Prof. Sara J. Milstein as Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Theology

In the winter semester 2023/24, Prof. Sara J. Milstein, PhD, will teach as visiting professor at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Göttingen. Her visiting professorship, financed by Study Quality Funds (SQM), belongs to the program line "Theology in a Global Context".

Sara Milstein is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (https://amne.ubc.ca/profile/sara-milstein/). She represents the connection between two disciplines, which are closely related in terms of scientific history and subject matter, but which have differentiated and developed into independent subjects: the study of the Hebrew Bible – in Christian terms, the Old Testament – and the study of the Ancient Near East, which is carried out in Assyriology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies.

Her major publications include: Making a Case: The Practical Roots of Biblical Law (Oxford University Press, 2021), ausgezeichnet mit dem R.B.Y. Scott Award der Canadian Society of Biblical Studies’; Tracking the Master Scribe: Revision through Introduction in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature (Oxford University Press, 2016), awarded with the Frank Moore Cross Award by the American Schools of Oriental Research; (mit Daniel Fleming) The Buried Foundation of the Gilgamesh Epic: The Akkadian Huwawa Narrative (Brill, 2010). She is currently working on a research project entitled "Lost in Translation: Gender, Ambiguity, and Biblical Errancy", funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In addition to numerous North American awards, Prof. Milstein was in 2022 elected as corresponding member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony.


Classes of Prof. Milstein in the winter semester 2023/24:

Exercise: Introduction to 1–2 Samuel (Meet & Greet: Di, 17.10., 15-16 h, Theo 0.132; Blockveranstaltung: Mo, 23.10., 14-16 h; Sa, 28.10., 9-16 h; So, 29.10., 9-12 h; Sa, 11.11., 9-16 h; So, 12.11., 9-12 h; Mo 27.11., 14-16 h)

With its colourful characters, dramatic plotline, and political intrigue, the Book of Samuel is sometimes called the first "novella" in ancient literature. At the centre of the drama are Saul, the rejected king/madman; and David, the chosen one favoured by God, but there is much more to both figures than meets the eye. Together, we will learn how to read this intriguing text "between the lines," paying attention both to what is said and to what is omitted. Most of the reading will be in translation, but students will also be asked to prepare select Hebrew texts.



Seminar: Biblical Law in Context (Meet & Greet: Di, 17.10., 15-16 h., Theo 0.132; Blockveranstaltung: Mo, 23.10., 10-12 h; Sa, 4.11., 9-16 h; So, 5.11., 9-12 h; Sa 25.11., 9-16 h; So 26.11., 9-12 h; Mo 4.12., 10-12 h)

In this course, we will examine the intriguing world of biblical law, with a special emphasis on laws pertaining to marriage and divorce, adultery, injury, and assault. The focus will be on developing skills in close reading and interpretation. In order to better understand the logic and nature of biblical law, we will also look at biblical narratives, parallel Mesopotamian laws, and other legal texts from the ancient Near East. Most of the reading will be in translation, but students will also be asked to prepare select Hebrew texts.