MA in Jewish Studies

TH 9452, Readings in the Gemara of the Babylonian Talmud

Credits:  				30

Course Lecturer:  	Prof. Philip Alexander 

e-mail:					MFRSTPA@fs1.art.man.ac.uk

Course Aims::

To provide an introduction to the Babylonian Talmud, the central document of the Rabbinic legal tradition.

 

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course unit you should:

1. have read selected texts from the Talmud both in English and in the original languages;
2. have learned how to read the Talmud in an historical, philological and academic fashion;
3. have achieved a general understanding of the Talmud's content, and of its nature as a literary text;
4. have acquired some idea of how the Talmud has influenced the development of Judaism.

Brief Description:

Through study of selected passages both in English and in the original the student will be taught how to read a Talmudic text. The Aramaic dialect of the Talmud will be explained, as well as the technical terms of Talmudic discourse; the mode of Talmudic argument and the literary forms in which it is cast will be analysed. The approach will be historical and philological, though reference will be made from time to time to the apparatus of traditional commentary (particularly Rashi and the Tosafot). The passages studied will be: Berakhot 55a-57b; Hagigah 11b-16a; Sanhedrin 65a-68a. The course will begin by clarifying the origins of the Talmud in the Rabbinic schools of Babylonia in late antiquity, and will conclude by discussing the influence of the Talmud on the historical development of Judaism.

Basic Reading:The basic texts will be the Steinsaltz edition 
of the Babylonian Talmud and the Soncino English translation. 
Where relevant, reference will be made to the ArtScroll 
bilingual edition. For background see

Pre-requisite:	   Some knowledge of Aramaic and Hebrew is a 
                   pre-requisite for this course. 
                   Students wishing to participate should check 
                   with the course lecturer that they have the 
                   requisite linguistic knowledge. 

Weekly					34 hrs lectures/seminars
					 
Taught in: 			Semester 2, Mondays 9-12 (SG13)

Assessment:			3 x 3,000 word essays.

MA in Jewish Studies | Centre for Jewish Studies | Religions and Theology Home Page | Postgraduate Study

e-mail: Bernard.Jackson@man.ac.uk