Ancient Judaism

Faculty

Professors
Richard Kalmin, Talmud and Rabbinics, Program Adviser

Assistant Professor
Beth Berkowitz, Talmud and Rabbinics

Program

The program in Ancient Judaism is interdisciplinary, designed to enable students to explore the history and culture of the Jews of antiquity (sixth century BCE to sixth century CE).

It has three components:

  • gaining competence handling Rabbinic texts;
  • studying the political and social history of the Jews of antiquity and the political and social history of the empires that ruled them (Persian, Greek, Roman, Parthian, Sassanian, and early Byzantine);
  • and studying the intellectual and religious history of ancient Judaism and the other religious and intellectual systems of late antiquity (Persia, Egypt, Hellenistic and Roman empires, Christianity, gnosticism, philosophy, magic, and law).

Students are expected to take courses in Bible, history, and Rabbinics.

Degrees

 

Courses

Semester Course Number Course Title
Fall ANC 1010: Ancient Jewish History
Fall ANC 6117: Jews and Judaism in the Ancient World
Fall ANC 7721: Introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls
Spring ANC 5430: The Aramaic of the Dead Sea Scrolls