Module: Hebrew Scriptures: The Pentateuch

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Hebrew Scriptures: The Pentateuch
Module Code	TP111 (ITS) / RET1010 (Banner)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Theology, Philosophy & Music
Module Co-ordinator	Bradford Anderson
Module Teachers	-
NFQ level	6	Credit Rating	7.5
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

Coursework Only

Description

The purpose of this module is to help students reflect critically on key themes and issues related to the first five books of the Jewish Scriptures, the Pentateuch or Torah. In this module students develop knowledge of key issues related to the background and formation of the Torah, explore key themes and figures found within these books (Genesis-Deuteronomy), and analyse the reception, use and impact of these writings. In the course of this module students will also develop skills that will enable them to engage with these texts from a variety of perspectives and methodologies used in the academic study of the Bible. Students are expected to attend and contribute to lectures, and to engage with the primary texts in a reflective and analytical manner as they progress through the module.

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe how the Torah is used and understood in different religious traditions, notably Judaism and Christianity;
2. Communicate a critical understanding of historical issues related to the background and formation of the Pentateuch/Torah;
3. Demonstrate critical awareness of key themes and figures in the books of Genesis-Deuteronomy;
4. Identify and analyse how these texts have been used and taken up in commentary, culture and society;
5. Reflect critically on methods and approaches used in the academic study of the Hebrew Scriptures.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	24	No Description
Online activity	24	No Description
Directed learning	50	No Description
Assignment Completion	50	No Description
Independent Study	39.5	No Description
Total Workload: 187.5

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introductory Issues
Introduction to the Pentateuch Academic approaches to studying the Pentateuch: origins of the Torah Scripturalisation: the development of the Torah

Genesis - Deuteronomy
Genesis 1-2: the creation stories – themes and issues Genesis 3-11: ANE parallels The Ancestors – Genesis 12-50 Moses and the Exodus: Exodus 1-15 Israel’s Law Holiness, purity, and ritual: reading Leviticus Wilderness Wanderings Endings and Beginnings: Deuteronomy and Covenant

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	0%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Essay	n/a	70%	n/a
Completion of online activity	n/a	10%	n/a
Reflective journal	n/a	20%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category -

Indicative Reading List

Anderson, Bradford A., and Paula Gooder: 2017, . An Introduction to the Study of the Pentateuch., Bloomsbury, London,
Alter, Robert.: 1981, The Art of Biblical Narrative, Basic Books, New York,
Blenkinsopp, Joseph: 1992, The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible, Doubleday, New York,
Brettler, Marc Zvi.: 2007, How to Read the Jewish Bible., Oxford: Oxford University Press.,
Collins, John J.: 2004, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Minneapolis: Fortress,
Fretheim, Terence E.: 1996, The Pentateuch, _Abingdon,
Hayes, Christine.: 2012, Introduction to the Bible, New Haven: Yale,
Kaminsky, Joel S., and Joel N. Lohr.: 2011, The Torah: A Beginner's Guide., _Oneworld,
Stanley, Christopher: 2010, The Hebrew Bible: A Comparative Approach, Fortress, Minneapolis,
Trible, Phylis.: 1984, Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives, Fortress, Minneapolis,

Other Resources

None