provisional syllabus

Some changes will be made to English readings, and I’ll supply a list of LXX readings for grad students.

Hebrew 642. EZEKIEL                        Spring 2009

Hebrew 514, Poetry (see below)

Prof. M. V. Fox

Read and be able to translate all of chapters 25‑36 by the midterm, and for the final all of 37‑48.

               Don't forget what you learned about the earlier chapters!

Class sessions, as in the first semester.

In-class readings, as in 514/642.

               *Expected in-class readings, to start: 16; 18; (22); 20; 23; 24.

Major Themes to be Considered::

              The question of recompense: 16; 18; 33:1-20;   

               The past and the future: 16; 23; 20

               Prophecies against the nations: 28; 32;

               The fall of Jerusalem: 24; 33:21-31;

               The new order: 34; 36:16-38

               National resurrection: 37

               The Invasion of Gog 38-39

               The New Jerusalem: 40:1-7; 44:9‑16; perhaps other selections from 40‑48 (read rest of 40-48 in English)

Major issue: How does Ezekiel envision getting from disaster to restoration?

               4.. Readings (M = for midterm; F = for final)

               Books

                W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel I and II and M. Greenberg, Ezekiel II 642/514.

Ahroni, Reuben. "The Gog Prophecy and the book of Ezekiel. Heb Annual Rev. 1 (1977) 1-26. 642/514.

Barton, John. "History and Rhetoric in the Prophets." The Bible as Rhetoric, ed. M. Warner, London 1990, 51-64.

Darr, Katherine P., "Ezekiel's Justifications of God: Teaching Troubling Texts." JSOT 55 (1992) 97-117. 642/514.

Fox, Michael V. "The Rhetoric of Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of the Bones," HUCA

51, 1‑15.

Haran, Menahem. "The Law-Code of Ezek XL-XLVIII and its Relation to the Priestly School." HUCA 50 (1979) 45-70.

idem., Temples and Temple Service in Ancient Israel, 92-111.

Newsom, Carol. "A Maker of Metaphors‑-Ezekiel's Oracles Against Tyre." Int 38 (1984) 151-64.

Niditch, Susan. "Ezekiel 40-48 in a Visionary Context". CBQ 48 (1986) 208-24.

Raitt, Thomas. A Theology of Exile. Philadelphia, 1997, pp. 174-231.

Smith, Jonathan Z. "To Put in Place" from To Take Place (Chicago 1987).

H. St. John Thackery,The Septuagint and Jewish Worship. London 1921,  37-39; 118-29. 642 only

Turner, Nigel. "The Greek Translator of Ezekiel." JThS 7 (1956) 12-24.642 only

Leene, Hendrick. "Ezekiel and Jeremiah: Promises of Inner Renewal in Diachronic Perspective." OTS 44 (2000) 150-75.

Stiebert, Johanna. "Shame and Prophecy: Approaches Past and Present." BibInt 8 (2000) 255-71.

Kohn, R. L., "A Prophet Like Mosees? Rethinking Ezekiel's Relationship to the Torah." ZAW 114 (2002) 236-54.

Dijkstra, M., "The Valley of Dry Bones: "Coping with the Reality of the Exile in the Book of Ezekiel." OTS 42 (2000) 114-33.

4 more, student assigned:

       Each student is to find a fresh and worthwhile article, post 1999, 10-15 pp. by the third week, to be added to the reading list. Since there will be overlaps, please come up with two.

Readings: see Electronic Reserves: http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/College/circreserve/ereserves/dept.htm - H

       Read all of them by the midterm, except for the ones dealing with Ezek 40-48. In any case, read the articles in preparation for the sessions when they are discussed.

514:       

A. Berlin, “On Reading Biblical Poetry: The Role of Metaphor,” VTSup 1998. 24-35. M

Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry (1985 seq.).F

George Lackoff & Mark Turner, More Than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor. Univ. of Chicago Press, 1989. M

5. Essays. Due on the penultimate Thursday of the semester. 

       Assignment includes stylistic correction, as described above in §1. Return corrected essay on final exam day.

PROCEDURE for term paper: Editing one another's papers. 

        Schedule

Thursday class, 12th week: Everyone submits a finished essay to me. I will immediately distribute them, and you will edit the papers you receive, making stylistic and substantive comments. I would like you to try this anonymously, without your knowing yet whose paper you are working on. Afterwards you can discuss it.

    Thursday class, 13th week: Editors return papers. Authors will then revise their  own papers.

    Thursday class, 14th week: Submit your papers to me.

    Thursday class, 15th week: I'll return your graded papers to you.

    Test hour, 16th week (or before) give me your papers with any further required revisions.

       642. Thematic Essays.

       Assignment includes stylistic correction of all sentences or words marked with squiggles or "wc" (word choice doubtful). Return corrected essay on final exam day.

               Women and violence in Ezekiel's imagery

               Prophecy and pornography

               Ezekiel's view of false prophecy

               The topography of the New Israel, its functions and meaning

               Prophetic conflict in Jeremiah and Ezekiel

               How Ezekiel differs from Jeremiah in their vision of restoration

               The purpose of the prophecies against the nations.

               Silence and speech in Ezekiel

               God's personality in Ezekiel

               The Gog prophecy: is it original to the book, and if so, what is its place in Ezekiel's eschatology?

               The concept of "they/you will know that I am Yahweh"

       Other topics need approval.

514. Literary Analysis. By prearrangement. Emphasis on 

and other tropes.

Grading:

Midterm:  33%

 Final:: 34%

  Essay: 33%