FROM RIVALRY TO REDEMPTION IN THE HEBREW BIBLE
Family relationships in the Hebrew Bible are full of strife and rivalry between brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, or among wives, mothers, and concubines. Starting with Cain and Abel, right through to Moses and Aaron, biblical family dynamics include abuse, betrayal, coercion, seduction, and murder. But these stories are more than sordid tabloid headlines—taken together, they also offer a road-map to healing and forgiveness. Join us on this journey from Rivalry to Redemption, to gain new insights into the biblical characters you thought you knew, and maybe even learn something about your own kith and kin. Class members should have access to a Hebrew Bible translation, JPS is preferred, available online at no cost to students via Sefaria.org, but should be accessed on a device separate from the one being used for Zoom. This study group has a high class size capacity.
A VIRTUAL CLASS
03-Jun-2023 - Lecture 1 of 4
10-Jun-2023 - Lecture 2 of 4
17-Jun-2023 - Lecture 3 of 4
24-Jun-2023 - Lecture 4 of 4
BATTLE OF THE GODS: THE MYTHS OF BAAL VS THE GOD OF ISRAEL
Can we find traces of an ancient god, from a culture long destroyed, in our worship services today? The seat of the Canaanite god Baal, ancient Ugarit, was laid waste by1200 B.C.E., but for the next millennium Baal’s myth captivated biblical Israelites, luring them to worship gods alien to the God of Israel. Israel’s God fought mightily to defeat Baal and eliminate his influence, but Baal’s language, imagery, and rituals suffused Israelite culture. Ultimately, these influences made their way into our own religious expression today. In these four sessions we survey the traces of this evolution from ancient Ugarit all the way through to contemporary Jewish liturgy and Christian theology. A course reader is provided electronically to each class member for the readings in the Baal Epic and for other ancient Near Eastern backgrounds. In addition, class members should have a copy of the Hebrew Bible in translation [JPS is preferred] and the Christian Scriptures in translation [NIV is preferred] available for use during our class sessions. Both are available online. This study group has a high class size capacity.
A VIRTUAL CLASS
05-Jun-2023 - Lecture 1 of 4
12-Jun-2023 - Lecture 2 of 4
19-Jun-2023 - Lecture 3 of 4
26-Jun-2023 - Lecture 4 of 4
THE BIBLE'S ORIGINS REVEALED: KINGSHIP OF GOD AND THE ISRAELITE MONARCHY
Fall 2021
Contemporary scholars understand the Bible as evolving out of the rich and complex cultural crucible that was the ancient Near East. In this six-session course we will compare and contrast translations of selected ancient Assyrian and Babylonian myths and ritual texts side-by-side with the biblical texts they influence, tracing the evolution of imagery and language surrounding God the King and God's relationship to the kings of Israel.
01-Nov-2021 - Lecture 1 of 6This course was presented at the The Skirball Academy at the Streicker Center of Temple Emanuel. It is also a part of the Skirball Courses section of the Digital Library.
THE IMAGERY OF CANAANITE BA'AL SUBSUMED IN THE GOD OF ISRAEL
Yom Kippur 2023 / 5784This course was presented as part of the Yom Kippur teaching at Congregation Tehillah of Riverdale, NY.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY VERSUS GROUP RESPONSIBILITY IN BIBLICAL THOUGHT
Yom Kippur 2022 / 5783This course was presented as part of the Yom Kippur teaching at Congregation Tehillah of Riverdale, NY.
THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ORIGINS OF THE KINGSHIP OF GOD
Yom Kippur 2021 / 5782This course was presented as part of the Yom Kippur teaching at Congregation Tehillah of Riverdale, NY.
OTHER GODS BEFORE ME - THE GODS AND GODDESSES OF SUMER AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL
Spring 2021
How does the God of Israel emerge among the divinities of the Ancient Near East? In this series we will explore some of the work of the Sumerologist and biblical scholar Tikva Frymer-Kensky in her book In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth. New York: Macmillan/Free Press, 1992.
Among the topics we will explore: The polytheism in the Ancient Near East and how it transforms in the monotheism of the Bible; the power of nature in the Ancient Near East and in the hands of the One God; How mastery of the human body (healing, childbirth, death) is expressed among the gods of the Ancient Near East and by the God of Israel; relationship of human beings to the ancient gods and to the God of Israel.
This course was presented at the The Skirball Academy at the Streicker Center of Temple Emanuel. It is also a part of the Skirball Courses section of the Digital Library.
IN THE WAKE OF THE GODDESSES
January 2021
An online lecture series based on PART II of the book of the same name, by the late great scholar Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Diane's dear friend and valued teacher. These sessions explore the radical transition of the many divinities of the ancient Near East to the One God of Israel.
04-Jan-2021 - Lecture 1 of 4
BATTLE OF THE GODS: THE MYTHS OF BAAL VS. THE GOD OF ISRAEL
Fall 2020
In Canaanite myth, Baal is characterized as Rider of the Clouds, Ruler of the Storm, Subduer of the Sea and Lord of Fertility. While the seat of Baal worship was destroyed in 1200 BCE, the power of its archaic traditions captivated Israelites, from farmers and herdsmen to transgressive priests and leaders, luring them to alien worship and seducing Israel into abandoning the covenant at Sinai. Over time, the language, imagery and rituals associated with Baal have come also to suffuse the worship of Israel’s God. This semester we examine how the struggle between Baal and Yahweh plays out throughout the biblical story of ancient Israel from the Book of Judges through the prophets and the psalms, and how its traces mark our Jewish lives today.
26-Oct-2020 - Lecture 1 of 6This course was presented at the The Skirball Academy at the Streicker Center of Temple Emanuel. It is also a part of the Skirball Courses section of the Digital Library.
CANAANITE 101 - THE GODS OF UGARIT
Spring 2021
In this introduction to the Canaanite pantheon, we discover the traits and aspects of divinity that were later absorbed and subsumed by the God of Israel.
This course was presented at the The Skirball Academy at the Streicker Center of Temple Emanuel. It is also a part of the Skirball Courses section of the Digital Library.