This course considers the origins, development, and subsequent expressions of messianism in the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, and Early Christianity. Students will be exposed to a variety of ancient texts that refer to a messiah figure—e.g., 1 Enoch, Daniel, the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls, the Psalms of Solomon, and the New Testament Gospels—as well as historic figures that were considered by some to be the messiah—e.g., Jesus and Bar Kosiba. Through consideration of these texts and figures, students will gain knowledge of the basic aspects of messianism as well as the various shapes it took in ancient Judaism.
Messianism in Ancient Judaism
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Courses starts: 25 Apr 2024
Week 1: Introduction and overview
Week 2: The Hasmoneans; messianism in the Psalms of Solomon
Week 3: Messianism and apocalyptic literature
Week 4: The roots of messianism—kingship and sonship in the ancient Near East and in ancient Israel
Week 5: The figure of Daniel 7
Week 6: The messiah(s) in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Week 7: The messiah in the synoptic gospels
Week 8: The messiah according to Paul
Week 9: The messiah in the Gospel of John
Week 10: Historical figures with messianic claims after Jesus
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- King and Messiah as Son of God / Adela Yarbro Collins and John Collins
Digital Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £257.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £10.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr John Screnock
John Screnock (PhD, Toronto) is Tutor in Old Testament at Wycliffe Hall, at the University of Oxford. He is also a fellow of the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford. From 2018–2021 he was Research Fellow in Hebrew Bible at Oxford, and from 2015–2018 he was Kennicott Fellow in Hebrew at Oxford. He directed the Critical Editions of the Hebrew Bible research project, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, from 2018–2021. His research interests include the Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple Judaism, the Psalms, Hebrew linguistics, and textual criticism. He is the author of Traductor Scriptor: The Old Greek Translation of Exodus 1–14 as Scribal Activity (Brill, 2017), A Grammar of Ugaritic (SBL, 2022), and articles in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vetus Testamentum, Biblica, Journal of Semitic Studies, Hebrew Studies, Textus, Revue de Qumran, and Dead Sea Discoveries.
Course aims
To introduce students to the concept of messianism as it was expressed in various ancient Jewish contexts.
Course objectives:
At the end of this course, students will:
- be able to define and explain what a “messiah” is, both in the Hebrew Bible and in later Jewish literary contexts;
- be able to trace the development of messianism from its roots in the Hebrew Bible to its expression in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity;
- be able to explain the impact of messianism on other aspects of Jewish religious thought;
- have a general knowledge of the texts that contain reference to a messiah;
- have a general knowledge of historical figures who claimed to be a/the messiah.
Teaching methods
Ten two-hour sessions with mixed modes of engagement: lecture, discussion, and text-seminar.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- be able to define and explain what a “messiah” is, both in the Hebrew Bible and in later Jewish literary contexts;
- be able to trace the development of messianism from its roots in the Hebrew Bible to its expression in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity;
- be able to explain the impact of messianism on other aspects of Jewish religious thought;
- have a general knowledge of the texts that contain reference to a messiah;
- have a general knowledge of historical figures who claimed to be a/the messiah.
Assessment methods
Candidates will write a series of three 500-word essays.
In each of the first two essays, candidates will describe the expression of messianism found in one of the primary texts (Psalm 2 and 110, 2 Samuel 7, Isaiah 9, 1 Enoch 46 and 48, Daniel 7, 4Q246, Psalms of Solomon 17, Romans 5-8, Mark 8-9, Luke 1 and 4, and John 5).
In the third essay, candidates will compare the two texts of the preceding essays, analysing the similarities and differences and placing the texts within the broader history of messianism in ancient Judaism.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).
Level and demands
Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.