The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future
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The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future
Emory University
À propos de ce cours
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With its walls razed to ground by Babylon’s armies, Jerusalem joined a long line of ancient vanquished cities—from Ur and Nineveh and Persepolis to Babylon itself. While some recovered from the destruction, others did not. But none responded to political catastrophe by fashioning the kind of elaborate and enduring monument to their own downfall that we find in the Bible. Most conquered populations viewed their subjugation as a source of shame. They consigned it to oblivion, opting instead to extol the golden ages of the past. The biblical authors in contrast reacted to loss by composing extensive writings that acknowledge collective failure, reflect deeply upon its causes, and discover thereby a ground for collective hope.
Working through colorful biblical and ancient Near Eastern texts, and drawing on an array of comparative examples, the course illustrates the thoroughgoing manner with which biblical authors responded to defeat by advancing a demotic agenda that places the community at the center. The aim of the biblical authors was to create a nation, and they sought to realize this goal via a shared text, which includes stories and songs, wisdom and laws. This corpus of writings belongs, without a doubt, to humanity’s greatest achievements. Whereas the great civilizations of the Near East invested their energies and resources into monuments of stone that could be destroyed by invading armies, the biblical authors left a literary legacy that has been intensively studied until the present day. More important, these authors’ visionary response to defeat brought to light a radical new wisdom: the notion that a people is greater than the state which governs it, and that a community can survive collapse when all of its members can claim a piece of the pie and therefore have a reason to take an active part in its collective life.
Programme du cours : ce que vous apprendrez dans ce cours
1
Section
The Riddle That Has Yet to be Solved
Our larger goal is to understand why the Bible was written. So first we need to take a step back and form a larger view of the world in which the kingdoms of Israel and Judah emerged. This module sets the stage for all that follows. Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: 1) Describe how Israel's geographical location, situated between two great civilizational centers, had a decisive impact on history, 2) Identify why Egypt was interested in Canaan (the land of the Bible), 3) Describe the context in which the oldest references to Israel and places in the land of Israel appear, and 4) Analyze how the withdrawal of Egyptian influence from Canaan made it possible for territorial states (such as Israel and Judah) to emerge in the first millennium BCE.
10 vidéos (Total 67 min), 7 lectures, 1 quiz
10 vidéos
Course Introduction2 min
Introduction1 min
Defeat and the Response to Defeat2 min
The Oldest Reference to Israel9 min
The Centers of Civilization5 min
The Levant as a Land Bridge6 min
Egypt's Presence in Canaan During the New Kingdom12 min
The End of Egyptian Imperial Control6 min
Map Module11 min
Dever Interview8 min
7 lectures
Learning Outcomes & Recommended Works10 min
Getting Started10 min
Websites10 min
Course Maps10 min
Biblical Timeline10 min
Letter from the Instructor: Welcome to Module 110 min
Module 1 Readings10 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Quiz 120 min
2
Section
The Rise and Fall
In the last module, we studied the activity of the great cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia in the Levant. These major groups played a key role in forming the backdrop for the rise of Israel and Judah. After Egyptian and Mesopotamian rulers withdrew from the area, they left breathing room for smaller groups—such as Israel and Judah—to grow and extend their own power. In this module, we will explore the more modest cultures of Israel and Judah, from the rise and fall of their respective kingdoms. Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: 1) Differentiate between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and describe the circumstances that led to the rise of both, 2) Identify key figures and causes in the downfall of Israel and Judah, respectively, and 3) Analyze how the biblical authors take creative liberties in their portrayal of historical events pertaining to Israel and Judah.
15 vidéos (Total 131 min), 3 lectures, 1 quiz
15 vidéos
Introduction1 min
Israel and Judah6 min
Omride Dynasty10 min
Fall of Israel7 min
The Kingdom of Judah7 min
Fall of Judah7 min
Younger Interview12 min
Darby Interview11 min
Vaughn Interview13 min
Biblical Narrative: Building a History9 min
Israel in Canaan8 min
The Rise of the Kingdoms6 min
Exploring the Material Culture8 min
The Nature of the Kingdoms9 min
Office Hours Modules 1-210 min
3 lectures
Letter from the Instructor: Welcome to Module 210 min
About the Supplemental Videos10 min
Module 2 Readings10 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Quiz 220 min
3
Section
The Making of the Bible as a Response to Defeat
In this module, we dive into the question of why the biblical authors created the Bible. We begin by looking at various depictions of how Judahites were living after the fall of Judah. These depictions provide us with insight into what the biblical authors were facing after the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests. We then turn our attention to the biblical writings as we deconstruct and reconstruct the text in order to discover what drives the biblical project. By engaging the text critically, we begin to see how the biblical authors creatively combined sources to create a pan-Israelite history. Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: 1) Differentiate between extrabiblical and biblical depictions of Judahite communities living in various locations after the fall of Judah, 2) Identify distinct traditions or sources within the biblical text and distinguish between core narratives and supplements or links, and 3) Compare and contrast the dominant theories concerned with the composition of the Bible.
15 vidéos (Total 125 min), 6 lectures, 1 quiz
15 vidéos
Introduction2 min
Part 1: Judah After the Babylonian Conquest7 min
Part 2: Factors Leading to Depopulation9 min
A Judahite Community in Egypt9 min
Judahite Communities in Babylon10 min
The Return to Zion8 min
Introduction to the Biblical Project3 min
From the Bible to the Sumerian King List7 min
Analyzing a Biblical Text: Genesis 266 min
A Closer Look at Genesis 2613 min
Interweaving Sources5 min
Compositional Theories5 min
Division of the Books: Organizing a History8 min
Doctoral Student Aubrey Buster13 min
Epigrapher and Professor Christopher A. Rollston15 min
6 lectures
Letter from the Instructor: Welcome to Module 310 min
Module 3 Readings10 min
Genesis 2510 min
Genesis 2610 min
Genesis 2710 min
Genesis 2810 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Quiz 320 min
4
Section
Reinventing the Hero
In this module, we will begin by exploring a clue that adds further support to the general thesis of this course (i.e., that the Bible is a project of peoplehood in response to the defeat of the state). That clue is the absence of martyrdom and glorious death in the biblical narratives. We will see how the biblical authors reshape their history as they fashion narratives and law codes that promote “name-making” through procreation rather than heroic death. Through values that we take for granted today, the authors work to ensure the preservation of their people under conditions of foreign rule. Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: 1) Identify narrative texts and law codes that relate to procreation, heroic death, and the expanded roles for both men and women, 2) Differentiate between the ideals of heroism found in the Bible and those found in non-biblical text, and 3) Understand that these values emerge out of pragmatic concerns related to corporate survival and the formation of a new kind of political community.
12 vidéos (Total 78 min), 2 lectures, 1 quiz
12 vidéos
Introduction1 min
The Biblical Authors Reinvent the Hero7 min
Commemorating the Fallen Soldiers5 min
The Glorified Death of the Fallen Warrior8 min
The Bible’s Treatment of Heroic Death6 min
Death in the Bible7 min
Biblical Law Codes and Procreation7 min
The Preservation of the People6 min
Interview with Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Part 110 min
Interview with Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Part 26 min
Interview with Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Part 310 min
Conclusion min
2 lectures
Letter from the Instructor: Welcome to Module 410 min
Module 4 Readings10 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Quiz 420 min
Enseignant
Dr. Jacob L. Wright
Associate Professor of Hebrew BibleCandler School of Theology and the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies
À propos de Emory University
Emory University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the world's leading research universities. Its mission is to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.
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