COURSE SYLLABUS

RELS 3000
Jewish Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha
TR 9:30-10:50
Dr. John C. Reeves
108A Macy
Office hours: MW 1:00-2:00; or by appointment

Course description: This course provides an overview of the non-canonical, largely pseudepigraphical literature produced by Jewish authors (and in some cases adapted by non-Jewish editors) during the Second Temple, Roman, and Late Antique eras of Levantine Jewish history. Primary attention will be devoted to exploring this corpus's discernible relationships with biblical literature, rabbinic traditions, emergent Christian legendry, and even other diverse Mediterranean religious currents.

Texts:

B.M. Metzger & R.E. Murphy (eds.), The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books (Oxford, 1991).
H.F.D. Sparks (ed.), The Apocryphal Old Testament (Oxford, 1984).

Supplementary readings will be assigned or distributed by the instructor as needed.

Course requirements:

a) One (1) class presentation devoted to one of the apocryphal or pseudepigraphical works specified in the Rough Course Outline below. The student will introduce the class to the general issues involved in the study of the chosen work, respond to questions generated by the audience, and present a close exposition of one episode or chapter drawn from that same work. Choice of work must be made by Thursday, September 4; otherwise, the student forfeits their right of choice to the instructor. A special descriptive handout enclosed herein provides further details about this assignment. This presentation accounts for 25% of the final course grade, 5% of which will be determined by one’s classmates.

b) Seven (7) biweekly brief (2-3 pages) written reports on one’s readings in the secondary literature devoted to the study of apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writings. Each report is worth 5% of the final course grade. A special descriptive handout enclosed herein provide further details about these papers. These reports fall due on September 11 and 25, October 9 and 23, November 6 and 20, and December 4.

c) For the remaining 40% of the final course grade, the student may select one (1) of two options:

d) Either one (1) formal research project to be presented in written form (at least 10 pages, exclusive of notes and sources) that focuses upon a particular episode or motif, work, author, or genre of non-canonical literature, or upon a problem in the study of Jewish non-canonical literature. In consultation with the instructor, the student should select a topic that permits such an extended examination. While not restricted to material covered in class, it is expected that the paper will be informed by the semester’s activities. The final draft of the paper is due Thursday, December 11. Upon the instructor’s approval, preliminary versions of the paper may be presented orally during the final two weeks of the semester;

e) Or one (1) formal written response (7-10 pages) to two published articles disputing one particular motif that is allegedly present within a certain strand of pseudepigraphic literature. See the descriptive handout contained herein for further details. This paper will also fall due on Thursday, December 11.

f) Informed participation in class discussions, presentations, analyses, etc. Specific assignments will sometimes be announced in class, and students are expected to contribute to the public analysis and discussion of any assigned topic. Mastery of the assigned readings and diligent class attendance are necessary prerequisites for the successful completion of this course. Each student is responsible for all lectures, class discussions, assignments, student presentations, and announcements, whether or not he/she is present when they occur. While there is no formal attendance requirement mandated for this course, common sense dictates that steady attendance possesses significant, even tangible, advantages over sporadic visits and/or sightings for the purpose of course evaluation.

Miscellaneous information:

a. The grading scale used in this course is as follows: 91-100 A; 81-90 B; 71-80 C; 61-70 D; and 0-60 F.

b. One of the requirements of this course is to complete the work of the course on time. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for late work—an illness or other emergency. "Emergency," however, does not include your social involvements, travel plans, job schedule, disk and/or printer failures, the state of your love life, your obligations to other courses, or general malaise over the state of the world. The world has been in a mess as long as anyone can remember, and most of the world’s work is done by people whose lives are a mass of futility and discontent. If you haven’t learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is. Therefore:

1) All presentations will take place only upon their announced dates and times. In other words (and please note well!), there will be NO MAKEUP PRESENTATIONS scheduled. All missed presentations and unwritten papers will be averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade. No exceptions will be considered or granted.

2) All papers are due on the dates scheduled. Late papers will bear the following penalties: one day late/one letter grade; two days late/two letter grades; three or more days late/F. Please note: these are calendar days, not class meeting days. For accounting purposes, letter grades bear the following values: A=95; B=85; C=75; D=65; F=30. An untyped paper automatically receives the grade F, as do those typed papers which violate the required parameters or which the instructor deems physically unacceptable and/or grammatically incomprehensible.

c. Assistance and solicitation of criticism is your right as a member of the class. It is not a privilege to be granted or withheld. Do not hesitate to request it nor wait too late in the course for it to be of help.

ROUGH COURSE OUTLINE

1. Introduction: the problem of canon; definitions of apocrypha and pseudepigrapha; why pseudepigrapha; etc.

2. Competing modes of biblical exegesis: composition vs. exposition

Types of narrative found among A & P:

3. Free narrative
a. 1 and 2 Maccabees
b. Judith
c. Tobit
d. additions to Daniel

4. Biblical expansion
a. 1 Enoch
b. 2 Enoch
c. Jubilees
d. Adamschriften

5. Pseudepigraphic "biography"
a. Apocalypse of Abraham
b. Testament of Abraham
c. Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Levi, Judah, Naphtali)
d. Assumption of Moses
e. 4 Ezra
f. 2 Baruch
g. Paraleipomena of Jeremiah
h. Baruch

RESERVE LIST BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR RELS 3000

The following items have been placed on reserve for this course at the reserve desk on the second floor of Atkins Library. These may be used as research resources for your class presentations, secondary readings papers, and research projects, or simply for general orientation in the discipline of Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature. In addition to what is listed here, do not neglect to consult the relevant articles in such standard reference works as The Anchor Bible Dictionary or Encyclopaedia Judaica, both of which can be found in the reference collection on the first floor of the library.

Standard Collections

R.H. Charles, (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament (2 vols.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1913).
J.H. Charlesworth, (ed.), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols.; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983-85).

Monographs

J.H. Charlesworth, The Pseudepigrapha and Modern Research (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1980).
L. Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews (7 vols.; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1909-38). Volumes 5-7 (notes and index) only.
G.W.E. Nickelsburg, Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981).
J.C. Reeves, Heralds of That Good Realm: Syro-Mesopotamian Gnosis and Jewish Traditions (Leiden: Brill, 1996).
E. Schürer, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (rev. ed.; 3 vols. in 4; ed. G. Vermes, et al.; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1973-87). Volumes 3.1 and 3.2 only.

Articles

J.H. Charlesworth, "A History of Pseudepigrapha Research: The Re-emerging Importance of the Pseudepigrapha," ANRW II.19.1 (Berlin: W. de Gruyter, 1979) 54-88.
R.V. Huggins, "Noah and the Giants: A Response to John C. Reeves," Journal of Biblical Literature 114 (1995) 103-110.
D.G. Meade, "The Problem of New Testament Pseudonymity," Pseudonymity and Canon (Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1986) 1-16.
B.M. Metzger, "Literary Forgeries and Canonical Pseudepigrapha," Journal of Biblical Literature 91 (1972) 3-24.
J.C. Reeves, "The Afterlife of Jewish Pseudepigrapha in Medieval Near Eastern Religious Traditions: Some Reflections," (unpublished work in progress).
J.C. Reeves, "Utnapishtim in the Book of Giants?" Journal of Biblical Literature 112 (1993) 110-15.
J.C. Reeves, (ed.), Tracing the Threads: Studies in the Vitality of Jewish Pseudepigrapha (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1994). Ten separate articles contained herein.
M. Smith, "Pseudepigraphy in the Israelite Literary Tradition," Pseudepigrapha I (ed. K. von Fritz; Vandoeuvres-Genève: Fondation Hardt pour l’étude l’antiquité classique, 1972) 191-215.
M.E. Stone, (ed.), Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period (CRINT II.2; Philadelphia & Assen: Fortress & Van Gorcum, 1984). Another goodly number of pertinent articles found herein.

SECONDARY READINGS REPORTS

As part of the course requirements, the student must submit at biweekly intervals throughout the semester seven (7) written reports, each approximately 2-3 pages in length, that briefly summarize and evaluate one or more secondary studies in the discipline of apocryphal and pseudepigraphical studies. Material eligible for treatment include books, journal articles, article-length essays (as found, e.g., in the Reeves or Stone volumes above), and reference dictionary articles (as found in ABD or EncJud). You may use material from the reserve list above, items mentioned in the Sparks volume, or articles/books discovered by perusing the ATLA Religion Index or back-issues of professional journals. The only stipulation is that they must be directly pertinent to the subject matter of this course. These reports must be typed and double-spaced, with a clear bibliographic citation of the item being treated in each report. Due dates for these reports are indicated on page 1 of this syllabus.

CLASS PRESENTATION

By Thursday, September 4, each student should have selected one (1) apocryphal or pseudepigraphical work which will form the basis of an oral presentation before one’s peers (and the instructor) sometime during the semester. Works available for selection are those listed on page 3 of this syllabus, with some minor adjustments (e.g., 1 and 2 Maccabees are two distinct selections; Life of Adam and Eve in lieu of the innumerable Adamschriften). Students who fail to select a work by the deadline will be assigned one by the instructor. Once assignments are complete, the instructor will compile and distribute a schedule listing the selections, their presenters, and the approximate dates for each presentation.

What should be covered in a presentation? General introductory issues such as literary genre, purported age and geographical provenance, and surviving linguistic versions and their relative values are of course highly appropriate, as well as some assessment of the reasons why a particular work might have been produced, or why it was not included in the scriptural canon. You are expected to go beyond what is provided by the introductions in Sparks—hence you should examine Charles, Charlesworth, et al. for additional introductory matters to be presented within class.

Moreover, as part of your presentation, you should select one small portion of your work (like a chapter or pericope) for a more detailed exposition. Here you may want to focus on the relationship of the passage to parallel material in the Bible, or rabbinic literature, or the Qur’an, etc. Or you may want to demonstrate a typological point; say, that Ezra is really a "second Moses" here, or Tobit functions as a "second Job." Works like Ginzberg, Nickelsburg, or Stone can prove helpful in comparative tasks like these.

Meanwhile, your classmates will have previously read the selected work and will each prepare one question for you to address during your presentation. After your presentation, they will submit a numerical grade to the instructor (5% of the 25% credit for this assignment will be determined by your peers).

OPTIONAL RESPONSE PAPER TO A JBL DISPUTE

According to the course requirements, the student has the option of choosing to prepare either (1) a formal research paper, on a topic of the student’s choice, or (2) a formal written response, prepared in reaction to two articles published in the Journal of Biblical Literature during the mid-1990s. Should the student select option (2), the procedure is as follows:

1. Carefully read Reeves, JBL 112 (1993) 110-115. (on reserve)
2. Carefully read Huggins, JBL 114 (1995) 103-110. (on reserve)
3. After satisfying yourself that the referenced sources are not being distorted, or positions misstated, or logic skewed (or alternatively, that some or all these flaws are indeed present), and using the knowledge you have gained in this course, prepare an essay that outlines if, how, why, or why not Reeves should now respond to Huggins. In other words, if you were the author of article #1, how would you respond to article #2? Or has Huggins successfully refuted him in every particular? Parameters for this paper appear on page 2 of this syllabus.
4. The instructor will also work on this assignment, and if time permits, he will share with interested parties the resultant work.