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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
1st degree (Bachelor)
Responsible Department:
general & compar. literature
Semester:
2nd Semester
Teaching Languages:
Hebrew
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Prof. Ilana Pardes
Coordinator Office Hours:
2pm-3pm
Teaching Staff:
Prof Ilana Pardes
Course/Module description:
The Political Dramas of the House of David: A Literary Approach to the Bible
Literature and history go hand in hand in the story of the House of David. This course will explore the characteristics of the political imagination in the Bible by focusing on major episodes in the Book of Samuel – from the rise of David, to the rebellion of Absalom, and Solomon's kingdom. Special attention will be given to the role of women – Michal, Batsheva, the wise woman – in the Book of Samuel and to feminist readings in this connection. We will read a selection of articles and essays by Martin Buber, Erich Auerbach, Robert Alter, Phyllis Trible, and Mieke Bal.
Course/Module aims:
This is an introductory course whose aim is to explore different literary approaches to the Bible. The Book of Samuel, with its unparalleled interweaving of literature and history, serves as a case study.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
To explore the poetics of the biblical text
To define the approach to kingship in the Book of Samuel
To identify type-scenes
To present gender issues
To compare the different characters
Attendance requirements(%):
80%
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
seminar
Course/Module Content:
Introduction – Yotam’s Parable – Political Imagination in the Bible
Hannah and Samuel – The Annunciation Type-Scene (1 Samuel 1-2)
He Critique of Kingship (1 Samuel 8)
David, Saul, Michal – Familial Politics
David and Jonathan – Homoeroticism in the House of David
Saul and the Question of Leadership: Baalat Ha-Ov in Ein Dor (1 Samuel 28)
David and Batsheva – Sexual Politics (2 Samuel 11)
He Decline of the House of David (2 Samuel 12-13)
The Rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 13-24)
Solomon’s Temple: The Construction of Sacred Space (1 Kings 1-9)
Solomon and Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10)
The Rebellion of Jeroboam – The Splitting of the Kingdom
Conclusion
Required Reading:
--Martin Buber, selected passages from The Kingdom of Heaven
--Eric Aurebach, “The Scar of Odysseus” in Mimesis
--Robert Alter, “Biblical Type-Scenes,” in The Art of Biblical Narrative
--Robert Alter, "How Convention Helps Us Read: The Case of the Bible's Annunciation Type-Scene," Prooftexts 3 (1983), 115-130.
--Moshe Halbertal and Avishai Margalit, Idolatry (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992), Chapter 8, 214-235.
--Shemaryahu Talmon – “The Law of the King” in ha-melukha ha-yisraelit be-reshita
--Robert Alter, on David, in The Art of Biblical Narrative
--Ilana Pardes, “Rachel’s Dream of Grandeur, Countertraditions in the Bible (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992)
--Stephen Greenberg, Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in Jewish Tradition –on David-Jonathan-Saul
--Martin Buber, “Biblical Leadership” in On the Bible
--Herman Melville, Billy Budd
--Perry and Sternberg, “The King from an ironic perspective”
--Mieke Bal, “The Emergence of the Lethal Woman,” Lethal Love: Feminist-Literary Readings of Biblical Love-Stories (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987), 10-36
--Yair Zakovitch – mi-ro’eh le-mashiah – David: From Shepherd to Messiah
Steven Weitzman, “Building Heaven on Earth,” Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011), 98-113
Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silverman, “The Kingdom of Glory”
Dinah Stein, “Queen of Sheba vs. Solomon”
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Additional Reading Material:
Shimon Bar-Efrat - Samuel, Mikra le-Yisrael, 1996
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 80 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 10 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 10 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
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