A. Socher (Religion and Jewish Studies)
4 HU, CD, W-INT, 4 Hours
Fall Semester FYSP 131-01 MW 2:30-3:45
The first Jewish interpreters of the Bible (who eventually included early Christians) did not just passively read the biblical text; they rewrote it, filling in its narrative gaps with fanciful subplots and using difficult passages as jumping-off points for leaps of poetic and philosophical fancy. We will explore these interpretations in early Rabbinic and Christian writings—including the Talmud, the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha, and the works of Josephus—and the underlying principles of such exegesis (creative close reading, called midrash in the Jewish tradition). Assignments will include both analytic and creative writing in which students will experiment with these forms of creative interpretation. We will also see the ways in which the religious ideas generated by such interpretation helped to create the values and conflicts of the Western world.