The course offers Masters students the opportunity to study selected Jewish authors and texts in depth (e.g., Philo, Josephus, Dead Sea Scrolls), reading closely and considering a variety of perspectives. It also enables students to come to a deeper understanding of a wide range of issues in reading and interpreting Jewish texts within a wider Graeco-Roman context.

1 x 2hr seminar per week over 10 weeks

This course will be taught in conjunction with TRS4109, as scheduled on MyCampus.

TRS4109

None

Essay (4,000 words): 80%

Book review (1,000 words): 20%

This course aims to enable students to:

■ engage in detailed reading of specific Jewish texts written in the Graeco-Roman period

■ critically engage in scholarship in an understudied area in biblical studies, but one that is important for understanding the New Testament

■ relate, in depth, the Jewish texts to a variety of religious and historical contexts, especially interaction between Jewish and Greek/Roman cultures

■ apply a range of theoretical interpretative approaches to texts with a specific focus on historical and literary issues.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ discuss analytically and in depth the historical, cultural, and literary character of specific Jewish texts from the Graeco-Roman period

■ analyse themes and motifs from the prescribed texts and develop detailed arguments for how they might relate to ancient, historical contexts

■ evaluate and apply theoretical approaches to specific texts and to critique their viability

■ present well-honed, detailed and indepth arguments in written and oral form, ideally making use of primary, ancient languages (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, etc.)

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.