OT 301 PENTATEUCH Fall 2016 Tuesday 7:00-9:40 p.m. Rev. 8-31-2016 1 Claude F. Mariottini Professor of Old Testament Northern Baptist Seminary Lombard, Illinois 60148 (630) 620-2186 Email: cmariottini@faculty.seminary.edu Web page: www.claudemariottini.com Blog: http://claudemariottini.com I. Textbooks and Required Reading 1. Required Bible Reading Students will be required to read the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy during the quarter. Previous reading of the biblical books does not count for credit in this course. 2 Textbooks a. The Bible. In this course I will be using the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), 4th edition. This is an excellent study Bible which provides a good introduction to each book of the Bible and also good study notes. Students are not required to use this version of this Bible. Students are required to bring their Bible to class each week. Reading from another student s Bible is not allowed. b. Henry Jackson Flanders, et. al., People of the Covenant. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN: 978-0195093704. Pp. 1-221. $79.95. Note: Do not use the 1st, the 2nd, or the 3rd editions of Flanders book. These editions are out of date and are useless. c. John Bright, A History of Israel. 4th ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press 2000. ISBN: 978-0664220686. Pp. 1-143. $40.00. Note: Do not use the 1st or the 2nd editions of Bright s book. These editions are out of date and are useless. You may use the 3rd or the 4th editions of the
book. 2 d. John Bright, The Kingdom of God. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1981. ISBN: 978-0687209088. 290 pp. $27.00. e. Claude F. Mariottini. Rereading the Biblical Text. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-62032-827-9. Pp. 178. $23.00. f. J. Daniel Hays, The Cushites: A Black Nation in the Bible, Bibliotheca Sacra 153 (1996): 396-409. g. Carol L. Meyers, The Roots of Restriction: Women in Early Israel, Biblical Archaeologist 41 (1978): 91-103. h. Renita J. Weems, Do You See What I See: Diversity in Interpretation. Church and Society 82 (September-October 1991): 28-43. i. Renita J. Weems, The Hebrew Women Are Not Like the Egyptian Women: The Ideology of Race, Gender and Sexual Reproduction in Exodus 1. Semeai 59 (1992): 25-34. j. Claude F. Mariottini, Class Notes. $10.00 k. Web page material (Web page and Blog) 3. Required Use for the Research Paper Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th Ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0226816371. 464 pp. $42.50. Note: Although Turabian is required for the preparation of the research paper, students do not have to buy this book. Guidelines on using Turabian will be distributed in class. II. Course Objectives 1. The course will help students understand the content of the first five books of the Old Testament. 2. The course will provide students with guidelines for the interpretation of the biblical material in its literary, historical, cultural, and social contexts.
3. The course will help students develop an appreciation for the Old Testament as an integral part of the Bible. 3 III. Course Description 1. This course will introduce students to the Old Testament, to the methods, work, and results of biblical archaeology, and to the discipline of biblical criticism. 2. This course will introduce students to the content of the Pentateuch and to the many historical, political, religious, and social events that shaped the history of the patriarchs and that molded later Israelite society. IV. Course Requirements 1. Students are expected to attend all meetings of the class, unless hindered by circumstances beyond his or her control. Any student who misses 20% of the classes (2 classes) will fail the course. Note: if you come late or leave early it will count as missing half of a class. 2. There will be several quizzes during the quarter. The times for the quizzes will be announced in class. The quizzes will be averaged and their average will be worth one-third of the final grade. There is no make-up for the quizzes. 3. Students will be required to write two small research papers during the quarter. The paper shall be a minimum of 7-8 pages in length, not including endnotes and bibliography. The first papers will be due on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 and the second paper will be due on Tuesday, December 6, 2016. 5. The research paper must follow Turabian s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition. Additional information and requirements will be found in How to Write an A+ Research Paper. This guideline will be distributed in class. Read the guidelines before writing your paper. 6. Students must present a review of the book The Kingdom of God. The report will be due in class on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. The value of the review will be equivalent to one of the quizzes. Late book reviews will not be accepted. In writing your book review, follow the guidelines to be distributed in class. Note: It is recommended that you begin reading the book and writing your review
before you come to class. If you want to write the review early, send me an email and request the guidelines for writing the book review. 4 7. Students must write a 1-page review of Hays article and 1-page review of Meyers article (single space) in preparation for class discussion. The two articles will be discussed in class on November 15, 2016. 8. Students must write a 1-page review on each of Weems articles (single space) in preparation for class discussion. The first article will be discussed in class on November 1, 2016. The second article will be discussed in class on November 8, 2016. 9. Students are expected to make preparation for each class meeting by reading the pages assigned in the required reading. 10. Any work missed will have to be made up and prior approval by the professor is required for makeups. Overdue work must be turned in. There will be a penalty for any overdue work. Students who fail to present the research paper on the due date will lose a letter grade for the paper. V. Technology Use in the Classroom Unless it is directly tied to note-taking or research for the class, students are expected to refrain from cell phone or laptop use during class. See policy about the use of technology. VI. Course Evaluation Students are encouraged to complete an online course evaluation using the seminary Moodle system at http://moodle.edu in order to receive a final grade for the course. The evaluation will be open for one week. If you need assistance connecting to Moodle or accessing the evaluation, please send an email to ithelpdesk@seminary.edu. VII. Grading
5 A. The total amount of points to be given in class is 300. B. Each research paper will be worth 1/3 of the grade C. The quizzes will be averaged and its total will be worth 1/3 of the grade (The Bright book review and the reviews of the Hays, Meyers and Weems articles will be included in the quiz total.) D. The grade for reading the biblical books will be equivalent to one of the quizzes. E. No incomplete will be granted for this class. An incomplete may be granted (at the discretion of the professor) in case of a dire emergency. F. Grading scale: A = 100-95 A- = 94-90 B+ = 89-87 B = 86-83 B- = 82-80 C+ = 79-77 C = 76-73 C- = 72-70 D+ = 69-67 D = 66-63 D- = 62-60 F = 59 and below VIII. Office Hours I am available to students who wish to discuss any problem related to class work, test, research paper, or any other matter related to personal problems or seminary work. This quarter my office hours are: Tuesday Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. It is very important that you call my office and make an appointment before you come to see me. If you cannot come in at these times, please call and make an appointment to see me at another time. You can also contact me at any time by email: cmariottini@faculty.seminary.edu.
IX. Weekly Assignments 6 1. September 27, 2016 An Introduction to the Old Testament Flanders, 3-46 Mariottini, The Invented History of Israel (Moodle) http://claudemariottini.com/2006/06/invented-history-of-israel.html Mariottini, Mario Liverani and the History of Israel (Moodle) http://claudemariottini.com/mario-liverani-and-the-history-of-israel/ Mariottini, Mario Liverani and the History of Ancient Israel (Moodle) http://claudemariottini.com/mario-liverani-and-the-history-of-ancientisrael/ 2. October 4, 2016 An Introduction to Biblical Criticism Bright, 23-44 3. October 11, 2016 An Introduction to the Pentateuch Discussion of John Bright's Book, The Kingdom of God Flanders, 48-84 Bright, 47-56 4. October 18, 2016 Primeval History - Part 1 Flanders, 85-132 Bright, 56-66 Mariottini, The Creation of Animals in Genesis 2:19, 3-6 Mariottini, The Serpent Was Right, 7-10 Mariottini, The Seed of the Woman, 11-16
5. October 25, 2016 Primeval History - Part 2 7 First Paper is Due Today Flanders, 85-132 Bright, 56-66 Mariottini, "The Anakim and the Nephilim (Moodle) Mariottini, Were They Really Giants, 17-19 6. November 1, 2016 The Patriarchs and the Matriarchs of Israel Flanders, 133-168 Bright, 67-103 Renita J. Weems, Do You See What I See: Diversity in Interpretation. Church and Society 82 (September-October 1991): 28-43. Mariottini, Ur and Haran: Abraham s Background, (Moodle) Mariottini, "Laban," ABD 4:113-14 (Moodle) Mariottini, As Far as Dan (Gen 14:14), 20-22 Mariottini, Abraham and the Promises of God, 23-25 Mariottini, The Sacrifice of Isaac, 26-28 Mariottini, The Rape of Bilhah, 29-34 7. November 8, 2016 The Book of Exodus Flanders, 169-198 Bright, 107-120 Renita J. Weems, The Hebrew Women Are Not Like the Egyptian Women: The Ideology of Race, Gender and Sexual Reproduction in Exodus 1. Semeai 59 (1992): 25-34. Sarna, ABD 2:689-700 Mariottini, Pharaoh's Army, Biblical Illustrator Fall 1998 (Moodle)
8. November 15, 2016 Law, The Tabernacle and the Golden Calf 8 Thanksgiving Break: November 20-27, 2016 Discussion of Hays and Meyers in class today. Flanders, 198-211 Bright, 120-143 9. November 29, 2016 The Book of Leviticus Flanders, 211-217 Levine, ABD 4:311-320 Mariottini, Azazel, 35-37 10. December 6, 2016 The Book of Numbers Second Paper is Due Today Flanders, 218-221 Milgrom, ABD 4:1146-1155 Mariottini, "Numbers, Book of," Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Moodle) Mariottini, Understanding Numbers 24:24, 38-39 X. Classroom Expectations POLICIES FOR ALL MASTERS CLASSES NOTE: All communications from the seminary will go to your seminary email account. Contact All Covered at (877) 224-8911 if you need help forwarding your seminary email address to your personal email address. As a seminary community we hold integrity/hospitality as core values. Individuals are able to do their best work and thinking when their peers are fully present and engaged. We expect each person to both participate in class and carefully listen to others with the belief that everyone s contribution is equally important. Therefore, the following policies have been established in order to provide clarity in regard to attendance expectations and relationships in the classroom. Diploma/Certificate Student Course Requirements
The amount of work required of Diploma/Certificate students will be at the discretion of the professor. Students will be responsible for contacting the professor about what assignments are required. 9 Class Attendance Policy It is expected that students will attend and participate in all class sessions. Failure to attend at least 80% of class sessions is grounds for automatic failure. A professor may set other attendance expectations. Students are always expected to communicate with a professor in advance if they will be absent. Attendance expectations are higher for online and intensive courses (see syllabus for specific requirements). Class Tardiness Policy The third time a student is late to the start of class, it will be counted as a class absence. It is also expected that students will return from a break by the time specified by the professor. Late Work Policy If a student cannot complete the work for a course by the due date listed on the syllabus, they must submit a Request for a Grade of Incomplete form to the Registrar by 4:30 of the last day of the term. The form must be signed by the instructor and Dean of Students. The professor may set stipulations and grade reductions. In the absence of a formal request form, the student will receive a grade based upon work completed by the last day of the term. Turabian Format All papers, including footnotes and bibliography, must be submitted in the correct format according to Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8 th ed., 2013. Plagiarism Plagiarism is the act of passing off as one s own the words or ideas of someone else without providing proper acknowledgement or documentation. See the Academic Honesty Policy in the Seminary Catalog for more information on plagiarism and how to avoid it. Electronic Format Unless otherwise specified by the professor, all work submitted electronically must be in a Word document format (.doc,.docx). Technology Use in the Classroom Unless it is directly tied to note-taking or research for the class, students are expected to refrain from using cell phones, laptops, or other electronic devices during class. Course Evaluation in Moodle Students must complete an online course evaluation using the seminary Moodle system at http://moodle.seminary.edu. The evaluation will be open at the end of the course. If you need assistance connecting to Moodle or accessing the evaluation, please send an email to moodlehelp@seminary.edu.
10 Basic information about your research paper: OT 301 THE PENTATEUCH Fall 2016 Research Paper Information 1. The research paper must be a minimum of 7-8 pages in length, not counting endnotes and bibliography. 2. The first papers will be due on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 and the second paper will be due on Tuesday, December 6, 2016. 3. The assignment for the research paper will be given during the first day of class. Students who desire to begin writing the papers before the first day of class must contact the professor for the assignment. If you want to receive your topic before the first day of class, send me an email and request your assignment. My email is cmariottini@faculty.seminary.edu. 4. The paper should be typed with double space and 12pt type and with 1 inch margin on all sides. 5. The paper must follow Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writer A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2013. 7. The research paper also must follow the guidelines found in How to Write an A+ Research Paper. This guideline will be distributed in class. Note: Before you begin writing your paper, I strongly recommend that you read these guidelines. As you write your paper, you must follow these guidelines in formatting your paper. 8. Plagiarism. In this class we follow the policies of the seminary on plagiarism as outlined in the Northern's catalog. 9. Submission of the paper You must submit your paper by email. You must submit your paper in Word format. Email address: cmariottini@faculty.seminary.edu. In addition, you also must submit a copy of your paper to Turnitin on Moodle. 10. Students who fail to present the research paper on the due date will lose a letter grade for the paper.