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moilit

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  • Location
    Alqualondë
  • Application Season
    2019 Fall
  • Program
    Biblical Studies

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  1. Hey all! My basic question is in the title. I'll explain my specific situation here. In 2019, I applied to a number of programs, including to Duke's PhD in Religion (Old Testament). I was fresh out of undergrad and only had 2 semesters of biblical Hebrew (though I did have more of modern Hebrew) and a couple classes in biblical studies. They told me they liked my application but needed to see more coursework in the field, which I thought was very fair. They especially wanted to see more coursework in biblical Hebrew. This spring, I chose to enroll in Hebrew University's MA in Bible & the Ancient Near East, largely because I figured it'd give me a great foundation in Semitic languages. It's a two-year learning program (no thesis), but they offered a full tuition scholarship, so I am not worried about wasting money. Besides, there's plenty of learning to be done before research in the field. Somewhat to my surprise, I tested out of the first year of biblical Hebrew courses--i.e. intermediate biblical Hebrew, fall and spring semesters. Today was my first day of classes. I'm undecided as to whether or not I should still take the fall semester intermediate biblical Hebrew course. Here are some factors: I looked at the syllabi, and it seems to me that the fall semester would be a review of what I more or less have already learned. The spring semester, on the other hand, covers biblical Hebrew poetry, which I have not formally studied. I plan to take the spring semester course to study biblical Hebrew poetry, but I am undecided on the fall semester course. I could go ahead and take the advanced biblical Hebrew course, which honestly sounds like a lot of fun. It's on the history of biblical Hebrew; i.e. the different styles through different time periods. This is a full-year, 2 semester course. I planned to take it this year, but recently realized that it conflicted with two other courses I want to take. Said conflicting courses are reading courses involving reading texts in depth in biblical Hebrew. In the program, they are not language courses, because they are not mainly focused on biblical Hebrew linguistics. But I'm sure they'll be great practice. If I don't take these, I'll still be taking other reading courses. I can always take the advanced biblical Hebrew course in my second year, as most students do. (Then again, who knows what courses it'll conflict with next year?) If I apply for a PhD program (including Duke's) next fall, will it look bad if I only have grades from one semester of biblical Hebrew (from my MA program)? Or should that worry be alleviated by the fact that I will also have grades from reading courses that involve reading the biblical Hebrew texts? I hate giving these sorts of considerations much weight, but I realize this may be an important factor down the road. Other potentially relevant info: In addition to the biblical Hebrew courses, the MA program also requires a course in Akkadian every semester. However, I cannot take either Aramaic or Greek in my first year (might do that in my second year). Should I take the fall semester of intermediate biblical Hebrew, or should I take the full-year advanced biblical Hebrew course (this year, as opposed to next year), or should I not worry about taking either this year, and just focus on enjoying the reading courses? Thanks for any and all thoughts on my questions! Zach P.S. I'm curious what thoughts any of you have on how best to learn German as a scholarly language. I imagine the best way would be to live in Germany. Hopefully I can do that one day, but with COVID everything involving travel scholarships is a few layers more complicated. I've read J.D. Manton's Introduction to Theological German, but it's only a very basic introduction. Would you say the best way forward is to occasionally read an excerpt from a German text?
  2. I look forward to seeing you at Hebrew U! They have a merit scholarship which covers all the tuition (but you'll still need to find a way to cover housing, food, flights, etc.) At this point almost all of the scholarship deadlines have passed for Fall 2020. You'll find this page is very useful: https://overseas.huji.ac.il/scholarships-and-financial-aid/scholarships-and-financial-aid-for-international-students-non-us/graduate-students-scholarships-and-financial-aid/ I don't know whether or not the program is difficult to get into. My best advice is to put your best foot forward! As a Master's program, I can't imagine that it's as competitive as, say, a funded PhD program, but the scholarships may be competitive. Hard for me to gauge. Their online application portal can be glitchy, and some parts of the website are not updated, or aren't super clear about all the details. When applying, I strongly advise that you 1) apply for the early deadline (it'll allow various discounts and just generally helps everything go more smoothly). 2) contact their graduate admissions coordinator when you have any question about procedures or program/application details. I found the graduate admissions coordinator to be very helpful in answering my questions. I'm happy to keep in touch... will message you.
  3. Thanks for the clarification. My goal was not so much to give a list of fundamentalist institutions as to suggest some strong Christian institutions where a student wouldn't necessarily feel inundated by biblical criticism. I suppose Baylor is not a particularly conservative institution, though. I haven't been to Baylor, and it looks like you are there, so of course I defer to your opinion on this.
  4. I'll be studying at Hebrew University this fall. I've been to Jerusalem a couple times as a tourist, but other than loving the Mahane Yehuda, I don't know much about living there. Any tips, stories, experiences? Would love to hear!
  5. Personally, I have pretty much written off any German/secular continental European institute because of our shared concern over obsession with biblical criticism. You could consider attending a more conservative Christian university that doesn't necessarily narrowly affiliate itself with a particular denomination. Here are a few examples in no particular order, though there are many more: Samford University Baylor University Biola University Moody Bible Institute Calvin University Taylor University Dallas Theological Seminary I think, though, it's hard (and probably unwise?) to "escape" biblical criticism if you are looking to get a PhD in OT/ANE. I am at your stage and not experienced in this field, but it seems (to me) more or less ubiquitous. As a believer who holds to conservative theology, I think a good approach is to study biblical criticism with a healthy dose of skepticism; give criticism a critical reading! Even conservative/evangelical Christian universities like the ones listed above will have biblical criticism curricula. In my opinion, what's more important is what you take away from the learning process, and not whether or not you can escape learning about biblical criticism. Of course, obsessive prioritization of biblical criticism is no fun. Do you know of any professors you'd love to study under? I think that's a good question to ask, even for an MA. This fall I will begin the Hebrew University program that you're considering. I get the impression that they have a good variety of approaches in their curriculum, but I haven't actually studied there yet! A big draw for me is the language-learning opportunities. Would love to see you there... Let us know what you decide on! Edit: I can't speak for every religious school out there, but I imagine that Hebrew University's program being secular won't be a problem. So long as you can show that you've learned the skills useful in pursuing a PhD, and have kept up your religious growth in your personal life, I don't see that it would be an issue--especially since you already have a Master's in Missiology from a denominational university, which shows that you have a religious education.
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