Tue Wis Sol 2

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Put on Department of Hebrew & Semitic Studies web site on 9/3/2009.