Book of Deuteronomy

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the biblical Book of Deuteronomy. It will involve an in-depth reading of the book against the background of contemporary scholarship. This will include contextualizing the Book of Exodus using other books in the Bible as well as extrabiblical sources from the ancient Middle East (including Hittite, Luwian, Assyrian, and Northwest Semitic inscriptions). Students will also be introduced to major scholarly programs addressing the book of Deuteronomy, including the Neo-Documentary Hypothesis, the Deuteronomistic History, the northern origin theory, and methods like form criticism, redaction criticism, material criticism, and innerbiblical exegesis. Deuteronomy will also be used to frame some major moments in the history of the field of biblical studies. Course readings will primarily be in English, but in-class readings of Deuteronomy will allow students to work on their target language of choice (e.g., Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or Syriac).