RelSt 203-01, 02 Israelite History and Religion Fall, 2013

Professor: Ms. Galambush Office hours: Tues, 2-3 pm; Wed, 9:30-10:30 am;
Office: Wren 303 3-4 pm, or by appointment
Phone: 221-2183 (o), 703-536-6965 (h) Email: jggala@wm.edu

This course will put us in the middle of current debates over the history and religion of ancient Israel. While
Israels history and religion are described in detail in the Jewish Bible (the Christian Old Testament), scholars
now understand that the Bible is not a simple record of ancient Israel, but a collection of documents written
hundreds of years after the events it describes. The Bible presents its ancient readers with what a usable
past; a meaningful interpretation of Israels identity and its past. The extent to which the Bible gives an
accurate description of Israels past is probably not knowable.
For this reason, rather than looking primarily at history as presented in the biblical text, we will spend a great
deal of our time examining the issues that face scholars who attempt to reconstruct Israelite history, and the
place played by the Bible within that history. Ideally, you will not only learn a great deal about ancient Israel
and its cultural and religious context; you will also learn something about how historians work, and about the
role written histories play in communal self-perception.

Course Goals: This course provides an overview of ancient Israelite history from its origins to the early post-
exilic period (c. 400 BCE) and of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), in the context of the broader culture of
the ancient Near East. It is also designed to introduce several ancient literary genres and to help develop skills
in close, critical reading of texts.

GERs: This course fulfills GER 4b, History and Literature Outside the European Tradition, and 5, Literature.
GER 4b: Although the history and literature of ancient Israel have had a profound effect on Western history
and culture, the cultural world of the Israelites was profoundly different from that which later developed in
Europe. A primary goal of the course is therefore to understand the worldview of ancient Israelites as
essentially different from the worldview of modern people, including those who base their beliefs on the
Bible.
GER 5: The most significant remnant of Israelite history and religion is the anthology known to Jews as
Tanakh or the Bible, and to Christians and others as the Old Testament. This anthology comprises a number
of literary genres, including poetry, historical-didactic narratives, ancestor tales, law codes, and prophetic
utterances. Understanding the texts' different genres and the use of these generic codes in the ambient
culture is essential for understanding the rhetorical force of the literature.

Texts:
Steussy, M., ed. The Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament. St Louis; Chalice Press, 2003. NOTE: This text
is out of print; you may find a used copy online, but will probably need to order it as an ebook, either from
Google or directly from the publishers Website.

You will also need a copy of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in a modern, scholarly translation. New
Revised Standard Version or Tanakh (NJPS) are preferred; New International Version is acceptable. Additional
readings are on BB.

Posts on assigned readings (5 x 3% each) 15%
Quizzes (5 x 5% each,) 25%
Midterm Exam 25%
Participation 5%
Final Exam 30%

Notes on quizzes and exams: Six quizzes will be given, with the lowest grade dropped. This class meets in two
sections (T/Th 11 and 12:30, both in Wren 301). You may attend either section, though students attending their
own section get priority in seating. Each quiz or exam will be given in at least two versions; you may take the
quiz or exam with either section. This is also true for the final exam; you may take the final exam on either
Monday, Dec 9 or Wed, Dec 11, provided you do not have a conflict. You MUST, however, you may sign up in
advance to take the exam with the other section.

Finally, except in documented emergencies (like a note from the ambulance driver), you must get prior
permission to take a make-up test.

Assignments and Quizzes:

Thurs, Aug 29 Introduction

Tues, Sept 3 Starting at Square One: What Is the Bible?
Read: Steussy, ch. 1

Thurs, Sept 5 Rosh Hashanahno class

Tues, Sept 10 Israel and Canaan
Read: Niehr Israelite Religion and Canaanite Religion (BB); Ps 82; Jer
44:15-19; Davies, ch. 1 (BB)
BB posting #1

Thurs, Sept 12 The World of Ancient Israel
Read: Steussy, ch. 2; Davies, ch. 7 (BB)
Quiz #1

Tues, Sept 17 The Creation Stories, part 1
Read: Gen 1-3; Davies & Rogerson, ch. 8 (BB)

Thurs, Sept 19 Creation Stories, part 2
Read: Gen 4-5; Steussy, ch. 3, pages 29-36

Tues, Sept 24 The Flood, in Israel and elsewhere
Read: Gen 6-11; Gilgamesh selections (BB); Habel, The Two Flood Stories (BB)
BB posting #2


Thurs, Sept 26 Patriarchs and Matriarchs
Read: Gen 12-36; Steussy, ch. 3, 37-41
Quiz #2

Tues, Oct 1 Joseph
Read: Gen 37-50; Steussy, ch. 3, 42-44

Thurs, Oct 3 Exodus, part 1
Read: Exod 1-15; Steussy, ch. 4 (all)

Tues, Oct 8 Exodus, part 2
Read: Exod 16-25; 31-34; 40
Quiz #3

Thurs, Oct 10 The Holy, the Clean, and the Unclean
Read: Lev 1-3; 16; 18-19; Watch C. Hayes, The Israelite Purity System (BB)
BB posting #3

Tues, Oct 15 Fall breakno class

Thurs, Oct 17 Numbers and Deuteronomy
Read: Num 1-2; 5-6; 10-17; 22-24; 27; 30; Deut 1-7; 10; 12; 20-21; 27-34

Tues, Oct 22 Midterm Exam

Thurs, Oct 24 Conquest? Or no conquest?, part 1
Read: Joshua 1-11; 23-24; Finkelstein and Silberman ch. 3(BB); Steussy, ch. 6

Tues, Oct 29 Conquest? Or no conquest?, part 2
Read: Judges 1-5; 17-21; Finkelstein and Silberman ch. 4 (BB)
BB posting #4

Thurs, Oct 31 Saul and David
Read: 1-2 Sam, selections t.b.a.; Steussy, ch. 7

Tues, Nov 5 Israel and Judah, part 1
Read: 1, 2 Kings, selections t.b.a.
Quiz # 4

Thurs, Nov 7 Israel and Judah, part 2
Read: 2 Kings, selections t.b.a.; Mesha Inscription (BB); Tel Dan Inscription (BB)

Tues, Nov 12 The Eighth Century Prophets
Read: Amos, Isaiah 1-12; Steussy, ch. 9, 135-142

Thurs, Nov 14 Exile: The Imagination of Israel
Read: Ezekiel, selections t.b.a.; Steussy, 161-66
BB posting #5

Tues, Nov 19 Persian Yehud: Judah reborn
Read: Ezra, selections t.b.a; Isa, 40, 45; Steussy, ch. 8 (all)
Quiz #5

Thurs, Nov 21 The Use and Abuse of History
Read: Davies, chs. 2,3,4, and 6 (BB)
Tues, Nov 26-Thurs, Nov 28 No class (Professor at professional meeting, Thanksgiving holiday)

Tues, Dec 3 The Book of Ruth
Read: the book of Ruth
Optional Quiz #6

Thurs, Dec 5 The Book of Job
Read: Job 1-22; 29-31; 38-42
BB posting #6

Final Exams:
Section 01 (T, Th 11 am) Monday, Dec 9, 2 pm
Section 02 (T, Th 12:30 pm) Wed, Dec 11, 9 am