JCTC1001 - Palestine: Roman Rule to Islam

Semester 1, 2011  |  Credit Points: 6

Coordinator: Suzanne Rutland
Phone: +61 2 9351 6662
Email: suzanne.rutland@sydney.edu.au

Description

How did the religion and history of the Jewish people change from the Second Temple to the rabbinic period? Explore the history and religion of the Jews during the watershed period in Palestine under Roman rule. Study the Hellenist influence on Judaism, the development of different sects, including the Dead Sea sect, and the emergence of Christianity. Lectures (2 hours a week) focus on the history of the period. Tutorials (1 hour a week) deal with broad questions such as who is a Jew and universalism and chosenness in Judaism together with a knowledge and understanding of basic Jewish belief and practice. Students will gain insights into the evolution of Judaism from pagan times to the present. At the upper level, students can study Medieval Judaism, Holocaust and Israel.

Assessments

1x2hr exam (40%), 1x2000wd essay (30%), 1x500wd synopsis of a tutorial paper (20%) and class participation (10%)

Textbooks

Ben-Sasson, H.H (ed) A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1976
Telushkin, J., Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, its People and its History, N.Y., William Morrow, 2001
Holtz, B. ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classical Jewish Texts, N.Y., Touchstone, 1992

Classes

1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week

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