Description

The writings from the Second Temple Period are foundational to the understanding of the development of both Judaism, and early Christianity. This course will focus on a key corpus of this period — the Dead Sea scrolls. The scrolls will be discussed in context of Khirbet Qumran and the surrounding caves, considering how the interpretation of the scrolls impacts on the understanding of the site and caves, and vice versa.

Objectives

The course gives the student foundational skills to work with ancient inscriptions and texts and their archaeological context, providing an interdisciplinary approach to the Bible. It will also provide space for academic conversation with students from our partner university.

Method

The course will consist of eight two-hour classroom sessions, with a mix of frontal lecture and classroom discussion, and site and museum visits. The visits will include a detailed study trip to Khirbet Qumran, and a visit to the Israel Museum with a focus on the Qumran material.

Evaluation

Assessment will consist of an exam (90%). Participation in the visits and discussions will also be taken into account (10%).