MPhil in Jewish Studies in the Graeco-Roman Period

University of Oxford

The MPhil in Jewish Studies in the Graeco-Roman Period aims to provide you with a good general knowledge of Jewish history, religion and culture in the period from 300 BCE to 638 CE, the period of the Second Temple and the Talmud.

The course will introduce you to the range of primary sources for Jewish history in this period and equip you with both the understanding and the ability to use a range of historiographical and critical methods in the treatment of such primary sources.

The course consists of instruction in the history and institutions of the Jews and in three specialised areas of Jewish studies which involve close study of particular types of primary texts. You will be expected to have a working knowledge of the relevant languages (mainly Hebrew and ancient Greek) before starting the course, and no time is set aside for basic language instruction.

Teaching for the compulsory core course is covered by a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials covering the principal sources of the period of the Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism. The classes provide instruction in the translation and interpretation of most but not necessarily all of the set texts which you are required to study for your specialised papers. General questions about these texts are discussed in tutorials (usually eight per course), which normally consist in one-to-one discussion with a tutor of your written work. These may include selected texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, Jewish-Hellenistic compositions, and Jewish papyri.