Fall 2004
TR 11-1215 Girvetz 1004 Honors Seminar: R 3-350 South Hall 2716
Robert A. Erickson, professor Office hours: T 315-415, R 4-430 and by appointment
Office phone 805 893 2453 (no voice mail); email erickson@english.ucsb.edu

Section Leaders and section times:
Donna Beth Ellard T 6-650pm hssb 1207; T 7-750pm girv 2119
Mac Oliver W 5-550 hssb 1206pm; W 6-650pm hssb 1207; W 7-750 pm sh 1609
Will Scilacci T 5-550pm girv 2127; T 6-650pm hssb 1211; W 6-650pm sh 1609

Required Texts: The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Version NRSV with Apocrypha (1993), ed. Wayne A. Meeks; The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha AV (Oxford World’s Classics, 1997) Recommended: Hauer and Young, An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds (Prentice Hall, 2004), 6^th ed.

Course Description: This is a course in the literary history of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament and the Apocrypha) as filtered through two major English translations. We focus on individual characters and narratives in those books of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha most relevant to English and American literature and culture, including Genesis, the Moses narratives, Ruth, I and II Samuel (the David narratives), Esther, Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and the prophetic books, especially Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. And from the Apocrypha: Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Susanna. We pay special attention to representations of God (Yahweh), paradise, gender relations, the hero and the nation, the prophets, and wisdom.

Schedule of readings and lectures: Week One

Sept 23 Introduction: Key terms for the study of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha

YAHWEH AND THE EPIC OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE

Week Two Please read the selections (including headnotes and other notes) first in the NRSV and then in the AV translations

Sept 28 Genesis, chaps 1-9: the Creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah

Sept 30 Genesis 11-36: Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel

Oct 5 Genesis 37-50: the Joseph narratives

Oct 7 Exodus 1-21, 31-34: Moses, Yahweh, Aaron, the tables of the Law two-page paper due

Oct 12 Numbers 11-17, 20-25; Deuteronomy 1, 5-6, 8-11, 20, 26-34: Moses, the people, the Law

Oct 14 Judges 4-21 Ehud, Jael, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah’s daughter, Samson, Delilah; Ruth

Oct 19 I Samuel: Hannah, Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant, Saul, Jonathan, David; Judith (Apocrypha)

Oct 21 II Samuel 1-19: David, Joab, Uriah, Bathsheba, Amnon, Tamar, Absalom, Shimei

Oct 26 Midterm Exam

Oct 27 Esther; Susannah (Apocrypha)

WISDOM

Nov 2 Job 1-20

Nov 4 Job 21-42

Nov 9 Psalms:1,2,8,10,14,18,22,23,39,51,64,69,74,77,84,90,94,98,104,110,115,121,128,139,144

Nov 11 Proverbs: 1-9, 31; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon; Wisdom of Solomon (Apocrypha)

THE PROPHETS

Nov 16 I Kings 16:25-21, II Kings 1-2: Elijah and Elisha; Isaiah 1-39 (First Isaiah)

Nov 18 Isaiah 40-66 (Second or Deutero-Isaiah) Proposal for term paper due in section

Nov 23 Jeremiah 1-6; Hosea 1-3 (Israel as the harlot); Jeremiah 7-31 proposal returned

[Nov 25 Thanksgiving holiday]

Nov 30 Ezekiel 1-5, 8-11, 16-18, 23-24, 28-31, 36-37 Term paper due in lecture

Dec 2 Daniel

Final exam: Thursday, December 9, 12 noon to 3 pm

Required Work (and weighting of the grade): familiarity with the reading assignment for each lecture and section meeting, and class participation in section (.1); two-page paper (.1); midterm exam (.2); term paper, and proposal (.3); final exam (.3). For the weekly Honors seminar, a longer term paper (10-12 pages) and discussion of the readings. Failure to complete any of the required work means failing the course. The 1-2 page proposal should include the topic for the term paper, a paragraph indicating the thesis or argument (ie what you hope to prove or demonstrate), a brief outline, and a brief bibliography (optional). The term paper, 6 type-written pages minimum, should be on one of the assigned topics, double-spaced, with the pages numbered, and the proposal with instructor’s comments attached; it may undergo some changes from the proposal. Anything quoted from the Internet must be printed out and attached to the paper. The English Department annually awards the William and Marjorie Frost award for the best undergraduate paper written in an English class (usually about 10 pages).

NB: Please be in class (lecture or discussion) on time (with cell phones turned off), and leave when the class is dismissed. Let me or your TA know if you must miss a class. Incompletes are given only for medical or emergency reasons (if you are having trouble let us know before it’s too late). Plagiary ("to pass off another’s work as one’s own") is grounds for suspension or dismissal from the university.

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Books on Reserve in Davidson Library

Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative.  BS 475.2 H32 1985
    A wonderfully suggestive, readable discussion of the narrative character of  the Hebrew Scriptures.  Strongly recommended.

Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry.  BS 1405.2 A48 1985
    Just as good on the poetic texts of the Hebrew Scriptures.  Strongly recommended.

Robert Alter and Frank Kermode, eds., The Literary Guide to the Bible.  BS 511.2 L58 1987
    A strong collections of introductory essays on the literary character of the major books of the Bible, both the Hebrew       Scripture and the New Testament, all written by major scholar/critics.  Includes as well some interesting general essays.

Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible.  BS 1225.2 A48 1985
    Accessible, clearly written overview of the complex question of the authorship of the Hebrew Scriptures, including a lucid account of the Documentary Hypothesis and a table listing the strata of the Pentateuch.  Required reading.

HarperCollins Study Bible with Apocrypha.  1993

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Summary of the Documentary Hypothesis by Professor Michael O'Connell

In 1878 Julius Wellhausen, a German scholar, proposed a theory to account for the construction of the Pentateuch, or Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Wellhausen and others before him had noticed various discontinuities, repetitions, and occasional contradictions in the narrative of the books. His theory, generally called the Documentary Hypothesis, attempted to account for these. Though it has generated controversy and several competing theories over the past century, no other explanation has commanded the same continuous attention, and some version of the Documentary Hypothesis is accepted by nearly all biblical scholars today.

For a very readable summary of this scholarship, lucid and straightforward, see Richard Elliot Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible (paperback edition, 1989).

In its basic form the Documentary Hypothesis proposes that the text of the Pentateuch is composed of four separate strata. These were written at different times over some five hundred years and drawn together in several stages. In order of composition these strata are:

The Yawistic narrative ("J"): this is the oldest stratum, written between 950 and 722 B.C.E. It is characterized by the use of the proper name "Yahweh" for God ("Jahveh" in German, hence "J", and transliterated less correctly Jehovah in earlier translations). J was originally an independent narrative about Israel's early history and patriarchs, drawing upon various ancient traditions. It was written in the southern kingdom of Judah; it is particulary interested in the tribes of Judah, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. Yahweh is translated LORD, LORD GOD, or GOD in capitals in the New Revised Standard Version.

The Elohistic narrative ("E"): dated between 922 (when the Northern Kingdom of Israel split off from Judah) and 722 B.C.E. (when the Northern KIngdom was destroyed by the Assyrians). It is characterized by the use of the common name Elohim for God. It was composed in the Northern Kingdom, and is interested in the eponymous founders of the territories of Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. Elohim is translated God in the New English Bible.

The Deuteronomic narrative ("D"): represented predominantly by the Book of Deuteronomy, which is identified by some scholars as the "Book of the Law" said to have been discovered in the temple in the reign of King Josiah (2 Kings 22: 3-13) and probably written shortly before this time, c. 621 B.C.E.

The Priestly tradition ("P"): this is the most difficult to date. Some earlier scholars believed it was written after the return of the Israelites from their traumatic 50-year exile in Babylon (586 to 536 B.C.E.), perhaps between 530 and 450 B.C.E. But more recent research (see Friedman) suggests it was written after J and E were combined but before D. It was originally an account extending from the creation of the world to the death of Moses, written as an alternative or opposed version of the JE account. It is characterized by concern for genealogy and precise chronology and laws and information relating to cultic practices. This strain begins the Book of Genesis, the first day-by-day story of creation (down to Gen. 2:4) and can be easily recognized in sections which summarize or give information about cultic practices, especially the sabbath. It too uses the common noun Elohim to refer to God, translated God in the N.E.B.
 
 

The Yahwistic, or J, tradition derives from the time of Israel's greatest political and cultural glory, after David and Solomon united Israel under the monarchy. A brilliant anonymous writer composed the account from the perspective of Judah, the southern kingdom. J is the most admired for its narrative skill and its characterization, the most "poetic" of the four traditions. It often uses bold anthropomorphisms when speaking of God, representing him as speaking and interacting directly with man. In J people are attracted by God's revelations of himself (Moses, for example, has to be warned back in Ex. 3:5). J calls the indigenous people of Canaan Canaanites and the mountain on which the law is given Sinai. Politically the writer of J was concerned to glorify the Temple in Jerusalem and the Aaronite priesthood who administered it; he mentions the Ark, which was housed in the Temple, but never the Tent of Meeting, which was housed in the shrine of Shiloh in the North. He is particularly concerned with Aaron, Moses' brother. Harold Bloom (The Book of J, 1990; on reserve) has recently suggested that J was written by a woman, perhaps a princess at the court of Solomon and Rehoboam.

After the death of Solomon the nation split into two kingdoms, and the Northern Kingdom, Israel, needed its own independent version of the mythic and historical traditions, one that would not glorify Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah and that would emphasize northern geographical features. The Elohistic tradition was this revisionist version. E most often has God using intermediaries for his communication with man. He speaks from the heavens or uses dreams to reveal himself. In E people are typically fearful of divine revelation. Though less colorful than J, E is more ethically sensitive, and some scholars see it as more theologically developed. In E the people of Canaan are called Amorites, and the mountain on which the law is give is called Horeb. The writer of E is particularly interested in Moses and tends to denigrate Aaron (see in particular the episode of the golden calf; similarly, Moses' destruction of the tablets of the law may be designed to cast doubt on the Ark in Jerusalem). Friedman concludes that E was written by a Levite priest in Shiloh, the Northern version of the Temple.

After the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria in 722 B.C.E., northerners who escaped brought their history with them. At some early point, certainly before the Babylonian exile, J and E were combined (E generally being used to supplement J) to form a narrative history from primeval times to the period of Moses.

P, the Priestly tradition, originally represented an alternative Torah, written in opposition to the combined JE. It represents a more rationalized theology and an understanding of God that rejects the anthopomorphism of J and E. It is particularly concerned with justice of God, not his mercy. The writer of P appears to have been an Aaronite priest; only P makes a distinction between the priests and the Levites generally. Sacrifice is of crucial importance in P, as well as the legal and cultic practices that were the prerogative of the priesthood. The legal sections of Leviticus and Numbers represent the largest part of the Priestly code, but it is intermittently visible in Genesis and Exodus as well, especially in genealogies. Friedman believes that D was written in opposition to P; some of the prophets may have also opposed P.

The Deuteronomic tradition derives from reforms in theology and worship that came in the eighth century. It was not woven into the narrative of JE but dovetailed with them in the independent Book of Deuteronomy ("Second Law"), the final book of the Pentateuch. In addition, the Deuteronomic tradition continues in the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. While the actual book of Deuteronomy was written earlier in the 7th century, Friedman believes that other Deuternonomic books were written by the prophet Jeremiah in two versions, one that preceded the exile and another the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E) in Egypt.

After the Exile (586 to 536 B.C.E.), somewhat ironically, another Aaronite priest combined P with the JE Torah to produce the version of the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers that we now have. This writer is generally referred to as the Redactor (R).
 
 
It was the work of scholarship over the past century to identify and account for these strata. While not rejecting these findings, more recent criticism has concentrated on integration, to recognize that a subtle artistry often went into the literary process of weaving together the various strains of narrative, that meaning can be encountered in the contrasts of theological and moral perspective in the narratives. Robert Alter's book, The Art of Biblical Narrative (1981), represents this new approach to understanding the sophistication of this composite literary artistry. His companion book, The Art of Biblical Poetry (1985), continues this approach with biblical books that are in verse

Paper Topics

In this first paper (two pages, double spaced), we are interested in your interpretive response to a literary topic in the Old Testament readings we have studied so far (through the book of Exodus). Choose one of the following topics and write as perceptive and insightful a response as you can in two pages. For all the topics, read the relevant portions of both the NRSV and the AV and comment on any interesting differences in the two translations. Please do not make any references to the New Testament. Proofread your paper carefully.In our readings of Biblical literature up through Exodus, we have been using the tools of literary analysis, paying special attention to

*characterization through dialogue and voice

*awareness of tone (the attitude of the writer toward his or her subject, or the attitude of one character toward another as expressed in dialogue and in other ways)

*setting (the importance of place or context)*awareness of the writer’s appeal to the senses

*the narrative (or story) and the unfolding of its plotPlease keep these tools in mind and employ them as sensitively as you can in writing your paper.

1) Write a character analysis of any of the characters named in the reading assignments for weeks Two and Three, commenting on how the character is revealed in the context of his or her relations to other characters, and/or to YHWH. How does dialogue reveal character and further the plot? You may compare two characters.

2) Discuss how YHWH reveals himself to humans by analyzing one or two theophanies (eg the burning bush in Exodus 3). What is the purpose of the theophany? What is the outcome? What does the theophany reveal about YHWH?

3) Discuss the role and significance of family in one of the following narratives: Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar; Isaac, Jacob, and Esau; Joseph and his brothers.

4) What is YHWH’s relationship with women? In the patriarchal culture of early Israel, what is the role of women in relation to men (father, brother, husband), to other women, and/or to family? Choose one story to discuss in detail.

Second Paper Topics

The term paper for this course is to be submitted in two parts, a proposal for the paper due Thursday, Nov. 18, after lecture, and the paper itself, due Tuesday, Nov. 30, after lecture. Both parts are essential to the assignment and must be turned in on time (the proposal counts for 10% of the paper grade). As with the first paper, please do not refer to the New Testament in your paper. Use the NRSV translation as your main text, but review also the AV and quote from it when it seems appropriate, especially in relation to the poetry topics.The 1-2 page proposal should include the topic for the term paper, a paragraph indicating the thesis or argument (ie what you hope to prove or demonstrate), a brief outline, and a brief bibliography (optional). The term paper, 6 type-written pages minimum, must be on one of the following assigned topics, double-spaced, with the pages numbered, and the proposal with instructor’s comments attached; it may undergo some changes from the proposal. Anything quoted from the Internet must be printed out and attached to the paper. It is also a good idea to make a photocopy of anything quoted from other sources and attach the copy to the paper. Students are urged to make use of the materials on Reserve for the course, and the headnotes and footnotes in the NRSV, and the commentary at the back of the AV edition. See the course website for a list of books on Reserve.

Choose one of the following topics for your paper (and proposal):

1) Do a close reading and comparison of two passages of verbal interaction with YHWH (for example: covenants, striving, negotiation, legal argument, prayer). The passages should detail two different types of interaction. What do these passages say about the accessibility of the divine? Does the speaker address YHWH directly? Does YHWH respond directly or indirectly? Does he respond according to the desires or expectations of the speaker? Why or why not? What does the response or lack of response say about the relationship between people and YHWH?

2) Using the passage below and one or two other passages of your choice, discuss in a close reading the functions and power of women's beauty in the Old Testament: "There was great excitement in the whole camp, for her arrival was reported from tent to tent. They came and gathered around her as she stood outside the tent of Holofernes, waiting until they told him about her. They marveled at her beauty and admired the Israelites, judging them by her. They said to one another, 'Who can despise these people, who have women like this among them? It is not wise to leave one of their men alive, for if we let them go they will be able to beguile the whole world!'" (Judith 10.18-19)

3) Over one-third of the Hebrew Bible is written in poetry. In a close reading, compare two biblical poems that differ from each other in some important way, such as "The Song of Hannah" in 1 Samuel and Psalm 22. What are the respective functions of the poems? Are they framed by passages of prose, and if so, what is the effect of moving from poetry to prose? Think about the use of poetry in the Bible, the songs, the blessings and curses, the psalms of lament and thanksgiving, the wisdom literature. What powers does poetry have that prose cannot achieve?

4) How does the book of Job contend with or revise or modify the doctrines underlying the earlier Deuteronomic history and its emphasis on "distributive justice"? What is the D authors’ attitude toward cherem ("holy war")? What is Job’s case against the Deuteronomic theory of justice, and against God?

5) The topic of "prophecy" in the Old Testament is many-sided and interesting. Write a paper, focusing on specific passages, on one of the following topics relating to prophecy:
a) Saul as a prophet in I Samuel. What is the significance of his "prophetic" episodes?
b) The call of the prophet: compare the calls of Isaiah, Jeremiah, an Ezekiel. What do these calls have in common? how are they different?
c) How does Jeremiah’s version of "covenant" differ from the Mosaic Covenant?
d) How do you think the exile in Babylon helped to influence and modify the pro phecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel? Compare Psalm 137.
e) Why do Ezekiel and Isaiah personify the Israelites and Jerusalem as a woman? How do these personifications differ?

6) While God expects obedience, disobedience plays an important role in the relationships between God and his chosen leaders as well as in relationships between people. First establish from the text God's definition of obedience. Is it straight-forward or complex? Then, choose two or three moments when obedience/disobedience is crucial to the outcome of a story. What do these stories say about humans’ capacity for obedience? Is disobedience ever okay? Does God's response to disobedience change throughout the Old Testament?

7) How does sex and the role of sex evolve throughout the Old Testament? What are the differences between male and female sexuality? How does sex influence the way that characters conceptualize their bodies and the bodies of others?

8) Devise your own topic for the paper. Discuss the topic with your Section Leader before writing your proposal.