RLKA05 Judaism

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Fri 25. 9. 9:10–12:25 J31, Fri 23. 10. 9:10–12:25 J31, Fri 20. 11. 9:10–12:25 J31
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Course abstract
The course offers a complex introduction to Judaism as the oldest monotheistic religion. Following a paradigmatic scheme of periodization it provides a general survey of its historical transformations: the religion of ancient Israel, early Judaism in the post-exilic period, Sepharadim and Ashkenazim during the Middle Ages, and modern Judaism, including its national-political features.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
  • demonstrate the basic factual knowledge of the history of Judaism, including main features of its teachings, religious law and ritual practices;
  • identify the principal historical transformations in the development of Judaism;
  • use the basic terminology of Judaism and its academic study;
  • interprete the selected Jewish source material in Czech translation (e.g. biblical text, halakhic commentary, Hasidic legend etc.);
  • compare Judaism with other monotheistic systems (Christianity, Islam).
    • Syllabus
    • (0) Introduction to the course. (1) The Hebrew Bible – structure, textual development, canonization, translations. (2) Ethnogenesis of Hebrew tribes. The earliest religion of Israel. (3) Religion in the pre-exilic period. Hezekiah's and Josiah's reforms. (4) The Babylonian exile and the post-exilic period. (5) Hellenization and differentiation of early Judaism. (6) Rabbinic Judaism and the crystallization of the Talmud. (7) Test in the Hebrew Bible. (8) Gaonic period. Sepharadim a Ashkenazim. (9) Jewish religious philosophy. Kabbalah. (10) Haskalah and the differentiation of Judaism in modern times. (11) Zionism and the origins of the State of Israel. (12) Test in the basic terminology of Judaism.
    Literature
      required literature
    • HORYNA, Břetislav and Helena PAVLINCOVÁ. Judaismus-Křesťanství-Islám (Judaism-Christianity-Islam). Nové rozšířené. Olomouc: nakladatelství Olomouc, 2003, 661 pp. ISBN 80-7182-165-9. info
    • SCHUBERT, Kurt. Židovské náboženství v proměnách věků : zdroje, teologie, filosofie, mystika. Vyd. 2. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1999, 285 s. ISBN 8070213035. info
      recommended literature
    • STEMBERGER, Günter. Úvod do judaistiky. Translated by Štěpán Zbytovský. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2010, 228 s. ISBN 9788070219881. info
    • DE LANGE, N. R. M. An introduction to Judaism. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, xxii, 247. ISBN 9780521466240. info
    • The Oxford handbook of Jewish studies. Edited by Jeremy Cohen - David Jan Sorkin - Martin Goodman. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, xiv, 1037. ISBN 9780199280322. info
    Teaching methods
    Lectures; home readings; three semestral commentaries on given texts with a written feedback by teacher; two semestral written tests.
    Assessment methods
    Requirements for the colloquium (recommended for students in the fields other than religion)
  • written test in the Hebrew Bible (at least 60%);
  • written test in the basic terminology of Judaism (at least 60%).

    Requirements for the oral examination (compulsory for students of religion)
    Prerequisite for the examination:
  • written test in the Hebrew Bible (at least 60%);
  • written test in the basic terminology of Judaism (at least 60%).
  • three accepted commentaries (altogether at least 60%).
    Requirements for the oral examination:
  • to prove the basic factual knowledge of Judaism according to the given list of topics;
  • to prove the interpretative ability in a given field.
    The final grade includes assessment of: two semestral tests (40%), three commentaries (20%), and oral examination (40%).

    Detailed schedule of the course and topics for the examination with recommended reading are available in the ELF (e-learning environment of the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University).
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Follow-Up Courses
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Study Materials
    The course is taught once in two years.
    Information on the extent and intensity of the course: bloková výuka.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2002, Spring 2003, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Spring 2008, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2015, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2015/RLKA05