Advice about OT/Second Temple Studies?

[cadences]

Hi People/Fellow OT-Hebrew Bible-Second Temple Folks,

 

I'm just starting out on my first (two-year) graduate theology degree in OT/Second-Temple Judaism, and I'm focusing my first year on picking up languages - Biblical Hebrew, Classical Greek, and French - with the idea of bringing all this language preparation to bear upon more advanced courses in my second year. As fate would have it, due to a combination of certain professors going on sabbatical, the credit limitations of my program, and the seminary offering more (very) relevant courses than I can take in my second year, I have found myself in a situation where I have to request for an independent study in my first year but I have to pick a topic that is at once relevant to my concentration while taking into consideration my lack of languages.

 

So, I was wondering: should I ask for a course in Wisdom Literature, or the Dead Sea Scrolls (there are faculty experts on both)? I think Wisdom Lit would be an easier topic to tackle since the lack of languages wouldn't affect the quality of the course that much, or at least not as much as in a course on the DSS. But, of course, I think being able to study the DSS - especially under the DSS specialist at my seminary - would be a great opportunity to really get into the world of the Second Temple era; and it is at an MA level (and so introductory) after all, so perhaps it's not that much of a loss without original languages and I could still get something out of it even if it's all in English? What do you guys think? Sapiential, or DSS?

 

Thanks!

 

cadences

[Yetanotherdegree]

I think it depends on your interests. If you plan on doing something with a thesis, what sorts of topics are you interested in researching?which of these topics would enhance that future work? Is one of the areas more interesting/exciting to you than the other? Since your language limitations apply to both courses, I would not worry too much about it - it changes what and how you will research, regardless of the topic, and there are plenty of secondary materials you can access for both areas. So, which one sounds more interesting to you? If you're going to be reading and writing about one topic, what do you want to do?

[cadences]

That's very sensible. Well, I think there's a clear answer to my question then (DSS)...thanks!

[sacklunch]

That's very sensible. Well, I think there's a clear answer to my question then (DSS)...thanks!

 

If you have had a bit of Hebrew you may ask the prof to do an Aramaic course and then study the DSS while in the class. I remember in my first Aramaic class we read some DSS (though we had to have 2 yrs of Hebrew).

[cadences]

If you have had a bit of Hebrew you may ask the prof to do an Aramaic course and then study the DSS while in the class. I remember in my first Aramaic class we read some DSS (though we had to have 2 yrs of Hebrew).

 

Thanks for that piece of advice, jdm; unfortunately, I'm really just starting out on my languages (like several others on this forum, I wish someone had emphasised the importance of languages earlier on in my studies). Even if I could do what you suggested, there's a whole bunch of rules pertaining to course distribution requirements, elective limitations etc. that ultimately preclude doing what you suggested. It is a very good idea, though...

 

Could I just ask quickly, then: how significant a difference is there, in terms of understanding the DSS, between doing a DSS course working purely with translations versus handling them in their original language(s)?

[sacklunch]

Well most courses that use translations would (usually/obviously) move much more quickly through the material. From my experience, courses that require all the primary readings in the original language are more focused on philology (I prefer this). I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot. Taking a class/several on a subject before diving into just reading the primary sources is very useful. Jumping into a very specific course (obviously) limits the material studied and without some broader context can be a bit confusing (for me at least). And don't worry about not doing all of the language work in undergraduate. Most folks come into their (first) masters without Hebrew. 

 

cheers

[cadences]

Thanks, jdm. That really helps. English-based DSS course it is.

[Qaus-gabri]

Yeah, not to mention that after only one year of Hebrew, the unpointed Hebrew/Aramaic of the DSS will prove to be challenging. I know after one year of Heb, I definitely wasn't ready to vocalize unpointed Hebrew.

[cadences]

Oh. That begs a series of side (but related) questions: when people speak of two years of Hebrew, do they mean literally two years of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary? Or do two additional semesters of Hebrew exegesis count as a second year? Or to put it another way, is there a difference between doing post-first-year Hebrew exegesis and say, Hebrew poetry/Advanced Hebrew

[sacklunch]

You would have to ask your professor. I think here at Duke they do something like first year grammar then second year is 'exegesis' which is basically a continuation of grammar, but actually reading the HB. At BC I did first year grammar then second year which was the sort of standard first semester prose, second poetry, though we focused quite heavily on grammar throughout since our professor was into comparative semitics. But I suspect you will be doing something similar with the exegesis course....though you may have some sort of theological aspect since you're at a divinity school.

[cadences]

Ok, noted. Thanks, jdm!