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The
Dead Sea Scrolls
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Saint Martin's
College Humanities Division Department of Religious Studies David Suter homepage Return to course list Campus office: 366 Campus phone: (360) 438-4360 Office hours: MWF 2:00-2:50 PM; TR 10:00-10:50 AM Email contact here |
Description General Education Texts Requirements Topics and Assignments |
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Everyone seems to be fascinated by accounts of the search for
hidden treasure and lost secrets, and the effort to expose conspiracies, as some
of the higher-numbered channels on our television sets have discovered. The
story of the finding and study of the Dead Sea Scrolls carries some of that kind
of interest. Discovered initially in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd boy exploring a
cave in the bluffs along the western shore of the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Scrolls
have revolutionized our understanding of Judaism in the Second Temple period and
have had a significant impact on discussions of Jesus and the origins of
Christianity. Their study has stirred controversy in scholarly forums and the
popular press. Current battles among scholars are over the nature and identity
of the group (or groups) responsible for writing and preserving the scrolls, the
source of the scrolls, the reason for their deposit in the caves, and the
connection between the caves where they were deposited and the nearby ruins. In
this course, we will encounter the story of the discovery of the scrolls and
their preservation as well as the battles amongst scholars over deciphering and
interpreting them. We will learn something about the use (and misuse) of
archaeology to reconstruct the past as we study them. We will also seek to
determine the implications of the scrolls for understanding the Hebrew Bible
(the Christian Old Testament), their impact upon historical reconstruction of
Judaism in the era in which they were produced, their relation to early
Christianity and its scriptures, and their place in the religious literature of
the world. What you should take away from this class is some knowledge of the
most significant archaeological discovery of the twentieth century, a discovery that continues to be a
breaking story on the front page of newspapers more than a half century after the first
scrolls came to light. You should also gain some understanding of
Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism in their formative periods. |
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Texts
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Course requirements include a midterm test, a final exam, and a term paper of eight to ten pages in length. The midterm, final, and the term paper will each count for 25 percent of the grade. In addition, 25 percent of the grade will be based on class participation, to include a small group or individual report on one of the documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls. All written work must be the student's own, and quotations and ideas derived from others must be properly cited. Violations of the college's rules on academic dishonesty may result in failure or assignment or class, depending upon the seriousness of the offense in the judgment of the professor. |
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments March 20: Introduction March 22: The Discoveries. Read VanderKam, pp. 1-27. March 27: The Community Rule. Read Vermes, pp. 97-117. Survey of the Scrolls. Read VanderKam, pp. 29-70. The Damascus Document. Read Vermes, pp. 127-45. March 29: Survey continued. The Thanksgiving Hymns. Read Vermes, pp. 249-305. April 3: Who Wrote the Scrolls? Read VanderKam, pp. 71-98. The War Scroll. Read Vermes, pp. 163-85. April 5: Who Wrote continued. The Temple Scroll. Read Vermes, pp. 191-220. April 10: The Essene Hypothesis. Read VanderKam, pp. 99-119. Some Precepts of Torah, Read Vermes, pp. 221-29. April 12: The Essene Hypothesis continued. Review. April 17: Midterm Test. Class session afterwards TBA. April 19: The Scrolls and the Text of the Hebrew Scriptures. Read VanderKam, pp. 121-41. The Genesis Apocryphon. Read Vermes, pp. 480-91. Testaments. Read Vermes, pp. 557-73. April 24: The Scrolls and the Canon of the Hebrew Scriptures. Read VanderKam, pp. 142-58. Commentaries, etc. Read Vermes, pp. 492-526. April 26: The Scrolls and Early Christianity. Read VanderKam, pp. 159-85. The Heavenly Sabbath Liturgy. Read Vermes, pp. 329-39. May 1: The Controversy over the Publication of the Scrolls. Read VanderKam, pp. 187-201. Concepts of Evil in the Scrolls (readings TBA). May 3: The Place of the Scrolls in the Religious Literature of the World. May 8: Term Paper due. Discussion and Review. May 10: Final Exam. |
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