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THEO 103: NEW
TESTAMENT SELECT BOOKS: APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE
Course
Description and Schedule
Email:
andrei.orlov@mu.edu
Phones: 414-288-6802 (office); 414-962-3460 (home)
Office: Coughlin Hall, 209
REQUIRED TEXTS:
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Scripture.
Any modern translation of the Bible is acceptable (must include
apocrypha). Especially recommended is the New Oxford Annotated
edition of the New Revised Standard Version [Bible]
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J. J. Collins, The Apocalyptic
Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (2nd
edition; Eerdmans, 1998) ISBN 0-8028-4371-9 ($23.36 on Amazon.com) [Collins]
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M.G. Reddish (ed.), Apocalyptic
Literature. A Reader (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1990) ISBN 1-56563-210-9
($22.76 on Amazon.com) [Reddish]
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Electronic Materials [Electronic]
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
This course
will explore the narrative and social worlds of ancient Jewish and
Christian apocalyptic literature, from its roots in the Hebrew prophets,
to their major expressions in the biblical apocalypses of Daniel and
Revelation as well as the lesser known apocalyptic works and traditions
found in the Jewish pseudepigrapha and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
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Class Participation
(30% of final grade): You will be assigned a participation grade
based on (a) class attendance, (b) class preparation i.e. reading
and digesting the assignments, (c) attention and participation
during class lectures and discussions. Occasional quizzes will
figure in the class participation grade. In order to prepare for the
quiz you will need to study the concepts/persons/events discussed at
the previous classes. The lowest graded quiz will be dropped at the
end of the semester, but there will not be any make up quizzes.
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Short (15 minutes)
presentation on a biblical character in the apocalyptic traditions
(10% of final grade).
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Midterm Exam (30% of
final grade).
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Final Exam (30% of
final grade).
PRESENTATION GUIDELINES:
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You will be
divided in groups of two or three people.
I will assign to each group one biblical character from this list:
Adam, Eve, Satan, the Watchers, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Melchisedek, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Levi, Moses, Job, Ezekiel,
Baruch, Daniel, Ezekiel, Son of Man.
You will need to gather information about your character from
extra-biblical apocalyptic and pseudepigraphical sources and present
this information before the class.
You presentation should be NO MORE than 15 minutes. It should be
very dynamic and compact. The class then will have opportunity to
ask you some questions.
I put on reserve in the Raynor library (underground floor) several
books from which you can gather initial information for your
presentation. These books are:
D. Russell, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Patriarchs and
Prophets in Early Judaism.
M. Stone and T. Bergren (eds.), Biblical Figures outside the Bible.
R. Graves and R. Patai, Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis.
J. Kugel, The Bible As It Was.
These books should be the starting point of your research project.
Then you should go and find other scholarly resources (books,
articles) as well as visual images for your presentation.
In order to prepare a good presentation you need first carefully
read the biblical story of your character trying to notice all
important details of his biography. Then after that you can proceed
to non-biblical apocalyptic sources and see how these later texts
expand and change the original story. In your presentation you
should describe major apocalyptic sources that deal with the story
of your character and demonstrate textual excerpts from these texts
which pertain to the story.
Other helpful materials and the collections of the original texts
include:
L. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews (7 vols; Baltimore: John
Hopkins University Press, 1998). Thematic index is in volume 7.
J. H. Charlesworth, (ed.). The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols;
Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday, 1983-1985). Thematic index is in the
volume 2.
H. Sparks, The Apocryphal Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon, 1984).
G. Anderson and M. Stone,
A Synopsis of the Books of Adam and Eve.
Second Revised Edition (SBLEJL, 17; Atlanta: Scholars, 1999).
F. L. Horton, Jr., The Melchizedek Tradition: A Critical Examination
of the Sources to the Fifth Century A.D. and in the Epistle to the
Hebrews (SNTSMS 30; Cambridge, England: 1976).
A. Klijn, Seth in Jewish, Christian and Gnostic Literature (Leiden:
Brill, 1977).
W. Meeks, The Prophet-King: Moses Traditions and the Johannine
Christology (SNT, 14; Leiden: Brill, 1967).
M. Barker, The Lost Prophet: The Book of Enoch and its Influence on
Christianity (London: SPCK, 1988).
M. Hooker, The Son of Man in Mark (London: SPCK, 1967).
ATTENDANCE:
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In accordance
with the policy of the College of Arts and Sciences, “attendance is
mandatory for every exercise of a course in which a student is
enrolled.” More than four absences will result in a reduction
of your grade. As per university guidelines, more that six
absences may result in your withdrawal from the course. The College
of Arts and Sciences defines “unavoidable absences as those due to
debilitating illness, personal emergency, and, with prior approval,
participation in university-sanctioned athletic competitions.
Students must inform their instructors and the Arts and Sciences
office, in a timely fashion and with supporting evidence, of the
reasons for their unavoidable absence.” If you are absent from
class, it is your responsibility to get any notes, materials, or
notices from other students.
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY:
All material
submitted for this class should be the work of the student whose name
appears on the material. The policies outlined in Marquette’s
Undergraduate Bulletin on academic honesty will be followed.
GRADES:
A -
100-92%
AB
-91-87%
B
-86-80%
BC -
79-75%
C -
74-68%
CD -
67-63%
D -
62-56%
F -
Below 56
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