JWC3600 - Israel in Late Antiquity

Leader: TBA

Offered

Not offered in 2007

Synopsis

With the end of the second Jewish Commonwealth in 70 CE the Rabbinic tradition emerged triumphant. The notion of a holy land became central in Jewish ideology as the Jews dreamt of restoration and redemption. By the 7th century CE and the Arab conquest of Palestine, the land of Israel became the sacred focus of three major religious traditions. JWC2600 examines the beliefs and practices in the Roman-Byzantine and early Arab periods and studies the remains of the material culture both in the context of and in contrast to the Mishnak, the Quran and early Christian writings. It addresses questions such as: how can we reconcile apparently contradictory archaeological and written information.

Assessment

Class participation and presentation: 10%
Essay (3000 words): 50%
Examination (1 hour): 40%
Third year students will be expected to undertake a larger research component in their work.

Contact hours

1 x 2 hour lecture per week and 1 x 1 tutorial per fortnight

Prohibitions

JWC2600