revised Aug 28l.

 

 

 

Hebrew 953.  Seminar in

 

THE CRITICAL STUDY OF THE PENTATEUCH

 

Professor Michael V. Fox

Home Page: http://imp.lss.wisc.edu/~mfox/

Fall, 2007

 

 

                                                    November 20: No class.

 

web site: http://imp.lss.wisc.edu/~mfox//Pentateuch%20Sem/Syl-Hebrew.953.pentateuch.2007.html

 

 

List of scholars at end of syllabus; please print out for first session

1. READINGS (note overlap with MA and PhD reading lists). Short readings are available on E-Reserves. They were downloaded to Brad's web site:

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/bdschantz/web/temp/Pentateuch.

 

First Steps::

Benedict de Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, chap 7 (pp. 140-60).

J. G. Herder, "The Origin and Essential Character of Hebrew Poetry." Pp. 5-34 in The Spirit of Hebrew Poetry (1783; ET 1834).

 

The Classic Period:

J. Wellhausen, Prolegomena, 1-51 Intro. and chap. I.

H. Gunkel, "Fundamental Problems of Hebrew Literary History." (1906), from What Remains of the OT (1958).

Y. Kaufmann, The Religion of Israel (ed. Moshe Greenberg, 1960), 166-211.

Richard Friedman, "Pentateuch," Anchor Bible VI 605-22.

Noah Story with Source Division (Dr Baruch Schwartz's Polychrome Pentateuch, in preparation)

 

Form and Tradition

Bernard Anderson, "Martin Noth's Traditio-Historical Approach," pp. xiii-xxxii in Martin Noth, A History of Pentateuchal Traditions.

Martin Noth, A History of Pentateuchal Traditions, 5-7, 42-65.&

G. von Rad, "The Form Critical Problem of the Hexateuch," in idem., The Form Critical Problem of the Hexateuch and Other Essays. Edinburgh 1966, pp.

 

Survey:

Jean-Louis Ska,. "Recent Developments in the Study of the Pentateuch" = chap 7 ( pp. 127-64) in Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch ( Eisenbrauns 2006). Pdf files available at above-mentioned sites, together with chap. 6.

 

Postmodernist Approaches:

Edward Greenstein, "Deconstruction and Biblical Narrative."

M. W. Dube, "Method in Ancient Imperializing Texts." Postcolonial Feminist Criticism of the Bible." St. Louis 2000.

Crews, Frederick. "Das Nuffa Dat." Postmodern Pooh. NY 2001

Philip Davies, "Preliminaries"; In Search of Ancient Israel (1992)

Sarah Japhet, “Revisionism at All Costs,” in D.B. Ruderman and D. N. Myers, eds., The Jewish Past Revisited (New Haven: Yale 1999), 212-3

also of interest:

M.V. Fox, Bible Scholarship and Faith Based Study.

BOOKS (College Reserves)

 John Barton, Reading the OT. 2nd edition

E.Nicholson, The Pentateuch in the Twentieth Century: The Legacy of Julius Wellhausen, Oxford 1998 [College Reserves]

recommended purchase: Wellhausen, Prologomena.

Recommended (on new MA Reading List anyway)

John Barton, The Nature of Biblical Criticism. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2007.:

 

. Preparation:

Read the appropriate readings in advance of the session in which they are discussed. You should be able to offer a brief summary of each item without reading from notes.

Office hour M-F 1:25-2:10 in 1338 Van Hise. Or just knock.

 

No late entry into class sessions, but you can wait and come in during the break between sessions.

 

4. Texts:

 Reading Pentateuchal texts, in particular the Flood Story.

 

. TOPICS (you can propose others):

Certain topics must be taken by someone.

 

Decide quickly! You will have to get some of the books by Interlibrary Loan. Much of the older material is available on microfilm. Due on the Tuesday session of the 14th week of the semester.

  

The Elohistic document: Composition, history, and character. Does it exist?

The Jahwistic document: Composition, history, and character.

    Starting point: Peter Ellis, The Yahwist.   

The Joseph Story, seen from different perspectives. Describe and critique.

Theories about the composition and formation of Deuteronomy: survey and critique.

Theories about the composition and formation of P: survey and critique.

The Holiness Code (Lev 17-26): views on its place in the history of the formation of Pentateuchal literature

The question of centralization of worship refracted through scholarly theory.

Form Critical Study of the creation accounts, esp. Gunkel's Schöpfung und Chaos (recently translated into English).

 

METHODS: Describe the method/approach under consideration and its relationship to non-biblical scholarship; survey the highpoints of its development; and apply the method/approach     a short literary unit in the Pentateuch.

a. Form criticism

     Starting points: Gene Tucker, FC of the OT (Phila 1971); John H. Hayes, Form Criticism of the OT.

b. Redaction criticism

    Esp. Martin Noth, A History of the Pentateuchal Traditions.

c. Canon criticism

    James Barr, Canon and Community; Roger Beckwith, The OT Canon of the NT Church; James Sanders, Torah and Canon; Brevard Childs, Introduction to the OT as Scripture and earlier articles; Michael Fishbane, Garments of Torah.

d. Structuralist criticism

    Starting point: Daniel Patte, What is Structural Exegesis? (Phila 1976); Patte has a later introduction as well; also Jean Calloud, Structural Analysis of Biblical Narrative; Robert Polzin, e. Biblical Structuralism; Jonathan Culler, Structuralist Poetics, is the best intro to Structuralism in general.

e. Feminist criticism, as applied to the Pentateuch

     Several authors must be examined. Starting point: A. Brenner (ed.), Exodus to Deuteronomy: a Feminist Companion to the Bible (second series). Sheffield: SAP 2000. Search for "feminist" and "bible" in MadCat. Read S. Catheter, "Just Lack a Woman,"  in Frederick Crews, Postmodern Pooh, in E-Reserves.

f,. Postmodernism and Ideological Criticism

    Starting point: The postmodern Bible reader; ed. David Jobling, Tina Pippin, and Ronald Schleifer (Oxford 2001).

OR

g. Postcolonial Criticism

  Starting point:   LS. M.Dube and R. S. Sugirtharajah. Read Das Nuffa Dat's "Resident Aliens," in Frederick Crews, Postmodern Pooh, in E-Reserves.

h. Form Critical Study of Biblical Law

    Start with A. Alt, "Origins of IsraeliteLaw," in idem. "Essays on OT History and Religion," 1968. Find more recent works too, e.g., by H.-J. Boecker, R. Westbrook, Bernard Levinson..

 

7. SCHOLARS AND MOVEMENTS. Discuss nature of their innovations in historical context and their contributions to subsequent studies. Work primarily from primary sources.

 

1. Benedict Spinoza

2. Richard Simon

     Jean Steinnmann, Richard Simon et les origines de l'exégèse biblique. Bruges 1960. Simon's "Critical History of the OT" was translated in 1682 and may be available on microfilm.

3. Jean LeClerc (Clericus)

4. Deism and Bible Studies

5. Neologism (J. G. Eichhorn, and/or J. S. Semler and J. D. Michaelis, etc.)

    Eichhorn's Treatise on the Authenticity etc. was translated NY 1829. May be on microfilm.

6. J. G. Herder as Bible Critic

.    English transl. The Spirit of Hebrew Poetry in Mem. Lib (BS 1405/H45. Also Reflections on the     Philosophy of the History of Mankind, repr Chicago 1968.

7. Wm. Robinson Smith

8. A. Kuenen and his relation to Wellhausen

    The Hexateuch" (London 1886) available in Mem Lib. The Religion of Israel (London 1874-75)

9.Gerhard von Rad

10 Martin Noth

11. Yehezkel Kaufmann

12 A comparison of Yehezkel Kaufmann's and Menahem Haran's answers to Wellhausen. Choose a particular issue, e.g. the priestly dues or the composition of the priesthood. Two people can take this topic separately.

13. John Van Seeters

    John Van Seters, In Search of History (1983); Prologue to History (1992); Rethinking the Foundations (2000) and much more. Read selectively

14. Thomas Thompson and the "Copenhagen School".

    Emphasize their work insofar as it pertains to the origins of the Pentateuch. Don't get overwhelmed by the "minimalist/maximalist" debate, but go to the heart of  the methodological and epistemological issues.

           T. Thompson:  The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives (AP/Z495/A469/B/133);

            idem. The Origin Tradition of Ancient Israel (1987)

            idem. Thompson,Mythic Past: Biblical Archaeology and the Myth of Israel (BS1171.2).

 

Writing Resources at: http://www.wisc.edu/writing. Includes some good writing advice and grammar guides. Use a recognized and consistent form of citation and bibliography, e.g. SBL (go to the JBL site) or MLA (DocMLAWorksCited_Article.html) or one of the Chicago Style Manual Styles. 

 

The Paper must be presented orally on date assigned and submitted in writing at the last class session; grade reduced by one degree per day for late papers.

 

I. Final exam. To be scheduled. Straightforward questions on readings. (Summarize and evaluate what X says about topic T. Or: compare the ways X and Y understand topic T. And the like).

 

II. Grade:

Seminar Paper: 60%-70% of final grade. Final Exam: 30%-40%. To be decided in consultation.

 

     III. Important Resources

Ronald E. Clements, One Hundred Years of OT Interpretation (Westminster 1976, pb. A helpful starting point for any of the older methodologies, esp Wellhausen, von Rad, Noth.

Rolf Rendtorff, The Problem of the Process of Transmission in the Pentateuch

Peter Ellis. The First Historian (Text of J source, discussion):

John Rogerson, OT Criticism in the Nineteenth Century (Fortress 1984).

R. J. Thompson, Moses and the Law (Supp. Vetus Testamentum xix, 1970), 1‑173.

Sean McEvenue, The Narrative Style of the Priestly Writer (Rome, 1971). Pp. 1‑65.

Martin Noth. Laws in the Pentateuch

idem., History of the Pentateuchal Traditions. Scholars Press.

G. von Rad, "The Form Critical Problem of the Hexateuch", in idem., The Form Critical Problem of the Hexateuch and Other Essays. Edinburgh 1966.

Hermann Gunkel, "What Remains of the OT", in What Remains of the OT and Other Essays (NY: MacMillan, 1928)

Menahem Haran, Temples and Temple‑Service in Ancient Israel (Eisenbrauns, 1985), all.

John Hayes, OT Form Criticism (Trinity Univ. Press, 1974)

B. Anderson, Introduction to Martin Noth's Traditio‑Historical Approach, in M. Noth, A History of Pentateuchal Traditions, Scholar's Press, 1981, pp. xiii‑xxxii.

R. J. Thompson, Moses and the Law (1970).

R. N. Whybray, The Making of the Pentateuch. JSOTSup 1987.

Brevard S. Childs, Introduction to the OT as Scripture (Fortress, 1979), 71‑83, 112‑35, 145‑53.

S. L. McKenzie and S. R. Haynes. To Each Its Own Meaning (Westminster 1993). chaps. on "Structuralism", "Narrative Criticism," "Reader Response Criticism," Poststructuralist Criticism" and "Feminist Criticism" (171-251)

Benedict de Spinoza, Tractatus theologico-politicus (1670). ET Leiden 1989.

 

For ordering books directly try

Eisenbrauns

Westminster/John Knox:  800/227-2872

Dove Booksellers. 800/313-4537

Or use their web sites.