Objectives: The aim of this course is to expose students to the questions of biblical theology and biblical poetics that arose between Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, when they translated the Bible together into German.

Learning outcomes: The course seeks to encourage students to reflect on this unique project of German-Jewish Bible translation, undertaken by Buber and Rosenzweig and, more broadly, on the theology of modern Bible translation and its relevance for our contemporary moment.

Content: During the years 1925-1929, Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig translated the Bible together into German. They worked on this project at a time when each was already recognized as one of the great Jewish thinkers of their age, Buber thanks to his I and Thou (1923), and Rosenzweig thanks to his The Star of Redemption (1921). Since the two aimed to reconstruct the original message of the Bible, their translation work was accompanied by extensive correspondence between the two, and by notes and comments sent back and forth. What is most unique about the course is that it will permit students to study the handwritten notes, drafts, and comments of Buber and Rosenzweig in order to reconstruct the philological, poetic, and theological dialogue between the two, as they translated, seeking to understand the Bible’s theological message together. No German language is required, but students will be expected to learn in-class the meaning of key German terms used to translate biblical language, and their implications for understanding the Bible itself.

Methodology: The course will be run as a seminar in which, after introductory framing of each class’s theme, we will primarily engage in close reading. There will be two main sources: 1) essays Buber and Rosenzweig wrote about their approach to the translation, during the 1920s; 2) the handwritten archival materials that document the dialogue between them while translating.

Means of Evaluation: Course grade will be based on three components: 1) a final paper to be submitted at the end of the term; 2) an oral examination based on the final paper; 3) active participa‧tion and engagement during the seminar.