The program of study in the Hebrew Bible is itself subdivided into different specializations, in recognition of the fact that students generally wish to define their interest in Bible in terms of various related disciplines and fields. Students are thus asked to choose among the following paths of specialization: Bible and the History of Israel (concentrating in either the preexilic or postexilic periods); Bible and Archaeology; Bible and Semitic Philology; Bible and Theology/History of Exegesis (concentrating in either theology or the history of exegesis). While each of these specializations offers its own options, all students must meet common field requirements, ensuring that all graduates will share a basic grounding in biblical Hebrew and related languages, the background and methods of modern biblical scholarship, and in the history of biblical Israel in its ancient Near Eastern context.
Students pursuing a graduate degree in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament are required to meet the general graduate requirements for all students pursuing graduate degrees in the Department of Near Eastern Language and Civilizations. In addition to these requirements, students must also meet the field requirements in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.
Note: These are requirements for students pursuing a Ph.D in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. For students pursuing the A.M., please see the general graduate requirements. The following represents a revision completed in September, 1994 (1999 slightly revised), and applicable to all new graduate students from this date forward. Students already in the Ph.D. program may elect to follow the previous core guidelines or this revised set, upon consultation with their advisors.
1) Hebrew and Hebrew Bible
2) Second Language
3) Historical Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Classical
Hebrew 138)
4) Biblical Aramaic and Related Texts
5) Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Ancient Near
East 210)
6) History of the Study of the Hebrew Bible: From the Renaissance
to the Present (Ancient Near East 221)
7) One Course in the history of Ancient Israel in its Historical
Setting
8) Biblical Archaeology (Ancient Near East 117)
9) Problems in the Literature, History and Religion of
Israel: Seminar (Hebrew 200r)
a) Competence in Biblical
Hebrew and knowledge of the text of the Hebrew Bible are
measured by two special examinations,
both independent of and prior to the doctoral
general examinations.
1) The first tests a knowledge of the contents of the Hebrew Bible in English, as well as the basic questions and major scholarly positions involved in the study of each of its major units (e.g., Pentateuch, D History, prophetic books, Psalms), as represented in a volume like John H. Hayes, An Introduction to Old Testament Study (Abingdon, 1979). The examination must be completed at the latest by the beginning of the second year of study in the graduate program. Students may prepare for it by private study, but they may also find it useful to audit Ancient Near East 120 (Introduction to the Bible), if they feel that their general grasp of the field is weak.
2) The second examination covers passages in Hebrew from the Hebrew Bible, both prose and poetry. It involves translation into English, grammatical analysis, and pointing a short unvocalized text. The Biblical passages for examination will be selected at random, but correspond in difficulty to three years' knowledge of Biblical Hebrew, i.e., equivalent to successful completion of the doctoral version of Classical Hebrew 130a-b (Rapid Reading). This examination must be passed no later than the end of the second year in 'the graduate program, although the sooner the better, since the student will be that much more able to take advanced Hebrew courses with profit. To prepare for the examination, students may wish, at their discretion, to enroll in Classical Hebrew 130 (Rapid Reading); they may continue, of course, to take or audit the Rapid Reading course even after they have passed the examination.
b) Hebrew exegesis
of the Hebrew Bible - 3 semesters (credit).
Courses satisfying this requirement
presently include: Hebrew 208, 209, 210, 211, 216,
218r, 219, 221, 245. Other courses may also qualify as they are approved by
the student's advisor.
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In conformity with the general requirements of NELC, this requires knowledge at the level of 4 semesters of credit work. It may be taken in anyone of the following three groups:
a) Northwest Semitic
• Semitic Philology 140
(Introduction to the Comparative Study of Semitic Languages).
• Semitic Philology 151
(Introduction to Northwest Semitic Epigraphy).
• Semitic Philology 152
(Introduction to Ugaritic).
• Semitic Philology 220r
(Northwest Semitic Epigraphy: Seminar; this also includes the
Ugaritic Seminar).
b) Aramaic
• Aramaic B (Targumic
Aramaic).
• A combination of three
of the following: Aramaic Ca-Cb (Elementary Syriac), Aramaic
122 (Old and Imperial Aramaic), Aramaic 124 (Readings in Syriac), Aramaic
(Babylonian Talmudic Aramaic).
N.B.
It is assumed that students will know as well Biblical Aramaic and related
texts, as per
No.4 below.)
c ) Akkadian
• Akkadian
A.
• Akkadian
120.
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3) Historical Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Classical Hebrew 138) - 1 semester (credit).
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4) Biblical Aramaic
and Related Texts
Normally this requirement is met through the one-semester course in Biblical
Aramaic offered at Weston School of Theology by Prof. Daniel Harrington. This
covers not only the Aramaic of the Hebrew Bible, but various related corpora,
including Qumran texts and Imperial Aramaic texts like those from Elephantine.
Students may be excused from taking this course if they can demonstrate an
equivalent knowledge gained from other study. Demonstration may involve, upon
decision of the faculty, a written examination.
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5) Textual Criticism
of the Hebrew Bible (Ancient Near East 210) - 1 semester (credit).
This course is offered by Dr. Richard Saley, on present expectations every
other year. It has as a prerequisite a good reading knowledge of Biblical
Hebrew and of Koine Greek, the latter based on at least 3 semesters of course
work, which may, upon decision of the faculty, require certification by examination.
In addition, some knowledge of Aramaic would be very helpful - including perhaps
even Syriac - though not a formal prerequisite.
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6) History of the Study of the Hebrew Bible: From
the Renaissance to the Present (Ancient Near East 121) - 1 semester (credit).
The point of this course is to provide an historical review of the major scholarship
on the Hebrew Bible and ancient Israel since the inception of critical study.
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7) One Course in the history
of Ancient Israel in its Historical Setting - 1 semester (credit).
Choose either of the following for credit, with the other to be taken as a
audit:
a) Ancient Near East
105 (History of the Ancient Near East: Syria-Palestine [up to Alexander
the Great]).
b) History 1090 (History of Jews and Judaism in the
Ancient World).
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8) Biblical Archaeology (Ancient Near East 117) - 1 semester (credit).
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9) Problems in the
Literature, History, and Religion of Israel: Seminar (Hebrew 200r) - 2
semesters (credit).
Students are required to audit this course if they are not taking it for credit,
in the first and second years of their graduate program, and to take it for
credit twice, ordinarily in their second and third years. Auditing requires
regular attendance and the submission of a brief written critique (1-2 pages)
of each of the papers presented to the seminar. In order to be eligible to
take the course for credit in their second year, students must have a good
knowledge of the contents of the Hebrew Bible and of Biblical Hebrew. In addition,
students should also have passed the reading examinations in French and German.
The content of this seminar may focus on a given period in the history of
ancient Israel, as it has regularly done in the past, or on a particular topic
or phenomenon that cuts across different bodies of data and approaches, like
kingship.
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The total semesters of credit for the field
requirements in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament would be 15, not counting Classical
Hebrew 130 (Rapid Reading) and courses in Greek. It could be reduced to 14,
if the student were excused from the course in Biblical Aramaic, as noted
in 4) above. We would in addition strongly recommend that students enroll,
either for audit (ANE 120 and 126) or for credit (ANE 126 only), in the following
one-semester courses, particularly if it is judged that they need to improve
their general grasp of the Biblical field:
a) Ancient Near East 120 (Introduction to the Bible);
b) Ancient Near East 126 (History of the Religion of Israel).
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John
Ellison, Lecturer on Near Eastern
Languages and Civilizations
Jo
Ann Hackett, Professor of the Practice of Biblical Hebrew and Northwest
Semitic Epigraphy
Paul
Hanson, Florence Corliss Lamont Professor of Divinity (Divinity School)
Jon
Levenson, Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies (Divinity School)
Peter
Machinist, Hancock Professor of Hebrew and other Oriental Languages
Lawrence
Stager, Dorot Professor of the Archaeology of Israel
For a complete list of the courses in Hebrew
Bible/Old Testament, and in other fields in NELC, please click
here.
For a complete list of the courses in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences,
please click here.
For the Harvard University Wide Online Course Catalog, please click
here.
©Copyright
2003 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
