THEL650 - Introductory Biblical Hebrew B

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

THEL510 Introductory Biblical Hebrew A OR THEL500 Biblical Hebrew A

Incompatible

THEL625 Biblical Hebrew B , THEL501 Biblical Hebrew B

Teaching organisation

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, language seminars and online learning. The remaining hours typically involve revising grammatical paradigms and vocabulary, translation preparation, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment.

Unit rationale, description and aim

Biblical Hebrew B builds on the foundation of Biblical Hebrew A to equip students with further grammar, vocabulary, and translation skills necessary to engage with a broader range of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament texts. This unit aims to consolidate the fundamental skills learned in Hebrew A and to strengthen reading and translation skills through in depth study of an assigned biblical text. In addition to detailed original language study of an assigned text in its literary and historical context, students will also engage in the rich history of theological and scholarly interpretations of the assigned text.

The intricate verbal system of Biblical Hebrew is one of the most crucial features of grammar that students must master in order to read Biblical Hebrew texts. This unit introduces students to more complex features of the verbal system. Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of these features in each class as they work individually and collaboratively to translate and interpret the assigned biblical text. This unit provides students with the foundations of Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, translation, and interpretation so that they are prepared for the more complex genres that will be introduced in Biblical Hebrew C and D, including poetry and prophecy.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Content

Topics will include:

• The basics of Biblical Hebrew grammar
• Biblical Hebrew verb stems
• Foundational Biblical Hebrew vocabulary
• Detailed original language study of a selected biblical text
• Literary and theological interpretations of the text studied
• An examination of key scholarly interpretations of the text studied

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, language seminars and online learning. The remaining hours typically involve revising grammatical paradigms and vocabulary, translation preparation, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment.

The unit is normally offered in Online Scheduled mode. Students learn through formally structured and sequenced learning activities that support the achievement of the learning outcomes. Every week students are given opportunities to practice their reading and translation skills, to complete activities collaboratively with their peers, and to receive feedback on their progress from the lecturer. Regular quizzes provide students with the incentive to progressively learn vocabulary and to apply key grammar and translation skills learned each week. These quizzes allow students to effectively identify their strengths and to address areas for improvement.

THEL650 emphasises students as active, adult learners. Students are recognised as adult learners who engage best when what they are learning is relevant to them and gives them the opportunity to be responsible for their own learning. In many ways, the student is the one who drives the learning forward. Active participation in this unit is essential and is at the core of its learning strategy. Learning is designed to be an engaging and supportive experience, which helps students to develop critical thinking and reflection skills.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to attempt all assessment tasks and achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher.  

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to progressively demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome. 

Assessment task 1 requires students to demonstrate an understanding of basic Biblical Hebrew morphology, vocabulary and syntax by completing regular classification and translation tasks throughout the semester. This task is designed to allow students to progressively demonstrate their fulfilment of Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 4. Assessment task 2 requires students to build on the Assessment task 2 requires students to build on the skills assessed in the previous task by applying these skills to the interpretation of the assigned biblical text. This task asks students to research and evaluate data from primary sources and their interpretation in secondary sources. It assesses the students’ ability to apply increasingly complex linguistic skills to the analysis of research problems in the biblical text and allows students to demonstrate the fulfillment of Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Assessment task 3 is designed to allow students to demonstrate the cumulative knowledge relating to Biblical Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and translation they have attained throughout the unit and by completing Assessment Task 1 and 2. The final assessment task requires students to demonstrate an understanding of Biblical Hebrew grammar, placing a greater emphasis on the more complex grammatical concepts covered during the semester (e.g. the Biblical Hebrew verbal system). It also enables students to demonstrate ability in translation and to identify, interpret, and communicate features of the texts they are translating.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Athas, G. and I. M. Young, Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar: Fifth Edition. Sydney: Ancient Vessel Press, 2016.

Brown, P. and B. W. Smith, A Reader’s Hebrew Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic Press, 2008.

Brown, F., S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Corrected Impression. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1952.

Holladay, W. L., A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden: Brill, 1989.

Linafelt, Tod. The Hebrew Bible as Literature: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.  

Practico, G.D. and M. V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

Practico, G.D. and M. V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook: Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

Rogerson, J. W., and Judith M. Lieu, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.