Syracuse University
Fall, 2004
REL/JSP 302 Second Temple Judaism 

Time: TTh 10:00-11:20 a.m.
Place: HL 205
Instructor:   JIM WATTS (PhD) 
Office:  Hall of Languages 505 
Office Hours: W 10-12
& by appointment 
E-mail:  jwwatts at syr.edu
Phone:  443-5713 

Teaching Assistant: Jason Lewis; e-mail: jmlewi04 at syr.edu

Course Description: The period between the construction of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem in 515 B.C.E. and its destruction by the Romans in 70 C.E. witnessed major historical upheavals and significant religious changes that would affect all subequent Western religions. The origins of the authority of scripture, of the centrality of law and morality in religion, of the synagogue and of apocalyptic expectations for the future all developed in the Judaism of this period. This course will approach the history and literature of Second Temple Judaism by focusing on two key features: the Jerusalem Temple in history and in religious imagination, and the reinterpretation of Jewish tradition in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It will conclude by considering the developing role of scripture in religious thought and literature, to set the stage for interpreting the emergence of rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity.

Course Objectives: The goals of this course goals are to have students:

1. gain a thorough knowledge of the literary sources for Second Temple Jewish history;
2. investigate the impact in this period and culture of social forces on religious beliefs and practices, and of religion on social institutions;
3. use the context of Second Temple Jewish ritual and literature to think both critically and imaginatively about the nature of religion as a basic response to and expression of the human condition;
4. develop an understanding of Second Temple Jewish literature and practice as key instances in the diversity of human religious phenomena, and achieve a fluency in interpreting and describing it.

Course Requirements:
The course consists of class discussions, lectures, student projects, and, most of all, readings. This course is a reading course, and students' completion of all reading assignments is essential for their success. Assignments, discussions, lectures and tests all presuppose that students have read carefully and on schedule the assigned readings. Students must come to class each day with written comments and/or questions about the days readings.

Attendance at lectures and participation in discussions is expected of all students and will influence evaluation of their work (10%), which will also be based on a midterm exam (20%), two 6-10 page papers (25% each), and a final exam (20%). 

Required Textbooks (available at the campus bookstore in Schine Student Center): 
         Schiffman, Lawrence. Texts and Traditions (KTAV, 1998) 
         Vanderkam, James C. An Introduction to Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2001). 
Recommended:  New Oxford Annotated Bible (New Revised Standard Version) or The Jewish Study Bible (Tanakh/New Jewish Publication Society Version)

Topics & Assignments: Readings from textbooks appear by author and page numbers, readings from biblical books appear as book title and chapters. Further resources for biblical studies and religion may be found by at http://web.syr.edu/~jwwatts/UsefulLinks.htm: 

Date

Topic

Assignment (due by class on date listed)

T Aug 31

Introductions

From the Temple ...

Th Sep 2

Ancient Near Eastern Temples

(handout)

T Sep 7

1 Samuel 4-6, 2 Samuel 6; 1 Kings 5:15-6:38; 12:1-33

Th Sep 9

Loss of temple and land

2 Kings 16-20, 25; Leviticus 26; Lamentations 2

T Sep 14

Idealizing the Temple

Ezekiel 40; 46; Exodus 25-26; 40; Leviticus 8-9

Th Sep 16

Second Temple

VanderKam 175-85, 193-211, Schiffman 93-96

T Sep 28

1st Exam

Study! (study guide)

Th Sep 30

Other Temples

Vanderkam 147-150, Schiffman 73-79; 130-33; 180-82; Eleph. letters (handout)

T Oct 5

Synagogues

VanderKam 211-13, Schiffman 472-75

Th Oct 7

Second Temple destroyed

VanderKam 41-49, 166-173, Schiffman 429-439, 457-471

T Oct 12

Idealized Temple

Schiffman 583-90; 706-707; Revelation 21; Neusner on Talmud (handout)

... to the Dead Sea Scrolls

Th Oct 14

Torah

Schiffman 29-39; Deuteronomy 5-6, 30-31

T Oct 19

Prophets

Schiffman 50-59; 109-117

Th Oct 21

Josiah & the Book

2 Kings 22-25

Th Oct 28

Ezra & the Book

Schiffman 86-92

T Nov 2

Apocalyptic

Daniel 7, 12; Schiffman 340-341, 359-61, 365-66, VanderKam 102-115

Th Nov 4

Jubilees

Vanderkam 94-100; Schiffman 342-54

T Nov 9

Parties in Second Temple Judaism

Schiffman 231-34, 266-75; VanderKam 186-90

Th Nov 11

Dead Sea Scrolls: Qumran

VanderKam 150-66, 191-93, Schiffman 275-300

T Nov 16

Dead Sea Scrolls: Interpreting Torah

Schiffman 361-65

Th Nov 18

Dead Sea Scrolls: Expecting the End

Schiffman 354-56; 359-61

T Nov 30

Philo & Josephus

Vanderkam 138-46; Schiffman 203-206, 220-230, 479-86

Th Dec 2

From Hillel to Rabbinic Judaism

Schiffman 503-522

T Dec 7

From Jesus to Christianity

Th Dec 9

Spiritualizing the Temple

Schiffman 471-72; b.t. Menahot 110a-b (handout); John 2:13-22; 1 Corinthians 3

T Dec 14, 5:00-7:00pm

FINAL EXAM

Study! (study guide)