OVERVIEW

The course aims to provide an overview of ancient Jewish culture through the study of the biblical text and the Hebrew language

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching of Hebrew aims to provide knowledge about the Hebrew language and Israel's ancient history, as well as linguistic and philological skills to address the reading of the Hebrew Bible as the primary source for five study perspectives: 1) A comparison of Biblical Hebrew to other Semitic languages; 2) the objective and documentary history of a significant people in the Ancient Near East (including clarification of the Bible's limitations as a possible historical source); 3) Jewish literature and culture that extends beyond the Bible; 4) The inclusion of Judaism in the historical, cultural, and linguistic phenomenon of Hellenism, as opposed to the Greek translation of the 1970s; 5) The relationship between Israel's tradition and late ancient Greco-Roman culture in subsequent translations (also in the Christian context, beginning with the Geronymian Vulgate). Another goal is to raise awareness of the Bible of the Seventy as a product of Hellenistic Judaism as well as its exemplary status as an interlingual transcoding of a cult text from the perspective of Theory and History of Translation.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Skills in analyzing and understanding short texts in biblical Hebrew related to "biblical prehistory" (Gen 1-11) will be developed. Upon completion of the teaching the student will
- will have acquired adequate morphological, syntactic and lexical knowledge
- will know how to apply the notions learned to the commentary and critical analysis of texts related to "biblical prehistory"
- will have developed a working methodology that enables him or her to independently deepen what has been learned, critically evaluating the textual sources used

At the end of the teaching the student will be able to:

- use the elementary grammar of Biblical Hebrew to be able to read simple narrative passages

- distinguish in the biblical narrative a historical source or a theological reinterpretation of Israel's history.

PREREQUISITES

No prerequisites are required

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lesson; practice of writing and reading texts, distribution of material and slide projection.

Attendance, although not compulsory, is recommended.

The teacher, upon specific request by single students, could allow them to attend lessons remotely and to access the recordings of the lessons via Teams. Any non-attending students are requested to contact the teacher.

All students are required to register on Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

During the course, the structure, characteristics and formation processes of the Old Testament will be analyzed. On this basis, and on learning the fundamentals of grammar of Biblical Hebrew, we will proceed in particular to analyze the so-called "biblical prehistory" (Gen. 1-11), including in its relations with other Near Eastern literary and religious traditions

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Serafini, Corso di Ebraico biblico, San Paolo, 2006 (2 voll).

Additional readings will be indicated in the course of the lectures

Recommended: B.D. Ehrman, L’Antico Testamento. Un'introduzione, Carocci, Roma 201

LESSONS

LESSONS START

16/09/2024

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral examination.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination takes place orally on the topics covered in the course, from the lecture notes, and the assigned readings. Knowledge of short texts examined in class will be required.The final grade will take into account the accuracy and propriety of the answers (up to 80%), but also the student's ability to explain the topics accurately using appropriate vocabulary (up to 20%).

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with a certified DSA, disability or other special educational needs are advised to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and examination methods that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning modes and provide suitable compensatory tools