NEJS 114a: Death, Memorial, and Immortality in Biblical Literature Fall Course Overview 2. Course Responsibilities and Grading

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1 NEJS 114a: Death, Memorial, and Immortality in Biblical Literature Fall 2017 P Block (T, Th 3:30-5:00 PM) Professor Jacqueline Vayntrub Teaching Fellow: Justin Huguenin 1. Course Overview What does the Bible have to say about human mortality, divine immortality, and the afterlife? Are these ideas more consistent with later Jewish and Christian notions of death and the afterlife, or are they closer to the views of their ancient Near Eastern neighbors? In this course we will examine the development of biblical and ancient Near Eastern concepts of death and life-afterdeath. We will look at a variety of different types of texts that touch upon these themes, such as narrative, poetry, ritual, and law in the Hebrew Bible and ancient texts, from some of the oldest written stories to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among the topics we will cover include the depiction of human mortality and divine immortality in literature, dying as a social process, the development of the notion of an afterlife and the concept of the soul, and communication with the dead. We will also learn about the history of how these texts have been received in the West, and how they have shaped our inherited ideas of the immortality of the soul, human suffering, and divine justice. The aim of the course is to develop an awareness of the ancient historical and cultural context in which these texts were authored, and to deepen our understanding of our own modern views of mortality. 2. Course Responsibilities and Grading Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.). The grade for this class will be based on the following percentages: 20% of your total grade: Your continuous, active, and thoughtful participation in class discussion and reflection upon the readings. 30% of your total grade: A midterm exam, for which you will be amply prepared by a midterm study guide and in-class midterm review session. 10% of your total grade: A minute presentation ( reading report ) of your summary and thoughtful reflection on one of the week s readings to the rest of the class. (Sign up first week of class) 40% of your total grade: A final written project that synthesizes the knowledge and skills acquired in this course, to be turned in a week after the last day of the course, 9-11 double spaced pages. You will have a choice of type of project, see below. *Participation (20% of your total grade including 3 reflection assignments) Come to class ready to listen, participate, and engage thoughtfully with the course material and with other members of the class. If you need to be absent, please inform me ahead of time. Excused absences, outside of religious observance, require a doctor s note. 1

2 Three times in the course you will be required to submit a 1-2 page double spaced reflection on the readings and lectures, specifically responding to a question prompt. These reflections are not evaluated but count towards your participation grade. How to write a reflection. Think of reflections as (intelligent, well-written) journal entries that you would be comfortable sharing with the class, sometimes they are used to structure discussions (indicate in your reflection if you would like that your words not be shared in class). Reflections are written demonstrations of how you are processing the lectures and readings of the course. In your reflection, you must respond to the question prompt and cite that week s readings in your response. *Midterm Exam (30% of your total grade) The midterm is scheduled for Tuesday, November 2. The exam will cover all the material up to Week 7 of the course. You will receive a midterm study guide a week before the exam, which will tell you the format of the exam, summarize what you need to know, and will give examples of essay questions. There will be a review session for the exam on Tuesday, October 31. *Reading Report (10% of your total grade) Once during the semester you will be responsible for presenting a summary and your reflections on one of the assigned readings. This summary is a FIVE minute explanation of the main points of the reading and a SINGLE PAGE outline for the class. ( the outline to the class TF the morning your reading report is due so he can distribute to the rest of the class). *Final Paper (40% of your total grade) You will write a 9-11 (double spaced) page paper, deepening your examination of a topic addressed in the course (please clear your topic ahead of time with the course instructor, by Thursday of Week 9). Include as your sources, in addition to all of the readings assigned to that topic in the Course Syllabus, an additional eight sources that you have read and engaged, which you have discovered through your course readings (or otherwise assigned by the instructor for your particular topic). *Topic Proposal Due Thursday, Week 9* The Proposal will consist of a paragraph length abstract that explains (1) your main research question, (2) a preliminary argument, (3) a basic outline of the topics your paper will cover in order to address your main research question, (4) your bibliography. Your proposal represents 10% of your paper s final grade. 3. Class Policies Attendance and participation are a key part of the learning experience in this class. Your participation and attendance grade is based on your attendance in all classes (you are permitted one unexcused absence, beyond that absences without a doctor s note or otherwise excused by the instructors will affect your grade). Your preparation and participation means having read the assigned reading and making an effort to understand the ideas in these readings, being prepared to raise meaningful questions about the readings, and being willing to share your ideas and respond respectfully to the contributions of other students in the class. 2

3 Absence from exams: The midterm exam is scheduled for November 2. If you have an excused conflict with this exam date, notify me as soon as possible. I will allow in these cases a makeup midterm exam. An excused conflict is defined as a) an excused absence from me, obtained within the first two weeks of the course; b) an emergency or sudden illness. In the case of sudden illness, I expect a note from the health center or a physician. In the case of a different type of emergency, a makeup midterm exam is at my discretion. Absence from the final exam is a matter handled by the registrar s office. Assignment Submissions and Due Dates: The reflections are due by noon on LATTE on the day they are indicated on the syllabus. The final papers are due Wednesday, December 20 by 6pm on LATTE. Any papers turned in after that point are considered late. Late papers will be marked down by 10% per day. Laptops and Cellphones: Use of laptops and cellphones are not permitted in the class at any time, unless you have a note permitting you to use laptops from Student Accessibility Support. Academic Honesty: You are each responsible for your own work. You will be responsible for the content and quality of your own individual assignments. If you produce and submit work that is not your own, you will have violated Brandeis University s policies on academic integrity. You are responsible for making yourself familiar with and following the University s policies on academic integrity ( Allegations of violations of this policy will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Life for potential referral to the Student Judicial System. If sanctioned, you could be failed from the course and suspended from the University. Special Accommodations: If you are a student with an officially documented disability at Brandeis and wish to have a reasonable accommodation in this class, you should contact the instructors immediately. 4. Contacting the instructor Your first contact is the course Teaching Fellow, Justin Huguenin (jmmhug@brandeis.edu) for logistical questions about the course, reporting absences, or matters relating to accessing the readings. If he cannot answer your question, or if your concern is of a sensitive nature, please me. I will make an effort to answer s in a timely manner, but do not expect an answer to s between the hours of 6 PM and 9 AM. For anything that cannot be answered by the syllabus, contact Professor Vayntrub, vayntrub@brandeis.edu, Lown 311. Office Hours Please come by at our posted office hours or make an appointment to meet. Professor Vayntrub will hold office hours on Thursdays 1-3 PM. 3

4 5. Course Readings You must purchase two books for this course (the name used in the reading assignments are listed in bold) 1. Jewish Study Bible: Featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation, ed. A. Berlin, M. Brettler and M. Fishbane. Oxford University Press, JSB 2. Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel: The Ultimate Victory of the God of Life. J. Levenson. Yale University Press, Levenson *The remainder of the course readings are posted online on LATTE.* 6. Course Schedule Week 1. Why take this course? Thursday, August 31 Topic: Ancient Texts and Religious Canons in Contemporary Life Reading due: None; Syllabus (online) Online: Explore Part I. Death Week 2. Tuesday, September 5 Topic: What was death in the Hebrew Bible? (Afterlife and Afterdeath ) 1. 2 Samuel 3:26-39 (JSB) 2. 2 Samuel (JSB) 3. Numbers 20:22-29 (JSB) 4. Levenson 1-34 *Reading Reporter: Thursday, September 7 Overview Topic: Theorizing Mortuary Practice Close 1. Leviticus (JSB) 2. Leviticus 21:1-4 (JSB) 3. Olyan (2008), 1-9 (LATTE) 4. Klawans, Concepts of Purity (JSB) Reflection Assignment 1: Outline views you held prior to taking this course about how the Bible, Judaism, and/or Christianity understands life, death, afterlife, and meaning. How have the readings so far changed or deepened your understanding? Make specific references to the primary and secondary texts we have read and discussed in class. (1-2 pages double spaced). 4

5 Week 3. Tuesday, September 12 Discussion Topic: Social responses to death, continued 1. Numbers 19: Numbers 31: Olyan (1998) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Thursday, September 14 Close Reading Topic: Death and burial in the biblical world 1. Genesis 49:28-33; 50 (JSB) 2. 1 Kings 2:1-12 (JSB) 3. Job 19:24-27 (JSB) 4. Bloch-Smith (1992a) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: 5. Smith and Bloch-Smith (1988) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Week 4. Tuesday, September 19 Overview Topic: Mythology of death in biblical world 1. Ezekiel 32:17-31 (JSB) 2. Psalm 49 (JSB) 3. Sanders (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Extra Credit: Attend Lecture by Professor Annette Reed (NYU) Tauber Colloquium 12:20-2:20 PM Lown 315 no class Thursday, September 21 Part II. Memorial Week 5. Tuesday, September 26 Class cancelled. (Professor giving lecture at University of Chicago) Thursday, September 28 Close Reading Topic: Death and afterlife in Ugarit and Phoenicia Reading of primary texts: 1. From Ugarit: The Ba al Cycle (KTU 1.5 VI 11-25) (LATTE) 2. From Ugarit: Royal Ancestors Ritual (KTU 1.161) (LATTE) 3. From Phoenicia: Eshmunazor Sarcophagus (LATTE) 4. From Phoenicia: Memorial pillars (various) (LATTE) 5

6 Week 6. Tuesday, October 3 (Brandeis Thursday Schedule) Topic: Writing, Object, and Memory 1. Green, I Undertook Great Works (selection) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: 2. Suriano, Absalom s Reversal of Fortune (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Reflection Assignment 2: What do the so-called mortuary steles both visually and in their inscribed texts have to do with memory and death? How do the biblical standing stones relate? (1-2 pages double spaced). No class Thursday, October 5 Week 7. Tuesday, October 10 Class cancelled. (Professor giving lecture at Columbia University) Wednesday, October 11 (Brandeis Thursday Schedule) Topic: Death and afterlife in Mesopotamia. Focus: Sumerians 1. Stele of Vultures (LATTE) 2. Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet 12 (LATTE) 3. Ezekiel 39 (JSB) 4. Bottero (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Week 8. Tuesday, October 17 Overview Topic: Imagining the transition from life to death Readings: 1. Ishtar s Descent into the Netherworld (LATTE) 2. Isaiah 14 (JSB) 3. Cook (2007) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Thursday, October 19 Overview Topic: Communicating with the dead 1. Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (JSB) 2. 1 Samuel 28:3-25 (JSB) 3. Nihan (2003) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: 4. Finkel ( ) 1-17 (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: 6

7 Week 9. Tuesday, October 24 Close Reading Topic: Death, Succession, and Mortal Anxiety in Narrative 1. From Ugarit: Aqhat Tale (KTU ) (LATTE) 2. Vayntrub (2017) 1-22 (LATTE) 3. A biblical tale of impossible love, revenge, and succession: 2 Samuel 13 (JSB) Thursday, October 26 Guest Lecture Professor Rhiannon Graybill (Rhodes College) in Lown Graybill, Are We Not Men (selection, LATTE) Tuesday, October 31 Midterm Review Session Week 10. Thursday, November 2 Midterm Exam Part III. Immortality Week 11. Tuesday, November 7 Overview Topic: Ancestor Worship and Lineage 1. Genesis 35:16-21 (JSB) 2. 1 Samuel 20:1-9 (JSB) 3. 2 Samuel 18:18 (JSB) 4. van der Toorn (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: 5. Bloch-Smith (1992b) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Thursday, November 9 Close Reading Topic: Death, Family, and Land 1. Ruth 1-4 (JSB) 2. Genesis 38 (JSB) 3. Brichto 1-54 (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: *Reading Reporter: 7

8 Week 12. Tuesday, November 14 Discussion Topic: Good death vs. bad death in the Hebrew Bible Close 1. Genesis 25:1-19 (JSB) 2. Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 (JSB) 3. Spronk (2004) (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Thursday, November 16 Guest Lecture Professor Matthew Suriano (University of Maryland, College Park) in Lown 315 Week 13. Tuesday, November 21 Close Reading Topic: Meaning in Life and Death 1. Qoheleth 1-12 (JSB) 2. Levenson *Reading Reporter: 3. Murphy (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Reflection Assignment 3: Discuss the role inheritance, transmission, and success play in Qoheleth s understanding of the meaning of life and death. Integrate your understanding of previous texts we have read, such as Ruth, Job, and the Brichto reading. (1-2 pages double spaced). no class Thursday, November 23 Week 14. Tuesday, November 28 Topic: Jewish Martyrdom and the Idea of the Afterlife 1. 2 Maccabees 6-7 (LATTE) 2. 4 Maccabees (LATTE) 3. Shepkaru 1-44 (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: *Reading Reporter: Thursday, November 30 Topic: Resurrection in the Hebrew Bible 1. Isaiah (JSB) 2. Ezekiel 37 (JSB) 3. Daniel 7-12 (JSB) 4. Levenson *Reading Reporter: 8

9 Week 15. Tuesday, December 5 Topic: Resurrection in early Judaism and the New Testament 1. Matthew 27:32-66; 28 (LATTE) 2. Luke (LATTE) 3. 1 Corinthians 15 (LATTE) 4. Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 90b (LATTE) 5. Levenson *Reading Reporter: 6. Barr 1-20 (LATTE) *Reading Reporter: Thursday, December 7 Topic: The Afterlife in the New Testament, Rabbinic Literature, and Beyond 1. Matthew 13 (LATTE) 2. Revelation 20 (LATTE) 3. Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Pesahim 94a (LATTE) 4. Levenson *Reading Reporter: FILM IN CLASS: Star Trek, The Next Generation, Season 5, Episode 25 The Inner Light 7. Select Bibliography Avery-Peck, A. J. Death and the Afterlife in the Early Rabbinic Sources: the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Early Midrash Compilations. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery- Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Bailey, L. R. Gehenna: The Topography of Hell. Biblical Archaeologist 49, no. 3 (1986): Berlin, A. M. Power and Its Afterlife: Tombs in Hellenistic Palestine. Near Eastern Archaeology 65, (2002): Binford, L. R. Mortuary Practices: Their Study and Their Potential. In Approaches to the Social Dimensions of Mortuary Practices, edited by J. A. Brown, Washington: Society for American Archaeology, Blenkinsopp, J. Deuteronomy and the Politics of Post-Mortem Existence. VT 45, (1995): Bloch-Smith, E. Burials, Israelite. In Anchor Bible Dictionary, edited by D. N. Freedman, New York: Doubleday, 1992a.. The Cult of the Dead in Judah: Interpreting the Material Remains. Journal of Biblical Literature 111, no. 2 (1992b):

10 . Life in Judah from the Perspective of the Dead. Near Eastern Archaeology 65, (2002): Bottéro, J. Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Brichto, H. C. Kin, Cult, Land and Afterlife a Biblical Complex. HUCA 44 (1973): Brown, J. A. Mortuary Practices for the Third Millennium: In Performing Death: Social Analyses of Funerary Traditions in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean, edited by N. Laneri, Chicago: Oriental Institute Press, Collins, J. J. The Root of Immortality: Death in the Context of Jewish Wisdom. Harvard Theological Review 71, no. 3/4 (1978): The Afterlife in Apocalyptic Literature. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery-Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Cook, Stephen L. "Funerary Practices and Afterlife Expectations in Ancient Israel." Religion Compass 1, (2007): Davies, P. R. Death, Resurrection, and Life after Death in the Qumran Scrolls. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery-Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Elman, Y. The Suffering of the Righteous in Palestinian and Babylonian Sources. Jewish Quarterly Review 80, no. 3/4 (1990): Farmer, R. L. The Kingdom of God in the Qumran Literature. In The Kingdom of God in 20th- Century Interpretation, edited by W. L. Willis. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, Finkel, Irving L. Necromancy in Ancient Mesopotamia. Archiv für Orientforschung ( ): Geller, Markham J. The Landscape of the Netherworld. In Landscapes: Territories, Frontiers and Horizons in the Ancient Near East: Papers Presented to the Xliv Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Venezia, 7-11 July 1997, edited by Lucio Milano, Padova: Sargon, Hachlili, Rachel. Jewish Funerary Customs, Practices and Rites in the Second Temple Period. Vol. 94 Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism. Leiden: Brill, Harari, Yuval. The Sages and the Occult. In The Literature of the Sages, edited by Shemuel Safrai, Zeev Safrai, Joshua Schwartz and Peter J. Tomson, Assen, the Netherlands & Philadelphia: Van Gorcum; Fortress Press,

11 Klawans, Jonathan. Concepts of Purity in the Bible. In The Jewish Study Bible, edited by Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler and Michael A. Fishbane, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Lambert, W. G. The Theology of Death. In Death in Mesopotamia, edited by B. Alster, Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, Laneri, N. An Archaeology of Funerary Rituals. In Performing Death: Social Analyses of Funerary Traditions in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean, edited by N. Laneri, Chicago: Funerary Rituals, Lattke, M. On the Jewish Background of the Concept Kingdom of God. In Issues in Religion and Theology, edited by B. Chilton, Philadelphia & London: Fortress Press & SPCK, Lesko, Leonard H. Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egyptian Thought. In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, edited by Jack M. Sasson, vol. 3, London: Simon & Schuster, Lieberman, S. Some Aspects of after Life in Early Rabbinic Literature. In Harry Austryn Wolfson Jubilee Volume, Jerusalem: American Academy for Jewish Research, Meyers, E. M. Secondary Burials in Palestine. Biblical Archaeologist 33 (1970): Murphy, R. E. Death and the Afterlife in the Wisdom Literature. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery-Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Nickelsburg, G. W. E. Judgment, Life-after-Death, and Resurrection in the Apocrypha and the Non-Apocalyptic Pseudepigrapha. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery- Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Nihan, C. 1 Samuel 28 and the Condemnation of Necromancy in Persian Yehud. In Magic in the Biblical World: From the Rod of Aaron to the Ring of Solomon, edited by T. Klutz, London ; New York: T & T Clark International, Neusner, J. Death and the Afterlife in the Later Rabbinic Sources: The Two Talmuds and Associated Midrash-Compilations. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery- Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Olyan, S. M. What Do Shaving Rites Accomplish and What Do They Signal in Biblical Ritual Contexts? Journal of Biblical Literature 117 (1998):

12 . Some Neglected Aspects of Israelite Interment Ideology. Journal of Biblical Literature 124 (2005): Rahmani, L. Y. Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part One. Biblical Archaeologist 44, no. 3 (1981): Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part Two. Biblical Archaeologist 44, no. 4 (1981): Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part Three. Biblical Archaeologist 45, no. 1 (1982): Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part Four. Biblical Archaeologist 45, no. 2 (1982): Rutgers, L. V. Death and Afterlife: The Inscriptional Evidence. In Judaism in Late Antiquity, edited by A. J. Avery-Peck and J. Neusner, Leiden: E.J. Brill, Sanders, Seth L. The First Tour of Hell: From Neo-Assyrian Propaganda to Early Jewish Revelation. Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 9, no. 2 (2009): Schmidt, B. B. Israel's Beneficent Dead: Ancestor Cult and Necromancy in Ancient Israelite Religion and Tradition. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, Scurlock, J. A. Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Mesopotamian Thought. In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, edited by J. M. Sasson, London: Simon & Schuster, Shepkaru, S. From after Death to Afterlife: Martyrdom and Its Recompense. AJS Review 24, (1999): Smelik, K. A. D. The Witch of Endor: I Samuel 28 in Rabbinic and Christian Exegesis Till 800 A.D. Vigiliae Christianae 33, no. 2 (1979): Smith, M. S., and E. Bloch-Smith. Death and Afterlife in Ugarit and Israel. Journal of the American Oriental Society 108 (1988): Smith, J. Z. The Bare Facts of Ritual. History of Religions 20, no. 1/2, Twentieth Anniversary Issue (1980): Spronk, K. Good Death and Bad Death in Ancient Israel According to Biblical Lore. Social Science & Medicine 58, no (2004). Stern, David. Vayaikra Rabbah and My Life in Midrash. Prooftexts 21, (2001): Suriano, M. J. Dynasty Building at Ugarit: The Ritual and Political Context of KTU Aula Orientalia 27, (2009):

13 . Underworld, Descent into the. In vol. 5 of The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. K. D. Sakenfeld, et al., eds., pages Abingdon Press: Nashville, Death, Disinheritance, and Job's Kinsman-Redeemer. Journal of Biblical Literature 129 (2010): van der Toorn, K. Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria, and Israel. Vol. 7, SHCANE. Leiden: Brill, Wolff, S. R. Mortuary Practices in the Persian Period of the Levant. Near Eastern Archaeology 65, (2002): Wright, David P. Purification from Corpse-Contamination in Numbers XXXI Vetus Testamentum 35, (1985): Xella, P. Death and the Afterlife in Canaanite and Hebrew Thought. In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, edited by J. Sasson, New York: Hendrickson, Viviano, B. T. The Kingdom of God in the Qumran Literature. In The Kingdom of God in 20th- Century Interpretation, edited by W. L. Willis, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers,