Sacred Books of the Jews (3 cr)
Jason Mokhtarian
JSTU-J 220 #31503 / REL-A 235 #29917
MW 1-2:15 (BH141)
GenEd A&H; GenEd WC; CASE A&H; CASE GCC; credit given for only one of J220 or REL-A 235
This course will explore the sacred texts of Judaism after the Bible with a particular emphasis on cultivating the skills of close textual analysis. In this course, students explore questions such as: Why are some texts considered sacred, while others are not? How did Jews create new religious knowledge after the Bible was canonized? Did they imagine that revelation had stopped, and if so, how could a new sacred text come into being? In exploring these types of questions, this class exposes students to a wide variety of genres of Jewish sacred texts, including the Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, and Kabbalah, often engaging parallel traditions within these works. Other readings may include excerpts from liturgical, philosophical, and poetic texts.
