[OT] 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)

Lecture 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Overview:

After a detailed explanation of the requirements for the paper assignment, Professor Hayes turns to the Writings - the third section of the Bible - and considers a recent approach to the study of the Bible, called canonical criticism. The books in this section of the Bible explore various questions associated with suffering and evil. An example is the book of Ecclesiastes which constitutes a second attack on the optimism and piety of conventional religious thinking. The lecture concludes with a discussion of a number of Psalms, their genre, purpose, and language.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Psalms (JSB pp. 1280-4), Psalms 1, 2, 8, 19, 21-24, 32, 37, 44-46, 49, 52, 55, 72-74, 78-80, 90, 93, 96-99, 103-106, 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, 118, 119, 128, 131, 136, 137, 139, 150
(2) Introduction to The Song of Songs (JSB pp. 1564-1566), Song of Songs 1-8

Lecture

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[OT] 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Overview:

After a detailed explanation of the requirements for the paper assignment, Professor Hayes turns to the Writings - the third section of the Bible - and considers a recent approach to the study of the Bible, called canonical criticism. The books in this section of the Bible explore various questions associated with suffering and evil. An example is the book of Ecclesiastes which constitutes a second attack on the optimism and piety of conventional religious thinking. The lecture concludes with a discussion of a number of Psalms, their genre, purpose, and language.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Psalms (JSB pp. 1280-4), Psalms 1, 2, 8, 19, 21-24, 32, 37, 44-46, 49, 52, 55, 72-74, 78-80, 90, 93, 96-99, 103-106, 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, 118, 119, 128, 131, 136, 137, 139, 150
(2) Introduction to The Song of Songs (JSB pp. 1564-1566), Song of Songs 1-8

Class lecture:

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[OT] 20 - Responses to Suffering and Evil: Lamentations and

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) with Professor Christine Hayes

Lecture 20, Responses to Suffering and Evil: Lamentations and Wisdom Literature

Overview:

This lecture begins with the Book of Lamentations, a short book of dirges that laments the destruction of Jerusalem and moves on to introduce the third and final section of the Hebrew Bible - the Ketuvim, or "Writings." This section of the Bible contains three books that exemplify the ancient Near Eastern literary genre of "Wisdom" -- Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes. Proverbs reinforces the Deuteronomistic idea of divine retributive justice according to which the good prosper and the evil are punished. The conventional assumption of a moral world order is attacked in the Book of Job. The book explores whether people will sustain virtue when suffering and afflicted, and brings charges of negligence and mismanagement against God for failing to punish the wicked and allowing the righteous to suffer.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Ketuvim (JSB pp. 1275-9)
(2) Introduction to Lamentations, Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes (JSB pp. 1447-9,1499-1505, 1587-1589, 1603-1606)
(3) Lamentations 1-5; Proverbs 1-13, 32; Job 1-11, 21-31, 38-42; Ecclesiastes 1-12

Lecture:

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[OT] 19 - Literary Prophecy: Perspectives on the Exile (Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 2nd Isaiah)

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 19 - Literary Prophecy: Perspectives on the Exile (Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 2nd Isaiah)

Overview:

The destruction of Jerusalem challenged the faith of the nation. What was the meaning of this event and how could such tremendous evil and suffering be reconciled with the nature of God himself? Professor Hayes shows how Israel's prophets attempted to answer this question, turning the nation's defeat and despair into an occasion for renewing faith in Israel's God. The lecture continues with an in-depth study of the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel's denunciations of Jerusalem are among the most lurid and violent in the Bible and he concludes that destruction is the only possible remedy. Ezekiel's visions include God's withdrawal from Jerusalem to be with his people in exile, and his ultimate return. Ezekiel's use of dramatic prophetic signs, his rejection of collective divine punishment and assertion of individual responsibility are discussed. The last part of the lecture turns to Second Isaiah and the famous "servant songs" that find a universal significance in Israel's suffering.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Jeremiah (JSB pp 917-920), Jeremiah 1-8, 18-21, 23, 25-45, 52
(2) Introduction to Ezekiel (JSB pp 1042-45), Ezekiel 1-5:4, 8-11, 16-18, 23, 28, 33, 36-37, 40, 47
(3) Isaiah 40-42, 49-55

Class lecture:

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