The field of Early Judaism is meant for students who want to pursue graduate studies at both the M.A. and Ph.D. levels in textual traditions, which are not included in the canons of the Hebrew Bible, Old Testament or New Testament. The subjects covered are the history of Second Temple Judaism with a focus on the Greco-Roman period, the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes and Zealots, as well as Apocalypticism, Enochic Judaism, and early Christian and pre-Rabbinic movements. The literary works studied are those of the Septuagint, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, the Qumran Scrolls, Philo and Josephus, Jewish parts of the New Testament and early Christian Pseudepigrapha as well as the early Rabbinic literature.
Faculty
Fields of expertise: Hebrew Bible, Greco-Roman Judaism and Christian Origins.
Teaching: Hebrew Bible (Religion of Ancient Israel / Exilic and Post-Exilic Period / Literature of Ancient Israel / Prophets); Second Temple Period (Apocalypticism, Qumran Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha and Christian Origins in the Greco-Roman Period).
Research interests: Second Temple Period (Apocrypha, Qumran Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha, and Christian Origins in the Greco-Roman Period); New Testament (Pauline Epistles and Theology / Synoptic Gospels with a focus on the Gospel of Matthew, and Historical Jesus).
MA Requirements
Students are required to show proficiency in Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek, which will normally be assessed in terms of their having acquired 12 credits in one of these languages at the undergraduate level. It is strongly advised that students have at least 6 credits in one of the other two biblical languages, although it is not required.
Students are expected to continue studying Biblical Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic through advanced seminars enhancing their abilities in exegesis, as well as to take more general seminars in consultation with their supervisor.
Course Requirements: Students will be expected to continue work in Biblical Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic through a series of advanced seminar work which will enhance their abilities in exegesis, as well as taking more general seminars in the field which will be decided upon in consultation with their supervisor.
All students must demonstrate reading competency in a foreign scholarly language normally by the end of their first year.
All M.A. students are required to take RELG 645 Methods in Religious Studies.
The thesis topic will be determined in consultation with the supervisor and will normally be submitted for approval to the Graduate Policy and Program committee no later than the end of their second term in residence.
All students must obtain a minimum of a B- 65% in all courses.
PhD Requirements
Students will normally have completed an M.A. in the same field or its equivalent and will have demonstrated an ability to interpret the relevant early Jewish texts. Biblical Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic are normally required but where the student has not gained an adequate knowledge in any one of these languages, s/he will be required to take an advanced level seminar in that language in addition to the required Ph.D. seminars.
In addition to the requirements set out in the Graduate Studies Manual, students are expected to continue working on the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. All students are expected to choose their course of studies in Ph.D.1 and Ph.D.2 in conjunction with their supervisor.
Students will have reached a reading knowledge of at least one foreign scholarly language and will be expected to have passed the second scholarly language before sitting the Major comprehensive examination.
Course Requirements: In addition to the requirements set out in the Graduate studies Manuel, students will be expected to continue working on the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
All students are expected to choose their course of studies in Ph.D.1 and Ph.D.2 in conjunction with their supervisor
Graduate Students
PhD Students
BASHAM, Tony, The Temple in Early Judaism and the New Testament (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; ABD; in progress)
DE CARVALHO, Matheus, Divine Rituals in Early Judaism (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; ABD; in progress)
GIORGI, Daniel, Galatians 2 (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; ABD; co-supervison with Ian Henderson; in progress)
BIRGEN, Mathew, Immigration in Genesis (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; in progress)
Successfully completed MAs, PhDs & Postdoctoral Studies
PhD
SULZBACH, Carla, From Here to Eternity and Back: Locating Sacred Spaces and Temple Imagery in the Book of Daniel (Ph.D. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2009)
PARKS, Sara, Gender in the Rhetoric of Jesus. Women in Q (Ph.D. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2015)
SHEINFELD, Shayna, Crises of Leadership in the Post-Destruction Apocalypses 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch (Ph.D. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2015)
MAURAIS, Jean, The Old Greek Text of Deuteronomy (Ph.D. Thesis; School of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2020)
MA
MILLER, Shem, The Angel Story: A Study of the Interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4 in the Jewish Literature of the Second Temple period (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, completed in 2005)
PARKS, Sara, The Role of Women in 1 and 2 Maccabees (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, completed in 2005)
EL-SHEKARI, Elkanah, Philo’s and Paul’s retelling of the Abraham narrative in De Abrahamo and Galatians 3–4 and Romans 4 (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2015)
MEYER, Sarina, Aseneth in Alexandria: The Ethics of Wealth in ‘Joseph and Aseneth’ in the Ancient Ascetic Context (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2017)
Postdoctoral Fellowships
BELLAVANCE, Eric, The Re-Invention of Israelite Identity in the Second Temple Period: A Postcolonial Analysis of the Roles of Ezra and Nehemiah (Postdoctoral Studies; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, completed in 2012)