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TH 3316, The Forbidden Books

Dr. Todd Hanneken
Spring 2026

Jump to January 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29, February 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, March 3, 5, 10–12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31, April 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30, May 5, 7

Historiography

  1. Tuesday, January 13 – Introductions and Context (HTML)
  2. Thursday, January 15 – Universalism, Particularism, and Parallelism in 1 Maccabees 1 (HTML)
    • Prepare 1 Maccabees 1 (PDF)
  3. Tuesday, January 20 – The Justification for Killing in 1 Maccabees 2 (HTML)
    • Prepare 1 Maccabees 2:1—6:16 (especially chapter 2)
  4. Thursday, January 22 – God and Suffering in 1 and 2 Maccabees (HTML)
    • Prepare 2 Maccabees 2:19—5:27 (PDF)
  5. Tuesday, January 27 – Martyrdom (HTML)
    • Prepare 2 Maccabees 6:1—10:8
  6. Thursday, January 29 – Josephus and Historiography (HTML)
    • Prepare 1Macc/Josephus comparison (PDF)
  7. Tuesday, February 3 – Josephus’ Rewriting of 1 Maccabees (HTML)
  8. Thursday, February 5 – Test on Historiography (HTML)

Apocalypses

  1. Tuesday, February 10 – Introduction to Apocalypses, Enoch, and the Books Attributed to Him (HTML)
  2. Thursday, February 12 – Enoch’s First Dream Vision (HTML)
    • Prepare 1 Enoch 83–84 (pp. 116–119) (HTML or PDF)
  3. Tuesday, February 17 – The Animal Apocalypse, Explaining the Present (HTML)
    • Skim 1 Enoch 85–89; read carefully 90:1–19
  4. Thursday, February 19 – The Animal Apocalypse, Expectations for the Future (HTML)
    • Prepare 1 Enoch 90:20–42
  5. Tuesday, February 24 – The Apocalypse of Weeks (HTML)
    • Prepare 1 Enoch 93:1–91:17 (pp. 139-142)
  6. Thursday, February 26 ­ Narrative Bridge, messiahs (HTML)
    • Prepare 1 Enoch 91:1–92:5 (pp. 136–138)
  7. Tuesday, March 3 – Catch up day
  8. Thursday, March 5 – Test on Apocalypses

Tuesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 12 – Spring Break (No Class Meetings)

Wisdom Literature

  1. Tuesday, March 17 – Introduction to Wisdom Literature and Ben Sira (HTML)
    • Prepare Sirach Foreword; 1 (HTML or PDF)
  2. Thursday, March 19 – Ben Sira on Theodicy and the Afterlife (HTML)
    • Prepare Sirach 2; 39–41
  3. Tuesday, March 24 – Lady Wisdom (HTML)
    • Prepare Sirach 24
  4. Thursday, March 26 – Ben Sira on Wives and Daughters (HTML)
    • Prepare Sirach 25–26, 42
  5. Tuesday, March 31 – Hellenistic Judaism (Wisdom of Solomon, Philo) and the Immortality of the Soul (HTML)
    • Prepare short selections from Philo (HTML or PDF); Wisdom of Solomon 1–5 (HTML or PDF)
  6. Thursday, April 2 – Wisdom of Solomon on Theodicy, Universalism, and Natural Law (HTML)
    • Prepare Wisdom of Solomon 11-13; skim 6-10; 14-19 (HTML or PDF)
  7. Tuesday, April 7 – Test on Wisdom Literature

Rewritten Scripture

  1. Thursday, April 9 – Introduction to Rewritten Bible and Jubilees (HTML)
    • Prepare Hanneken, Introduction to Jubilees (PDF); Jubilees 1 (PDF)
  2. Tuesday, April 14 – Creation in 6 or 7 Days and the Garden of Eden (HTML)
    • Prepare Genesis 1–3; Jubilees 2–3
  3. Thursday, April 16 – The Flood, Theodicy, and Rewritten 1 Enoch (HTML)
    • Prepare Jubilees 4–5, 10
  4. Tuesday, April 21 – Religion, Gentiles, and the Jubilees “Apocalypse” (HTML)
    • Prepare Jubilees 6, 15, and 23
  5. Thursday, April 23 – Conclude Jubilees
  6. Tuesday, April 28 – Test on Rewritten Bible

Thursday, April 30 – Research Showcase, Classes Cancelled

Tuesday, May 5 – Review

Thursday, May 7 – Study Day (No Class Meeting)

Cumulative Final Exam