Qumran and the New Material Philology - Text and Material Context

The course gives an overview of the Qumran literature. A selcetion of - for the Qumran movement - central works, are analyzed in respect to genre, historical context and theology. Intertextual aspects are raised. The manuscripts are analyzed using facsimiles and transcriptions of original manuscripts. The outline of the text, the scribal markings, corrections, broken units, and marginal glosses, are analyzed as aspects of text. The student is trained in paying attention to the theoretical and methodological differences that exist between traditional philology and new material philology in the evaluation and interpretation of ancient manuscripts. The course includes a study of scribal techniques, with a special focus on the Qumran literature. The course provides skills in Qumran Hebrew and in the reading of unvocalized Hebrew text.