92936 - Bible Literature (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2021/2022

Learning outcomes

Upon a successful completion of this course, students will achieve basic notions and skills in interpreting Biblical texts as literature, and re-framing their production and fortune as a distinctively historical, philological and literary phenomenon, between authoring and copying, translating and interpreting, from the Ancient Near East down to the Graeco-Roman Mediterranean world and contemporary literature.

Course contents

A Mirage of Nothingness: Qohelet and Her Masks.

A text probably composed during the Hellenistic period (3rd-2nd centuries BCE) and attributed to the legendary Israelite king Solomon of Jerusalem, only after fierce debates Qohelet made it to be numbered among those writings deemed to 'defile the hands' of the readers, due to their 'sacred' character: not even once is the name of the god of Israel mentioned; the deity lurks elusively behind its pages as well as behind everyday living; its 'original' author seemingly invites to take a carpe diem stance on life, always standing on the edge of and looking into the abyss of human sufference and meaninglessness. The course aims firstly at sketching the complex birth process of such an anomalous 'canonical' work both within the framework of ancient Middle-Eastern literature and in relationship with Greek epigrammatical and philosphical production. Case studies of its reception will then be offered, ranging from its first translations from Hebrew to contemporary versions and reprises.

More specifically, the course will address the following issues:

1st part (10hs):

– the state of the art: problems, ‘sources’, models;

– 'nihilism' in Ancient Middle-East literature as a frame of reference;

– between epigrams and philosophical diatribe: determining Qohelet's Greek models - if any;

2nd part (10hs):

– historical, philological and literary analysis of Qohelet;

3rd part (10hs):

– case studies in the reception history of Qohelet.

 

N.B. No previous knowledge of Hebrew phonetics/grammar required. Translations from the Hebrew text will be provided during the course by the teacher.

Readings/Bibliography

a) Translations:

Ecclesiaste, in La Bibbia dei Settanta. III: Libri poetici, a cura di P. Sacchi, Morcelliana 2013, pp. 619-675 (for LM-15 students only);

Ecclesiastes in Biblia Sacra Vulgata, ediderunt R. Weber-R. Gryson, Stuttgart 1969 (quinta ediz. 2007; for LM-15 students only);

Qohélet o l'Ecclesiaste, versione e note di G. Ceronetti, nuova edizione riveduta e aumentata, Einaudi 1997;

Qohélet. Colui che prende la parola, versione e commenti di G. Ceronetti, 5a ed., Adelphi 2001;

Kohèlet / Ecclesiaste, a cura di E. De Luca, 8a ed., Feltrinelli 2014;

b) Commentaries:

Qoèlet, a cura di J. Vílchez Líndez, Borla 2000;

Qoelet (Ecclesiaste), introduzione, versione e note di P. Sacchi, 7a ed., Paoline 2005;

G. Ravasi, Qohelet. Il libro più originale e "scandaloso" dell'Antico Testamento, Paoline 2012;

Qohelet. Introduzione, traduzione e commento, a cura di S. Parisi, Paoline 2017;

c) Studies

1. Integral Readings

R.G. Kratz, Israele storico e biblico. Storia, tradizione, archivi, GBP 2021;

M. Liverani, Oltre la Bibbia. Storia antica di Israele, Laterza 2003 (and following editions);

M. Satlow, E il Signore parlò a Mosè. Come la Bibbia divenne sacra, Bollati Boringhieri 2017;

2. Partial Readings

S. Anthonioz, Premiers récits de la création, Cerf 2020 (only chapter XI);

G. Bellia - A. Passaro (a cura di), Il libro del Qohelet. Tradizione, redazione, teologia, Paoline 2001 (only two chapters / essays at the student's choice);

K. Berthelot, The Formation of the Hebrew Bible in a Greco-Roman Context in Light of the Evidence from Qumran, in Stones, Tablets, and Scrolls. Periods of the Formation of the Bible, ed. by P. Dubovský and F. Giuntoli, Mohr Siebeck 2020, pp. 395-409;

L. Mazzinghi, Ho cercato e ho esplorato. Studi sul Qohelet, EDB 2001 (only two chapters / essays at the student's choice);

W.M. Schniedewind, The Finger of the Scribe. How Scribes Learned to Write the Bible, Oxford University Press 2019 (only pp. 1-22 and 120-147);

Teaching methods

Lectures; analysis of literary texts; use of bibliographic and electronic databases; audio- and video resources.

Assessment methods

Oral exam. Students will have to prove their abilities

  • to read and understand Qohelet in Greek or Latin (required exclusively of Classical Philology students) or alternatively in a modern translation (supra, Bibliography under the entry Translations);
  • to interpret and profile Qohelet as a cultural, historical and literary artifact, supplementing and integrating class notes with one commentary of their choice from among those enlisted supra in Bibliography under the entry Commentaries;
  • to sketch and discuss the material, historical, and cultural processes that lead to the formation of Israel's sacred wiritings as we know them, in the light of one reading of their choice selected from the list offered supra in Bibliography under the entry Studies, point 1. (Integral Readings);

Additionally, students who cannot attend the lessons will substitute class notes with one volume of their choice from those listed supra in Bibliography under the entry Studies, point 2. (Partial Readings).

Skills will be assessed according to the following guidelines:
- failing grade (< 18): inability to translate short sections from the Greek/Latin text of the Song of Songs (exclusively required of LM15 students); inability to provide a correct interpretation of the texts discussed during the course or, as for non-attending students, to comment on the critical essays of their choice.
- passing grade (between 18 and 24): elementary ability to translate short sections from the Greek/Latin text of the Song of Songs (exclusively required of LM15 students); inaccuracy and lack of autonomy in providing a correct interpretation of the texts discussed during the course or, as for non-attending students, in commenting on critical essays of their choice.
- positive grade (between 24 and 30): good comprehension of the grammatical and syntactical structures of the Greek/Latin text of the Song of Songs (exclusively required of LM15 students); interpretation of the texts discussed during the course is correct, but mostly superficial and not entirely autonomous; as for non-attending students, the critical essays of their choice are cursorily commented upon.
- excellent grade (30L): in-depth knowledge of the grammatical and syntactical structures of the Greek/Latin text of the Song of Songs (exclusively required of LM15 students); precision and full autonomy in interpreting, contextualizing and critically comparing the texts discussed during the course; as for non-attending students, critical discussion of the essays of their choice is detailed and deep-ranging.

Teaching tools

Computer and projector; bibliographic and electronic databases; fotocopies; texts and segments of texts in PDF format uploaded by the teacher as teaching materials (downloadable from https://iol.unibo.it).

Office hours

See the website of Daniele Tripaldi

SDGs

Quality education Gender equality Reduced inequalities

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.