Religious Studies 3400a: Apocrypha Apocalypses & Dead Sea Scrolls
Studies in Judaism (series)
M, W, F: 14:00-14:50 07-Sept -9 Dec, 2005
C 674.
Dr JR Linville U-Hall, C-878 329-2537 james.linville@uleth.ca
Office Hours: M, W, F 11:00-12:00. Tues. 1.30-3.30
You are welcome to make appointments for other times, too.

This course is an investigation into the sectarian and non-biblical Jewish literature from the centuries prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE and the problem these writings raise regarding the formation of the biblical canon and understanding Jewish thought around the turn of the eras. The apocrypha is a collection of Jewish writings which many Jews regarded as very important but eventually were not selected for inclusion in Tanakh. Christians, however, kept reading them and included them in their Bibles. Alongside these books, Jews produced all sorts of other material. Apocalypses are writings describing the end of the world and the creation of a new one in which only the pious people will survive. The Dead Sea scrolls are a huge collection of writings which include the oldest copies of biblical material known to exist and a lot of non-biblical books, including some apocalypses and other material. The collection gives us a good look at the scope of Jewish thought on the eve of the birth of Christianity.
All of these materials raise many questions when it comes to understanding how and why the Bibles of Judaism and Christianity came to be in their current form and the diversity of Jewish thought in that period. This course will address these issues and develop students' reading, research and writing skills. Critical thought about the influence of social pressures on religion will be necessary. An open mind about the formation and relevance of the modern canons of Judeo-Christian scriptures in the ancient world is necessary. Students are also expected to show a good deal of self-motivation and self-reliance, and to engage in the necessary class discussions and to complete the reading assignments.
RelS 3400 is a "series" course, which you may take more than once if the subject matter is substantially different. If you have already taken RS 3400, Hebrew Bible Introduction, you MAY take this course for credit. If you have taken RS3400 "Jewish Literature of the Late Second Temple Period" you MAY NOT take this course for credit.

REQUIRED TEXTS
1. * M. De Jonge. Outside the Old Testament (Cambridge, 1985).
2. J. C. VanderKam, An Introduction to Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2001)
3. * M. G. Reddish, Apocalyptic Literature: A Reader (Hendrickson, 1995)
4. CLR Course Pack.
5. A Bible with Apocrypha (i.e. a Catholic Bible). A number of suitable Bibles have been ordered, but many of you may have one of your own already. Please ask the instructor. Almost any bookstore in town should have one.
* DE Jonge and Reddish will not be needed until October. Try to order them through Amazon or Chapters or elsewhere to get a better price!

GRADING
F 0 - 49.9 C- 58-61.9 B- 70-74.9 A- 85-89.9
D 50-53.9 C 62-65 .9 B 75-79.9 A 90-94.9
D+ 54-57.9 C+ 66-69.9 B+ 80-84.9 A+ 95-100

ASSESSED WORK
1. Reflection paper and comments: 300 words. Due Friday Sept. 23.
What comfort do people who believe in the impending end of the world find in those beliefs? Are there negative implications
of holding such beliefs? There is no 'right answer' for this question. What I am looking for is serious thought on the subject,
an ability to write clearly, concisely, objectively and fairly about what other people believe. 5%.

2. Web CT Exam :1 Historical Background of the literature and basic definitions & skills. 1 hr.
Thurs. , Sept. 29 to Sunday, Oct. 2. 15%

3. Documentation Assignment: A very short essay will be distributed in class based on the week's readings from the
text-books and selections from reserve books etc. Your job is to correct the documentation and its format.
Distributed: Mon. Oct. 3; Due, Fri. Oct. 7. 10%

4. Short Writing Assignment: Discuss the validity of the following statement according to the information from
the lectures, readings and reserve books: "Canons are products of communities and never change." 750 words. Due Wed. Oct. 19. 15%

5. Choice of Assignments: A, or B. 30%

6. Take home exam, Handed out Fri., Dec. 9 and due Mon., Dec. 19. 25%
A variety of essay type questions reviewing the whole course. No additional research will be needed beyond the course readings. ca. 1500-2000 words.

Evaluation Information.
All work will be evaluated for accuracy and comprehension of the course content.
WebCT Exams may include multiple choice, short and long answer questions based on lectures, class discussion, films and assigned readings.
Unless there is some pressing family or medical emergency, you may NOT reschedule exams. If some emergency arises, you must provide documentation to the dean's office of the faculty of Arts and Sciences to be allowed to reschedule a final exam.
Essays, Papers and Take Home Exams will be marked for their quality of reading / research, analysis , writing skills (clarity, conciseness, spelling, grammar, documentation of sources etc.). See "Submission Standards" Web-Booklet on WebCT for more details on this. See the "Student Conduct" section below and the "Submission Standards" booklet for info on academic offences (plagiarism, etc).
Deadlines: Work is due IN CLASS. 10 percentage points will be deducted for papers submitted on the due date significantly after class-time. 20 points will be deducted for every calendar day late. Extensions will NOT be granted.

Student Conduct
1. For a copy of the university's statement on "Principles of Student Citizenship", go to this site: http://www.uleth.ca/reg/. In general, the principles concern honesty, integrity and respect in student interactions with other students, instructors, and other university staff.
2. All assignments MUST be original work done specifically for this course by the student submitting it. You may not submit work done in whole or in part by another person or by yourself for another class. Penalties will be to the maximum permitted.
3. All written work must include proper documentation of any and all material taken (ideas, information, direct quotes) from other people (books, journals articles, etc). It is your responsibility to learn to do this. Failure to completely document your sources of information in accordance with the class style-sheet will result in a reduction in grade depending on severity, or even FAILURE OF THE COURSE if there is any reason to suspect plagiarism. Plagiarism is the submitting of another person's words or ideas [which includes simple information] as one's own. Consult the 2005/06 calendar, "Student Discipline Policy", which includes the regulations for appeals etc. Please note in particular point 3.a.1.b (p. 69). "Upon submission of evidence that the student has represented the words or ideas as his or her own, the student shall bear the burden of proving that there was no intent to deceive."
The university has some online aids in avoiding plagiarism: see especially:
http://staffweb.uleth.ca/lib/guides/plagiarism.asp
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/QuotingSources.html
Your essays are may be investigated using plagiarism detection software. If you object to this, please let me know.

The University's Statement of Philosophy says in part: "Its primary aims are to foster the spirit of free inquiry and the critical interpretation of ideas."
This course is about religion as part of human culture and history. Scholars of religion try to maintain an open mind and to be objective, to adopt a critical perspective and to base conclusions only on the available evidence. As students you have to give this your best effort too! This, of course, is a very difficult thing to ask, and I do not expect perfection from anyone! Yet, an honest attempt must be made
Sometimes critical inquiry raises difficult issues for students with strong religious beliefs. For instance, religions sometimes make claims about history that non-believers cannot accept for lack of proof. Also, many religious groups that deserve respect for their stance on human rights belong to a larger community which has contributed to political, intellectual and spiritual climates in which abuse of others became acceptable. When such issues arise, we must not shy away from them, but to investigate them in a serious, objective, and respectful manner. Above all, this course is not the time and the place to advocate or denounce any particular religious point of view, but to understand how religion both shapes and reflects human society and the place of the individual within it. If any of this causes you concern, please contact me! Other opportunities for folks interested in Religious Studies
The Student's Society for Religious Studies is "dedicated to the critical, academic study of religion". In its first year, there was some social events, guest speakers, discussion forums on select readings, movie nights, and so forth. It is a small, but friendly bunch. Research in Religious Studies Conference is held each spring, just after final exams giving students a chance to show off their best essays. It is modeled on professional academic conferences and so it is a good experience for those students interested in post-graduate work in any field of the humanities or social sciences.