JWST 4102

Biblical Hebrew Prose: Genesis

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2018-2019.

From the Garden of Eden to Noah's Ark, from Abraham's journey from Haran to Joseph's coat of many colors, the book of Genesis contains stories that are at once familiar to Western readers, and foreign in their ancient Near Eastern setting.  Through reading the book of Genesis in the original Hebrew, this course will address issues such as how the Israelites understood their origins, and their relationships with their God, Yahweh, their neighbors, and the land of Canaan itself, as well as how these themes are developed in biblical myth and folklore. Close attention will be paid to matters of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary in order to develop students' skills in reading biblical Hebrew prose and to enhance their understanding of the Hebrew language itself as a window on ancient Israelite thought. Students will be expected to utilize commentaries, biblical Hebrew grammars and lexicons in their preparation of assigned texts.

When Offered Spring.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: prior training in Biblical Hebrew or permission of instructor.

Breadth Requirement (GHB)
Distribution Category (LA-AS)
Course Attribute (CU-ITL)
Language Requirement Satisfies Option 1.

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