TH 6314, The Law of Moses

Fall 2025, Thursdays 6:00–8:45 pm, Reinbolt 002 and Zoom

Instructor: Dr. Todd Hanneken, thanneken@stmarytx.edu, 210-431-8050 Office hours in Zoom (https://stmarytx.zoom.us/my/thanneken) and Reinbolt 303a, Mondays 11:15-1:15, Tuesdays 11:10–1:00, Wednesdays 11:15-1:15, Thursdays 11:10–1:00, Fridays 11:15-12:15, and by appointment through RattlerNavigate or email.

Course website: https://palimpsest.stmarytx.edu/thanneken/th6314/

Course Description

This course focuses on the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament from the perspective of law and government. The Torah participates in the legal and cultural traditions of the Ancient Near East, and introduces radical innovations. Unlike its ancient counterparts, the Israelite Law continues to influence social thought not only in Judaism and Christianity, but the secular systems that developed in the Christian world. That influence is mediated, however, by the various traditions of interpretation in Judaism and Christianity. This course seeks appreciation of the Law of Moses in four contexts: the original context of its development in the Ancient Near East, the history of interpretation in Judaism and Christianity, contemporary ethical and religious questions, and the relationship between the principles of biblical law and American law. While much of the Torah is recognizable as “law” in the modern sense, the entire Torah, including narratives and exhortations, will be studied with respect to underlying questions of how a society orders itself around common understandings of national identity, duty to God and neighbor, and principles of justice inherent in creation.

Required Texts

At least one scholarly study Bible based on the NAB, NRSV, or JPS Tanakh translation.

Martha T. Roth. Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. Second edition, Writings from the Ancient World 6. Atlanta: Scholars, 1997.

John J. Collins. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Third edition. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2018.
(Available electronically through the St. Mary’s University library.)

Joseph Blenkinsopp. Wisdom and Law in the Old Testament: The Ordering of Life in Israel and Early Judaism. Revised ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
(Available electronically through the St. Mary’s University library.)

James L. Kugel. The Bible As It Was. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap, 1997 (paperback 1999).
or the expanded version, Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1998.
(If you are planning to purchase a paper copy, the smaller edition will likely be cheaper. If you are planning to use a digital copy from the library, the expanded version might be more available. The assigned selections are identical in each edition.)

Additional readings will be available from the course website.

Outcomes

By the end of the course the student will be able to:

• Distinguish layers of meaning pertaining to the time of composition, the reception in Jewish and Christian history, and readers today.
• Identify points of dependence and innovation in Israelite law in the context of Ancient Near Eastern law.
• Identify points of literature and history of the ancient world relevant to understanding Israelite laws in their original contexts.
• Identify the major tools and models scholars have contributed to understanding the original composition of the Torah.
• Appreciate the variety of interpretations of the Law of Moses in Jewish and Christian traditions with respect to individual issues and basic concepts of ordering society.
• Identify continuities and discontinuities in the development of modern western concepts of law in relationship to Israelite law and its interpretations in Judaism and Christianity.
• Identify a variety of views on the role biblical law does or should play in American public policy.
• Demonstrate general knowledge of the the broader context of the Pentateuch in the Hebrew Bible and academic study thereof.

Responsibilities

Each week before class, after completing the readings, students will complete an inventory in Canvas. The inventories will help the instructor gauge areas that require discussion and reinforcement in class. They will also help the student assess reading and study skills appropriate for advancing toward course outcomes. The inventories may resemble a quiz, a reading response, and/or a short reflection. Unless specified otherwise, they are to be completed without notes, books, other screens, or digital assistance beyond spell check. In order to allow time for the instructor to adapt, it is necessary to complete the inventory four hours before class time. Inventories may be completed late for partial credit.

Informed participation begins with coming to class on time, having thought about the readings and being prepared to discuss difficulties and key points. Besides offering answers, participation includes asking questions and participating in discussion. Each student should draw from the student’s own academic and professional background to offer insights on the topic at hand. If missing class is unavoidable, a private meeting in office hours, preferably in advance of the regularly scheduled class meeting, may demonstrate some of the engagement expected.

In addition to the content specific to the Law of Moses, we will also be reviewing general knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and the academic study thereof. Such general knowledge is often assumed in the regular readings, and will be required for the comprehensive exams later in the program. We will be covering this general knowledge in some of the readings and a portion of the weekly inventories and class meetings. A multiple-choice test at the end of the course will assess the expected general knowledge.

The final exam will focus on synthesis of information from across the course.

Evaluation

25% Weekly Inventories

30% Participation

15% General Context Exam

30% Final Exam

Course Policy on Academic Integrity

For this class, artificial intelligence does not substantially change the basic principles of academic integrity, study skills, and consequences. Learning with others in real life, humans on the internet, or non-humans on the internet can have benefits within limits.

• Plagiarism includes presenting words that you did not write as if you did write them (especially copy and paste). Plagiarism also includes presenting the ideas of others as if they were your ideas without crediting them to the source. It is generally not necessary to credit ideas you got from lectures, but qualifying ideas as “according to...” can still be helpful if others or you disagree. Use of spellcheck and grammar check can be helpful if it corrects but does not change the expression of your idea.
• Skimming, speed-reading, summaries from large language models, talking to a friend about a reading, etc. can be helpful but can mislead. Skimming for preview or review can supplement but never replaces careful reading. Information about religion from friends, people on the internet, and large language models requires critical evaluation. Large language models can be dangerous because they mask signs of a source at odds with the academic study of theology.
• Use your quizzes to study. Never consult someone else’s answer during a quiz. Never consult graded work for a quiz you have not yet taken. That includes questions and answers from previous semesters, other sections, or the same section if you were granted an extension.
• Although email correspondence is not graded, it can impact the grade through extensions. Presenting false information in email is a form of academic dishonesty. For example, an AI-generated excuse is dishonest if it is not based on reality.

Students will be given an opportunity to explain themselves if a suspicious pattern appears in submitted work. Although plagiarism and copying graded work is sometimes obvious, inability to discuss ideas presented as one’s own is sufficient evidence of dishonesty. A very limited slip of judgment can have limited consequences. The maximum consequence is a zero for the entire category of assignment.

University Policies

What follows until the schedule should be standard for all your classes at St. Mary’s.

This course adheres to the policies and procedures outlined in the Graduate Catalog https://catalog.stmarytx.edu/graduate/.

This course adheres to the University grading scale. https://catalog.stmarytx.edu/graduate/academic-policies-procedures/grades/

This course adheres to University academic policies and procedures. https://catalog.stmarytx.edu/graduate/academic-policies-regulations/

This course adheres to the policies for academic dishonesty and misconduct, as described in the Student Code of Conduct. https://catalog.stmarytx.edu/graduate/academic-policies-regulations/academic-policies-procedures/

This course adheres to the University attendance policy. https://catalog.stmarytx.edu/graduate/academic-policies-regulations/academic-policies-procedures/

This course adheres to the policies for study days and final exams. There will be two study days during which students prepare for final exams. Classes do not meet during Study Days. All major reports and assignments should be scheduled to be completed before Study Days. Study Days are not to be used as dates on which papers are to be turned in, examinations are to be given, quizzes are to be scheduled, mandatory review sessions are to be held, or for any other class-related activities, other than office hours. Faculty may conduct voluntary review sessions at which no new material is presented on these days. The only exception to the study day policy is for Thursday night classes- Thursday night final exams are scheduled on day-two of Study Days. The final exam schedule can be found at https://www.stmarytx.edu/academics/registrar.

St. Mary’s University is committed to providing a safe, equitable, and fair environment where students can pursue academic excellence. Policies and procedures have been developed to foster and sustain such an environment and apply to all courses offered at the university. Students need to be aware of these policies and procedures, which can be found at https://www.stmarytx.edu/policies/.

Please become familiar with these important policies and procedures, which include:

• Nondiscrimination, Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment https://www.stmarytx.edu/about/title-ix/
• Student Accessibility Services https://www.stmarytx.edu/campuslife/student-services/accessibility/
• Human Subjects Research https://www.stmarytx.edu/compliance/research-compliance/

This course adheres to the University Disability Statement. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act, Student Accessibility Services is the designated office responsible for coordinating all accommodations and services for students with disabilities at St. Mary’s University. St. Mary’s University supports equal access of qualifying individuals with documented disabilities to all educational opportunities, programs, services and activities. If you have a documented disability, or a condition which may impact your performance and want to request disability-related accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Student Accessibility Services, located in the Student Counseling Center (in the Center for Life Directions Building) in room 139. Please stop by the Student Accessibility Services Office, call 210-431-5080 or email stmudsts@stmarytx.edu to set up an appointment to meet with the Student Accessibility Services staff.

This course includes student course evaluations. Student course evaluations are one of several methods used to assess the quality of education at St. Mary’s University. At the end of the semester, students will have the opportunity to evaluate the course and instructor. These evaluations are confidential and anonymous. We strongly encourage all students to participate in completing the course evaluations.

This course adheres to the University diversity statement. St. Mary’s University embodies the Marianist spirit of educating the heart and mind. The University draws on the example of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Society of Mary, to create an environment that lets students thrive and where diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential. The intersectionality of our diverse experiences and characteristics are valued in all spaces within our community. Thus, we all must be committed to building an inclusive learning environment that values the individual experiences of every student in this course and where each has an opportunity to learn, engage in dialogue, question, and contribute to their fullest potential.

Schedule