04349 - Hebrew

Learning outcomes

The course aims to give students a deeper understanding of the Hebrew language and Jewish culture, considered in itself and as indispensable tools for the preservation and enhancement of the Jewish cultural heritage held in Italy. The student at the end of the course has the methodological tools to work in the field of Italian Jewish cultural Heritage, getting linguistic and philological instruments for archaeology, epigraphy, architectural, archives, manuscripts and printed books, liturgical and rituals equipment and other forms in which is expressed the Italian Jewish culture in her two thousand years of uninterrupted history that makes it the oldest in Europe.

Course contents

THE HEBREW BIBLE COURSE

Introduction: Hebrew among the Semitic languages. The Northwest Semitic; the language of Ebla; The Ugaritic language; outline of the history of the Hebrew language. The epigraphic documentation; the literary corpus of the Hebrew Bible; The process of canonization of the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim; the formation of the Masoretic Text; the Hebrew manuscripts; hints of medieval and modern Hebrew.

Writing and phonetics: Phoenician alphabet and the archaic Hebrew alphabet; the transition to the square characters; elements of Morphology: the article, the name, the adjective, the verb; syntax elements. Reading, grammatical analysis and translation of Biblical passages. Reading and translation of passages from the Hebrew Bible.

THOUGHT AND JEWISH CULTURE

History of Judaism of the first temple or pre-exilic; the Babylonian exile; the period of the Second Temple or post-exilic; Birth apocalyptic Jewish. The "Judaisms" from the second century a.e.v. and I e.v. Judaism of the Messiah, Judaism of the Torah and Judaism of the Temple; Firs Jewish war against Rome and the 70 e.v catastrophe. The second Jewish War and the messianic delusion; the birth of rabbinic Judaism.

The formative period of rabbinic Judaism during the centuries I-VII. The redaction of the Mishnah, Tosefta, the two Talmudim. The rabbinical academies in Palestinian and Babylonian centre of study.

The canonization of the biblical writings. Judaism as a "civilization of comments". Two different exegetical tendencies of Tannaitic period (buckets. I-II i.v.): Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Yishmael. The midrashic exegesis. The Karaite exegesis. The origin of the peshat school (literal meaning): Saadya Ga’on.

The developments of the grammatical and lexical studies: the School of Cordova. Exegetical tendencies in the West: the Spanish school, French school, allegorical and philosophical exegesis, Kabbalistic exegesis.

The era of the ghetto and the Napoleonic temporary emancipation; the true complete emancipation of the united kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Judaism faced with the challenge of modernity in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: reform, neo-orthodoxy and conservatives.

Problems of Judaism today: from the Holocaust to the State of Israel; the conflict with the Palestinians; secular and religious Israeli people; the challenge of the Islamic State today.

Modern Hebrew course or 'Ivrit (optional)

The course is taught by a native speaker. Attendance to this course is highly recommended for those who intend to continue their studies in Jewish studies or ask the thesis in the field of Jewish Studies. Participation is a credit evaluated during the exam.

Readings/Bibliography

Hebrew Grammar: G. Deiana-A. Spreafico, Guida allo studio dell’ebraico biblico, Urbaniana University Press-Società Biblica Britannica & Forestiera, Roma 1998 e ristampe successive.

Dizionario: Reuben Alcalay, The Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary, varie edizioni. Ph. Reymond, Dizionario di Ebraico e Aramaico biblici, SBBF, Roma 1995.

For the exam the student, in addition to the part of the languige, has to choose between those two volumes listed below: one from Group A and one from Group B, and two short studies that will be shown.

Gruppo A:

A: C. Martone, Il giudaismo Antico (538 a.e.v.- 70 e.v.), Carocci editore, Roma 2008.

G. Filoramo (a cura di), Ebraismo, Laterza, Bari, varie edizioni.

J. Alberto Soggin, Israele in epoca biblica. Istituzioni, feste, cerimonie, rituali, Claudiana, Torino, 2000.

L'Antico Testamento, a cura di P. Merlo, Carocci edirore, Roma 2011.

G. Boccaccini, I giudaismi del Secondo Tempio. Da Ezechiele a Daniele, Morcelliana, Brescia 2008.

Group B:

A. Milano, Storia degli ebrei in Italia, Einaudi, Milano 1963.

C. Vivanti (a cura di), Gli ebrei in Italia. Dall'alto Medioevo all'età dei ghetti, Einaudi, Storia d'Italia, Annali 11, vol. I, Torino 1996.

C. Vivanti (a cura di), Gli ebrei in Italia. Dall'emancipazione a oggi, Einaudi, Storia d'Italia, Annali 11, vol. II, Torino 1997.

M. Caffiero, Storia degli ebrei nell'Italia moderna. Dal Rinascimento alla Restaurazione, Carocci editore, Roma, 2014.

M. Perani (a cura di), I beni culturali ebraici in Italia. Situazione attuale, problemi, prospettive per il futuro, Ravenna, Longo Editore, 2003.

Sáenz-Badillos, A History of the Hebrew Language, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1993.

G. Scholem, Le grandi correnti della mistica ebraica, Einaudi, Torino 1993 e ristampe successive

NB:
Further bibliography will be indicated during the course. For non-attending students can also take the exam in history and culture, no language.
The teacher is available to agree with the students also custom exam programs according to individual interests.

Teaching methods

The methodological approach to teaching will be multiple. It will be based on oral lessons of the teacher; exercises reading practices and translation of excerpts of the Hebrew Bible; exercises on Hebrew manuscripts preserved in libraries; Learning the computer the ability to use online databases available: electronic catalogs, such as the National Library of Israel; CDs containing large part of Hebrew literature; sites with digitized books and Hebrew manuscripts.
Exercises in the Laboratory of epigraphy and Codicology Jewish (ELEC) examination of manuscripts, Hebrew scrolls and ritual objects of various kinds.
Lessons Hebrew Palaeography in the laboratory.
Lectures with PowerPoint presentations on various topics.
Visiting synagogues and Jewish museums in the Emilia-Romagna.

Assessment methods

The student learning will be tested orally, and also asking him to give a report to the group. In addition they will do some written exercises.

Teaching tools

Laboratory of epigraphy and Codicology Jewish. Visiting Jewish museums and collections. Bar-Ilan Responsa Project CD.

Office hours

See the website of Mauro Perani