THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
RLS 307
Saint Martin's College
Spring 2001
Professor: David W. Suter
Phone: (360) 438-4360
Office: 366 Old Main
Office hours: 11:00-11:50 AM, MWF; 2:30-3:50 PM, TR
Email: dsuter@stmartin.edu
Home page: http://homepages.stmartin.edu/fac_staff/dsuter/
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 century that continues to be a breaking story on the front page of newspapers a half century after the first scrolls came to light.
This semester, the class will be linked through the medium of the Internet to a class on Qumran (the location along the Dead Sea where the scrolls were discovered) taught by James Davila at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Davila is a scholar who has been involved in the editing and publication of the manuscripts. Beginning early in February, he will moderate an electronic discussion list and maintain a web site as a part of his class, where students from his class will be able to join in a discussion with scholars and laypersons interested in the scrolls from around the world. Summaries of the lectures at St. Andrews will be posted to the list and the web site, as well as several Internet lectures, one of which will be contributed by the professor at Saint Martin's College. Students in the class at Saint Martin's will be able to join the list and participate in the discussion. It should be noted from the outset that participation in the discussion requires observance of the Community Rule that is part of the process of joining the discussion list. One goal of this course (at Saint Martin's) will be to familiarize students with the potential of the use of the computer and the Internet in education in the Humanities. The following link will take one to the web page established for the course at the University of St. Andrews: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_sd/qumran.html. Davila's Community Rule can be found at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_sd/qumran_comrule.html.
Texts
James C. VanderKam, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994). ISBN 0-281-04774-X.
Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (London: Penguin, 1998). ISBN 0 14 02 7807 9.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Revealed, a CD-ROM from Logos Research Systems.
In addition, the student will need to have access to a modern translation of the Bible (appropriate versions include the RSV, NRSV, NEB, NIV, NAB, and the Jerusalem Bible, but not the Living Bible or the King James Version).
Requirements
Course requirements include a midterm test, a final exam, and a term paper of eight to ten pages in length. The midterm will count 25 percent of the final grade, the final 25 percent, and the term paper 25 percent. In addition, 25 percent of the grade will be based on participation points, to be earned over the course of the semester through participation in discussion in class, making presentations in class, and participation in the Internet discussion list. A schedule of points to be earned will be published during the first week of the semester. Grades on written work will be based upon the ability of the student to deal with the information and ideas from reading assignments, class discussions, and the Internet list with clarity of expression and a depth of understanding.
All written work must be the student's own, and quotations and ideas derived from others must be properly cited both with internal references and a list of references or bibliography. Violations of the college's rules on academic dishonesty (to be found in the college catalog) may result in failure of assignment or class, depending upon the seriousness of the offense in the judgment of the professor. Students will be expected to join the discussion list moderated by James Davila and to follow the rules for that discussion set out in the list's Community Rule. The student should note at the outset that Davila reserves the right to remove a participant from the list for failure to follow the rules.
Schedule of Classes
Note: the schedule of topics from James Davila's course at Saint Andrews University in Scotland is in boldface type to aid in coordinating the course at Saint Martin's College with the online presentations and discussion. Students are expected to read the online lectures and presentations as they appear. Students are also expected to come to class having read the assigned material, prepared to ask questions and enter into discussion.
Jan. 17: Introduction
Jan. 19: The Discoveries. Read VanderKam, pp. 1-27. It is suggested that you read through the whole of VanderKam before February 12 to gain a knowledge base for involvement in the online discussion.
Jan. 22: Video: The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Nova).
Jan. 24: The Historical Background to the Period of the Scrolls. Read Vermes, pp. 50-53 and note chronology on pp. xvii-xix.
Jan. 26: Who Wrote the Scrolls? Read VanderKam, pp. 71-98.
Jan. 29: The Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Read VanderKam, pp. 121-58.
Jan. 31: Retelling the Bible: The Interpretation of the Bible in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Genesis Apocryphon. Read Vermes, pp. 448-59. Testaments. Read Vermes, pp. 524-36.
Feb. 2: Going Online: An Introduction to Internet Discussion Lists and Using the Web for Scholarship.
Feb. 5: Introduction from Saint Andrews.
Feb. 7: The Controversy over the Publication of the Scrolls. Read VanderKam, pp. 187-201.
Feb. 9: Video: Dead Sea Scrolls: Voices from the Desert.
Feb. 12, 14, 16: The Rules for Communal Life. The Community Rule. Read Vermes, pp. 97-124. Survey of the Scrolls. Read VanderKam, pp. 29-70. The Damascus Document. Read Vermes, pp. 125-43.
Feb. 21, 27: The War Rule and the Pesharim. The War Scroll. Read Vermes, pp. 161-83. Commentaries, etc. Read Vermes, pp. 466-91.
Feb. 26, 28, March 2: Poetic Texts. The Thanksgiving Hymns (Hodayot). Read Vermes, pp. 243-94.
March 5, 7, 9: Liturgical Texts. The Heavenly Sabbath Liturgy (The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice). Read Vermes, pp. 321-30. Midterm exam due March 7 at 5:00 PM.
March 12, 14, 16: Halakhic Texts and the Temple Scroll. Some Precepts of Torah. Read Vermes, pp. 220-28. The Temple Scroll. Read Vermes, pp. 190-219.
March 19-23: Spring Break for Saint Martin's College. Watch for material from Saint Andrews on The Archaeology of Qumran.
March 26, 28, 30: Internet Lecture: James Davila: On Finding and Keeping Parallels. I will make assignments when I have a better idea of what Jim is dealing with. The Copper Scroll. Read Vermes, pp. 583-89.
April 2, 4, 6: Internet Lecture: David Suter: Enoch in the Scrolls. The Book of Enoch. Read Vermes, pp. 513-17 and handout English translation of portions of the Ethiopic version of Enoch.
April 9, 11: Texts from the Period of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Assignment to be announced.
April 18, 20: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls. John the Baptist and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Read VanderKam, pp. 159-85.
April 23, 25, 27: Paul and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essenes. Read VanderKam, pp. 99-119.
April 30, May 2: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Sadducees. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Archives of Jerusalem. At Saint Martin's College, we will be reviewing for the final. Term paper due April 30 at 5:00 PM.
May 9: Final exam due in professor's office by 5:00 PM.