THEO 420 - 001

Regular Academic Session

5888

Graduate

3 units

Graded

Dead Sea Scrolls

Outcomes: A deep level of understanding and of critical thinking with respect to the subject matter of the course.

Restricted to Graduate School students.

This course is designed as a comprehensive introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls, perhaps the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century. Participants will have an opportunity to examine some of the most important texts, in the context of the ancient Near East and Second Temple Judaism, as well as for what they say about the relationship of Judaism and Christianity. The course will be divided into two parts: (a) an introduction to the field of research, with the format largely lecture, and (b) an examination of major texts. In the first part, students will attain an overview of the field, with discussion centered on the discovery of the scrolls, the debate over the archaeology of the site of Qumran, the nature of the ¿library¿ discovered, key questions driving current scholarly debate, background for an initial reading of the texts, and strategies for analyzing the documents themselves. Topics include an overview of an historical context for the Scrolls in Second Temple Judaism, the discovery and identification of the texts in question, the emerging biblical canon, and of course the identification and origins of the community thought to be responsible for the scrolls. The second part of the course will be devoted to a careful reading and analysis of major scrolls. Here the format will be a modification of the traditional seminar, with students presenting each text in accordance with the strategies outlined in the first part of the course and responsible for the text¿s discussion.

Robert Divito

Dead Sea Scrolls

TuTh 4:15PM - 5:30PM

01/12/2026 - 05/02/2026

In person

Lake Shore Campus

Lake Shore Campus

Open

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