For session 3 (7 October)...

Remember that next week (Tuesday 30 September) we will not be having class as it is the intensive modular week. Our next session will be on the 7th of October.

In our next session we will begin to look at the literature of the second temple period. For this session you will need to have read:

• VanderKam, chapter 2, pg. 53-71 and 88-100
• excerpts from Maccabees - 1 Maccabees 1-2; 2 Maccabees 1-2, 6-7
  
• Book of Tobit - entire text
• Book of Jubilees, ch. 1-3, 17-18
  

All of these texts are available in the library in the volumes by Charles and Charlesworth (see bibliography in syllabus). Alternatively,

• 1 Macc. and 2 Macc. can be found here.
• Several versions of Tobit are available online here (NAB preferred).
• Jubilees is available here.

Please bring copies of these texts with you to our next session, as well as your Bible. Here are some questions to think through as you read these texts:

VanderKam:

• What are some of the problems with the language of 'pseudepigrapha' and 'apocrypha'? How does VanderKam deal with these issues, and how does he organise the literature of this period?

1 Maccabees:

• Who was Judas Maccabeus, and what is going on during his lifetime?
• Briefly, what happens in 1 Maccabees 1-2? Does this remind you of any other biblical material?
• What is the function of 1 Maccabees 1:1-9, and why is Alexander mentioned?
• What role does Antiochus Epiphanes play in these chapters?
• What relation might 1 Macc. 1:54-64 have with the book of Daniel?
• How does 1 Macc. 2 differ in tone and function from ch. 1?
• Read Num. 25:1-12 - any similarities between Phineas and Mattathias?
• What are the implications of choosing to fight on the Sabbath?

2 Maccabees:

• What time period is the book of 2 Maccabees concerned with? What overlap does it have with 1 Macc?
  
• What does 2 Macc. 2:19-32 tell us about the author's purpose?
• Note the story of 2 Macc. 6 - does it remind you of any other stories? What values are being upheld here?

Tobit:

• Who are the main characters of the book of Tobit? How would you summarise the story?
• What role does the supernatural play in the narrative of Tobit?
• What are the characteristics of the future as seen in Tobit 13-14?
• What elements of piety or spirituality do we see modeled or upheld in Tobit?

Jubilees:

• Why is the book of Jubilees refered to as 'rewritten Scripture'?
• Why is the book named 'Jubilees'?
• What period of Israel's history is it concerned with?
• Jubilees 1-3 - what is different here than in the biblical text?
  
• Jubilees 17-18 - how is this biblical story retold? What role does Mastema play?

For session 2 (23 Sept)...

Our next session will be focusing on the political situation of second temple Judaism, specifically Persian, Hellenistic & Roman rule.

By our next gathering you should have read:

• VanderKam, An Introduction to Early Judaism, ch. 1, p. 1-52

• Excerpts from Elephantine papyri: the ‘Passover Letter’ and the ‘Temple authorization letter’. These will be available in this module’s ‘reserved folder’ in the library. Alternatively:
• The ‘Passover Letter’ can be found online here.
• The ‘Temple Authorization Letter’ can be found online here.

Some questions to think about during your reading:

• What type of leadership structures did the Persians have in place for the peoples who returned to their native lands?
• What were some of the hallmarks of the Hellenstic period of rule over Judea?
• What is meant by 'the Hasmonean State', and what was the significance of it?
• How did the Romans gain control over the region that included Judea?
• What is the significance of 70 CE?
• What do the excerpts from Elephantine tell us about the Judaism practised there? What broader implications might they have for the Judaism of their day?

Make sure to bring your Bibles next week as we'll be looking at quite a few OT texts. If you have any thoughts, questions or comments on any of these, feel free to leave a message in the comments, send me an email, or drop into the office.