L426 Biblical Textual Criticism: The Old Testament

Purpose: To introduce the student to the theory and practice of the textual criticism of the Old Testament. Textual criticism is the science which seeks to establish the text which most closely resembles the original text of a document. In particular, Old Testament text criticism attempts to assemble and evaluate the various readings of the Hebrew text in order to come as close as possible to what was originally written.

In addition, text criticism also seeks to understand the history and transmission of the text.

Course Requirements: To accomplish the above mentioned goal the student will be required to read sections of the textbooks listed below and various portions of the Old Testament as well as the lectures attached to this syllabus. Then the student will be required to answer, in essay form, the questions found at the end of the lectures.

Time Requirements: L426 Biblical Textual Criticism: The Old Testament is designed to be completed in one academic quarter (10 weeks).

Textbook:

Wurthwein, Ernst. The Text of the Old Testament Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994

As well as this, the student must have a Bible (preferably in a modern translation). A Hebrew Old Testament is also essential to the course and will be the primary text.

Books may be purchased through The Campus Bookstore.