Jewish Civilization I: From the Bible to Spinoza
The George Washington University
Fall 2011
History 3001.17
TR 3:45-5 PM
PHIL 109
Office Hours: T 5-6, R 1-3, & by appointment
Prof. Daniel B. Schwartz
Phillips 317
(202) 994-2397
dbs50@gwu.edu
“The study of Jewish history is an invitation to travel”
Leon Wieseltier, Kaddish (1998)
Course Description
This course offers an overview of major trends of Jewish civilization from biblical times
through the beginnings of Jewish modernity in mid-seventeenth century Western Europe.
We will examine how Jews have defined themselves in different times and places; how
Jewish thought, religious practice, and material culture have developed over time; and how
Jews have perceived, interacted with, and responded to the non-Jewish societies in which
they have lived. We will devote ourselves to close reading and discussion of primary texts
on the one hand and to contextual understanding of Jews and Judaism on the other. And
we will seek historical answers to certain perennial questions, among them: Who, or what,
is a Jew, where do the Jews come from, and how have the boundaries of Jewishness been
formed, contested, and revised over time? What are the roots of monotheism? When did
the Jews become the people of the book? How did the Jews manage to retain their identiy
through their millennial-long history of migration, dispersion, and persecution? How did
Jewish life differ under the Islamic crescent and the Christian cross? Finally, given the
multitudes of times and places in which Jews have lived, what is it that unites Jewish
civilization? Can we trace a unified Jewish history over centuries and continents, as distinct
from multiple “histories” of the Jews in the myriad times and places in which they lived?
This course is appropriate for both Jewish studies majors as a starting point or as a
continuation of prior study and for non-specialists who wish a general survey of the field.
It will be followed by HIST 3060, “Jewish Civilization II: The Challenge of Modernity”
(formerly “Modern Jewish History”) in Spring 2012. Those primarily interested in Jewish
life in the modern world are certainly encouraged to take “Jewish Civilization I,” as it will
give you a much richer and deeper appreciation of the foundations of Jewish life prior to
the transition to modernity. Nevertheless, it is not—I repeat, not—required that you take
“Jewish Civilization I” to take “Jewish Civilization II,” or vice versa.
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Learning Objectives
By mastering this course, students should be able to:
1. Identify and explain the significance of major personalities, places, events,
movements, etc. discussed in the readings and covered in lecture.
2. Discern and articulate major trends and recurring themes in Jewish civilization from
ancient times to the middle seventeenth century.
3. Understand the main factors in the survival of Jewish civilization notwithstanding
the loss of a common land and language in antiquity.
4. Trace shifts in conceptions of the boundaries of Jewishness and explain what has
motivated these changes.
5. Connect the specific material of the course to essential issues in the study of history,
such as:
a. the relationship between academic history and national myth or collective
memory
b. the tension between continuity and change, particularly at what appear to be
turning points in history
c. the role of texts, rituals, and perceptions of the Other in the shaping of
collective identities
d. the strategies of adaptation and resistance used by minorities to maintain
their identity in their interactions with the majority culture
6. Become more adept at analyzing primary documents like historians, e..g by posing
good questions of them, determining what historical information we can glean from
them, etc.
7. Become more adept at analyzing secondary sources, e.g. by reading for argument,
distinguishing thesis from supporting evidence, considering alternative
explanations for given data, identifying possible authorial biases, etc.
8. Demonstrate historical empathy and imagination, by showing ability to “think into”
the minds of individuals living in very different worlds from our own.
9. Write essays that draw on the above skills and are clear, cogent, and concise.
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Promises and Expectations
One of the key terms and ideas we will encounter in this course is “covenant.” What
follows is my covenant with you—what you can expect from me, and what, beyond the
formal requirements listed below, I expect in return.
What you can expect from me:

A list of keywords posted or distributed in advance of each meeting that you should
familiarize with before the next lecture/discussion.

A question—or sometimes a few questions—posted or distributed in advance of
each meeting to help you navigate your way through the readings and come to class
ready to participate.

A rubric—or set of critieria—for each writing assignment that spells out what is
required for a successful essay.

Clear feedback on your writing.

A willingness to discuss a paper or exam grade with you either during my office
hours or by appointment. If you wish to have a grade reconsidered, you must first
submit to me a written statement outlining your reasons, along with the paper or
exam. This appeal must be submitted within a week of receiving the grade.
What I expect from you:

That you come to class on time and are in your seats and ready to begin by 3:45.

That—unless you notify me of some conflict in advance—you remain in class until it
ends at 5. I realize that bathroom breaks may sometimes be unavoidable, but please
keep these to an absolute minimum, as the constant traffic in and out of class can
become very disruptive.

To quote the Boy Scout motto, that you “be prepared.” Even if you are unable to do
all the readings in advance of a particular class, do your best to acquaint yourself
with the keywords and to come ready to discuss the question(s) posted.

That you refrain from using laptops (even for taking notes) or any other form of
electronic technology without authorization. (See below, under Requirements.)

That you submit papers in timely fashion.

That you abide by the GW Code of Academic Integrity. (See below)
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Requirements

First Analytical Paper (10%). A short paper of a minimum of 1000 words, due
before class on Tuesday, September 13. You will be given a specific question that
you must answer drawing on primary sources assigned for that particular meeting.
NB: late papers will not be accepted, since we will discuss the subject of the paper in
class the day it is due.

Second Analytical Paper (15%). A short paper of a minimum of 1500 words. You
will have a choice of two opportunities to submit this paper: before class on either
Tuesday, October 25 or Tuesday, November 22. This paper will be based on a
reading of secondary sources. You will have to analyze a specific debate between
scholars relevant to the topic of the class on the date it is due. Again, late papers will
not be accepted.

Third Imaginative Paper (20%). This paper of roughly 2000 words will be due on
Friday, December 9 in my box in the History department office (Phillips 335) by 1
PM. Whereas the first two papers are expository and intended to assess your ability
to read primary and secondary sources critically and contextually, this will be a
fictional exercise designed to evaluate your capacity for historical insight, empathy,
and imagination. A few weeks into the class, I will provide you with a short list of
profiles of made-up historical characters from different places and periods of our
course. In general, these characters will represent ways of being Jewish (or
Israelite, as the case may be) that came to be deemed heretical or non-normative in
the course of time. Your job will be to select one of these profiles, and to write a
first-person essay from the point of view of the character you have chosen. Each
profile will have various questions that your essay should address. Some outside
research will be required for this paper so that you can develop a richer sense of
how a person from a particular group writing in a particular time and place might
think. More information to follow. Late papers will be docked a letter grade for
every weekday they are overdue. (If a paper due on Friday is turned in on the
following Tuesday and earns an A, the grade will become a C.)

First Triterm Exam (10%). This will be a thirty-minute in-class midterm exam on
Tuesday, October 4 consisting solely of short-answer questions. A forty-five
minute lecture on the topic of the day (“The Fall of the Second Commonwealth”) will
follow.

Second Triterm Exam (15%). This will be a seventy-five-minute in-class midterm
exam on Thursday, November 3 consisting of short-answer questions and one
essay.
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
Final Exam (20%). There will be a two-hour in-class final exam on the date
scheduled by the registrar (TBA) that will consist of short-answer questions, one
document-based question, and one essay.

Attendance & Participation (10%). This class will combine both lecture and
discussion, with certain meetings devoted expressly to the latter (see the schedule
of classes). As you can see, the weight given to “Attendance and Participation” is
equivalent to the first paper and first exam. So you are strongly encouraged to
contribute in class in a constructive manner, by posing and responding to questions,
making comments, asking me to clarify something I have said, and just in general
demonstrating a high level of engagement. The reading will generally run between
75-125 pages per week. Attendance is mandatory. Three or more unexcused
absences—or repeated lateness to class—will reduce your grade for attendance and
participation. NB: your grade for attendance and participation will be based on both
attendance and participation. Please do not expect that exemplary attendance alone
will assure you an A in this category.

The use of laptops or any other form of electronic technology in class is prohibited.
Exceptions will be made only on the basis of medical necessity or in cases where I
deem it appropriate.

Academic dishonesty, be it plagiarism or cheating on an exam, is a serious university
offense. While it is expected—at least in the research paper for this class—that you
will assimilate the work and ideas of others, you must give credit to your sources
when appropriate. Furthermore, you need to integrate your findings into an essay
whose style and argument are incontrovertibly your own. I will be available to
answer any questions you might have about the nuances of when to cite, but know
from the outset that I am obliged to report suspected cases of plagiarism and
cheating. Be sure to familiarize yourselves with both the Chicago Manual of Style
(15th edition) and the GW Code of Academic Integrity, which can be found at
http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html.

In order to receive accommodations on the basis of disability, students with special
needs must give notice and provide proper documentation to the Office of Disability
Support Services, Marvin Center 436, 994-8250.
Readings
The following texts are available for purchase at the GW Bookstore. I have also placed
them on reserve in Gelman Library.



Raymond Scheindlin, A Short History of the Jewish People (Oxford, 2000)
Eli Barnavi, A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People from the Time of the Patriarchs to
the Present (Schocken, 2003)
David Biale, ed., Cultures of the Jews: A New History, vol. 1 and 2 (Schocken, 2002)
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

Jacob R. Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval Word: A Sourcebook, 315-1791 (HUC Press,
1998, rev. ed.)
TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures [henceforth TNK] (JPS, 1985)-- 978-0827603660
In addition, you will find several readings in the schedule of classes below listed as ER, or
Electronic Reserve.
Schedule of Classes
T
Aug 30
Introduction


Scheindlin, “Introduction,” viii-xiii
Biale, “Preface,” in Cultures, vol. 1, xiv-xxxi
Unit 1: The Ancient Period
R
Sept 1
Mythic Beginnings




T
Sept 6
From Legend to History







R
Sept 8
Scheindlin, 1-7
Barnavi, 2-5, 8-9
I. Pardes, “Imagining the Birth of Ancient Israel,” in Cultures, v. 1,
8-41
TNK, Gen. 11:1-9, 12:1-10, 25:19-34, 32:29-30; Num. 23:7-10;
Deut. 7:1-11, 26:1-10
Scheindlin, 7-23
Barnavi, 10-11, 14-17, 20-25
R. Hendel, “Israel among the Nations,” in Cultures, vol. 1, 42-52
“Hymn of Victory of Mer-ne-Ptah (‘The Israel Stela’),” in Pritchard,
The Ancient Near East (Princeton, 2011), 328-9 [ER]
“The Moabite Stone,” in Pritchard, 287-8 [ER]
II Kings: 16-19
“Sennacherib (704-681): The Siege of Jerusalem,” in Pritchard,
269-71 [ER]
Ancient Israelite Religion



Barnavi, 6-7, 12-13 (read excerpts from Hymn to Aton and Psalm
104 at bottom), 26-27
R. Hendel, “Israel among the Nations,” in Cultures, vol. 1, 53-75
TNK, Gen. 12:6-7, 22:1-19; Exod. 15:1-18; Lev. 16:1-30; Deut. 6:49, 7:1-6, 12:1-14; 2 Kings 23:1-30; 44:1-28; Psalm 89: 7-10
6
T
Sept. 13
Exile, Diaspora, Return, & the Beginnings of Jewishness



Scheindlin, 25-33
Barnavi, 28-33
TNK, Jer. 29:1-14; Psalm 137; Neh. 8-10
Paper #1: Due at Beginning of Class
R
Sept 15
DISCUSSION: The Jewish Bible


T
Sept 20
The Second Commonwealth



R
Sept 22



Sept 27


Sept 29
I Maccabees 1-6 http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsvidx?type=DIV1&byte=4219672
II Macc. 3-7, 11 http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsvidx?type=DIV1&byte=4353562
Barnavi, 42-47
E. Gruen, “Hellenistic Judaism,” in Cultures, vol. 1, 76-132
Sectarianism in the Second Commonwealth



R
Scheindlin, 33-40
Barnavi, 34-41
E. Myers, “Jewish Culture in Greco-Roman Palestine,” in Cultures,
vol. 1, 134-146
DISCUSSION: Hellenism and Hellenization

T
Gen. 9:1-7; Gen. 17; Exod. 19:7-20:18, 24:1-8; Deut. 29:1, 9-28,
30:1-20; 2 Sam. 7:1-17; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 20:1-6, 10-22, 30-38
“The Vassal-Treaties of Esarhaddon,” in Pritchard, 213-225 [ER]
Scheindlin, 40-49
Barnavi, 48-51
Josephus, excerpts from Jewish War and Antiquities on sects, in
Lawrence H. Schiffman, ed., Texts and Traditions (Ktav, 1998), 266269, 275-281 [ER]
Qumran sect, “Rule of the Community,” excerpted in Schiffman,
285-291 [ER]
Meyers, “Jewish Culture in Greco-Roman Palestine,” in Cultures,
vol. 1, 147-162
NO CLASS—Rosh Hashanah
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T
Oct 4
First Triterm Exam (30 min.)
The Fall of the Second Commonwealth (45 min.)



R
Oct 6
The Emergence of “Rabbinic Judaism”




T
Oct 11
Barnavi, 52-53
Excerpts from Josephus in Schiffman, 434-53, 457-62, 464-9, 47986 [ER]
Tacitus, excerpt from his Histories on Jewish origins and rituals, in
Schiffman, 199-200 [ER]
Scheindlin, 50-59
Barnavi, 56-61
Meyers, “Jewish Culture in Greco-Roman Palestine,” 162-174
Mishnah Avot 1-5 & TB Bava Mezia 59a-b, in Schiffman, 523-8 [ER]
DISCUSSION: Rabbinic Texts


Barnavi, 62-63
R. Goldenberg, “Talmud,” in Back to the Sources, 128-212 [ER]
R
Oct 13
NO CLASS—Sukkot
T
Oct 18
The Rise of Christianity:
From Jewish Sect to Imperial Power in Late Antiquity




Scheindlin, 59-69
Barnavi, 54-55, 68-71
Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World, #1, 20
O. Irshai, “Confronting a Christian Empire,” in Cultures, vol. 1, 180221
R
Oct 20
NO CLASS—Shemini Atseret
T
Oct 25
DISCUSSION: Augustine and the Jews



Augustine, Against Faustus 12:8-13
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/140612.htm
---, City of God 18:46
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120118.htm
---, Sermon 201, in The Fathers of the Church, vol. 38
http://www.scribd.com/doc/53598630/The-Fathers-of-theChurch-A-new-translation-Volume-38
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

Rosemary R. Ruether, “Anti-Semitism and Christian Theology,” in
E. Fleischner, ed., Auschwitz: Beginning of a New Era? (Ktav, 1977)
[ER]
Y.H. Yerushalmi, “A Response to Rosemary Ruether,” in Fleischner
[ER]
Paper #2 (option 1): Due at Beginning of Class
Unit 2: The Medieval Period
R
Oct 27
Periodizing the “Jewish Middle Ages”;
The Jews of Islam: Theological/Legal Foundations, Economic Life





T
Nov 1
Scheindlin, 70-77
Barnavi, 74-77, 80-85, 90-91
Saperstein, “Introduction,” in Marcus, Jew in the Medieval World
Marcus, #3, 73
Scheindlin, “Merchants and Intellectuals, etc.”, in Cultures, vol. 2,
10-32
The Babylonian Jewish Leadership & Their Discontents




Scheindlin, 77-82
Barnavi, 86-89
Marcus, #38, 47, 57
Scheindlin, “Merchants and Intellectuals,” 32-59
R
Nov 3
Second Triterm Exam
T
Nov 8
The World of Medieval Sepharad





R
Nov 10
Scheindlin, 82-95
Barnavi, 92-97, 100-103
Marcus, #59, 62, 77 (I)
Judah Halevi, “My Heart is in the East”
http://medievalhebrewpoetry.org/haleviselectionnew.html#MYH
EARTISINTHEEAST
Scheindlin, “Merchants and Intellectuals,” 59-84
The World of Medieval Ashkenaz



Scheindlin, 97-101
Barnavi, 78-79, 98-99
Marcus, #4, 6, 22, 60, 61, 72, 74, 77(II)
9

T
Nov 15
The Formation of a Persecuting Society




R
Nov 17
Nov 22
Scheindlin, 97-112
Barnavi, 104-107
Marcus, 23, 25, 27, 29
I. Marcus, “A Jewish-Christian Symbiosis,” 161-214
In-class showing of “The Disputation” (1986)

T
I. Marcus, “A Jewish-Christian Symbiosis,” in Cultures, vol. 2, 146161
H. Maccoby, Judaism on Trial, excerpts [ER]
DISCUSSION: Judaism under Crescent and Cross


Mark Cohen, “The Neo-Lachrymose Conception of Jewish Arab
History,” in Tikkun May/June 1991 [ER]
Norman Stillman, “Myth, Counter-myth, Distortion,” in Tikkun
May/June 1991 [ER]
Paper #2 (option 2): Due at Beginning of Class
T
Nov 29
Expulsions from the West



Scheindlin, 112-121
Barnavi, 110-111, 114-115, 120-121
Marcus, #5, 9, 11, 12
Unit 3: Early Modern Jewish Life
R
Dec 1
From West to East, from Medieval to “Early Modern”?




T
Dec 6
Scheindlin, 123-132, 149-160
Barnavi, 118-119, 122-123, 130-135, 142-143, 146-147
Marcus, #42, 43, 83
Rosman, “Innovative Tradition,” in Cultures, vol. 2, 217-270
(recommended)
Kabbalah, Messianism, & the Sabbatean Movement



Scheindlin, 132-137
Barnavi, 144-145, 148-149
Marcus, #53, 56
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R
Dec 8
The Return to Western Europe;
Spinoza: The First “Modern Jew”?





Scheindlin, 160-171
Barnavi, 132-133, 138-141, 152-153
Marcus, 14, 16, 18, 68, 69
Spinoza, chap. 7 of Theological-Political Treatise [ER]
Y. Kaplan, “Bom Judesmo,” in Cultures, vol. 2, 337-368
Paper #3: Due FRI DEC 9 by 1 PM in my box in the History department office (Phillips 335)
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