(in Polish) Practical study of an ancient language I: Ancient Hebrew

elective courses

This course introduces biblical Hebrew - the language of ancient Israel/Judah, in which the Tanakh/Old Testament was written. The course is accessible to absolute beginners, and assumes no prior knowledge of the language. The main aim of the course is to teach the students the basics of Biblical Hebrew and prepare them for reading Biblical texts with comprehension and using the dictionary if necessary.

Students begin by learning the alphabet and writing system, followed by systematically studying grammar and incrementally acquiring vocabulary. Their learning is consolidated throughout the course through exercises, translations, short quizzes and homework. By the end of the course, they are able to read simple Hebrew prose and conduct a detailed examination of a set text taken from the Hebrew Bible.

This course introduces biblical Hebrew - the language of ancient Israel/Judah, in which the Tanakh/Old Testament was written. The course is accessible to absolute beginners, and assumes no prior knowledge of the language. The main aim of the course is to teach the students the basics of Biblical Hebrew and prepare them for reading Biblical texts with comprehension and using the dictionary if necessary.

Students begin by learning the alphabet and writing system, followed by systematically studying grammar and incrementally acquiring vocabulary. Their learning is consolidated throughout the course through exercises, translations, short quizzes and homework. By the end of the course, they are able to read simple Hebrew prose and conduct a detailed examination of a set text taken from the Hebrew Bible.

Over the span of the course, students will have increasing opportunities to practice putting these skills to use for the purposes of reading and translating from the Hebrew Bible. These translation tools can be applied for homiletical exegesis, scholarly pursuit, and the gaining of a deeper understanding of and access to Scripture.

Coursebook:

Kahn, L., The Routledge Introductory Course in Biblical Hebrew, Routledge, London-New York 2014.

Cook, J. A., Holmstedt, R. D., Beginning Biblical Hebrew: A Grammar and Illustrated Reader, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids (MI) 2013.

Additional literature:

Cook, J. A., Holmstedt, R. D., Intermediate Biblical Hebrew: An Illustrated Grammar, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids (MI) 2020.

Halabé, R., Hinneh. Biblical Hebrew the Practical Way, v. 1., Magnes Press, Jerusalem 2011.

Joüon P., Muraoka T., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Gregorian' Biblical Press, Roma 2011.

Lambdin, T. O., Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River (NJ), 1971.

Seow, C. L., A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Abingdon Press, Nashville (TN), 1995

1. Developing theoretical and methodological tools for coping with linguistic issues that are relevant for the interpretation of biblical texts.

2. Familiarity with Hebrew alphabet and punctuation.

3. A basic understanding of the language rules and a basic ability to read and translate the sentences from the Hebrew Bible.

4. To analyse the verse structure according to the cantillation signs and interpret them accordingly.

Attendance, homework, monthly quizzes, and a final test that will either be written, oral or a combination of both.

No more than 6 absences in the semester is allowed.