Michael L. Satlow

Then and Now

Teaching

Antisemitism: A History

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Throughout my teaching career, I have dabbled with the topic of antisemitism.  The closest that I came to tackling it head-on was one called “Judaism and Christianity in Conflict,” which was more a survey of theological polemics.  What happened in Paris first, and then Pittsburgh, though, was a wake-up call for me, and in my state of, “what the hell is happening and why,” I proposed a new, comprehensive survey course on the history of antisemitism.  The last couple of months have again emphasized to me the unfortunate need for such a course (although whether students identify that need is yet to be seen).

The syllabus was difficult to put together (the whole topic, of course, is difficult) and I benefited greatly from the generosity of colleagues (especially Stephanie Cobb).  You can access my syllabus here.  Any feedback would be welcome and I’ll let you know how it goes at the end of the semester.

Blurbing Ecclesiastes

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Last week in my course at Brown, “How the Bible Became Holy,” students read the book of Ecclesiastes and portions of Sirach.  At the beginning of class I tried a new warm-up exercise, in groups: Imagine that you are the publicist team for Ecclesiastes (today or in antiquity).  Write a blurb that would sell the book without misrepresenting it.

Here are some of their blurbs:

For Ancient Readers:

The Many Habits of Highly Righteous Individuals.  Want to be a highly respected person? Want to serve G-d in the best way possible? Pick up Ecclesiastes and learn all the morals you need in 12 easy chapters. G-d will smile down upon you.

How are you spending your days? Is there meaning to this life? How should you be serving yourself and others in the eyes of God? The book of Ecclesiastes will answer all of your questions!  Read this book and learn from the experiences of others that came before you.

 

For Modern Readers:

How the Ancients Did It.  Frustrated with the day to day grind.  Worried that you are not living life to its fullest potential? Pick up the book of Ecclesiastes and find out how the wise people of ancient times lived their best life. Forget minimalism.  Dwelling in the past is the only way to improve the world.

Ecclesiastes: A hard but necessary look at the realities of living a truly pious life. Enjoy what you can, when you can – before it all ends.

Do you want to know the secrets to happiness? Do you want to truly live every day as if it’s your last? Read the book of Ecclesiastes! It has all of this and more. Listen to the wisdom of your ancestors and spend your days with food and delight.

Ecclesiastes serves as a succinct account of ancient wisdom that functions as a “self-help” book for a modern reader. Investigate an account from antiquity that shines light on how to turn your life around and live life to the fullest that remains applicable and fundamental to success in today’s world.

Learn from the unparalleled wisdom of ancient King Solomon. Find success, happiness, and God’s favor through the teachings of the book of Ecclesiastes.

Do you want learn all the wisdom concerning everything done under heaven? Do you want to lead a meaningful life? Ecclesiastes will help you live your life to your potential. Learn the steps to lead a pious life.

Want to learn how to improve your life and your understanding of the world? Read Ecclesiastes and in just 12 short chapters, gain a lifetime’s worth of self-help knowledge that will teach you everything you could ever want to know about God, the world, wisdom, and good. Becoming a better person has never been so easy!

Judaism and the Economy: A Sourcebook

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I am delighted to announce the publication of my (edited) volume, Judaism and the Economy: A Sourcebook.  Here’s the publisher’s description:

Judaism and the Economy is an edited collection of sixty-nine Jewish texts relating to economic issues such as wealth, poverty, inequality, charity, and the charging of interest. The passages cover the period from antiquity to the present, and represent many different genres. Primarily fresh translations, from their original languages, many appear here in English for the first time. Each is prefaced by an introduction and the volume as a whole is introduced by a synthetic essay.

These texts, read together and in different combinations, provide a new lens for thinking about the economy and make the case that religion and religious values have a place in our own economic thinking. Judaism and the Economy is a useful new resource for educators, students, and clergy alike.

The contributors, and their contributions, are tremendous.  So have your library order the hardback and you can order the (significantly less expensive) paperback.  It should interest anyone thinking or teaching about the intersection of religion and the economy.

Routledge: https://www.routledge.com/Judaism-and-the-Economy-A-Sourcebook/Satlow/p/book/9780815353232

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815353235?pf_rd_p=d1f45e03-8b73-4c9a-9beb-4819111bef9a&pf_rd_r=CV4JR1XXYWFEE62SKVSP

 

Lessons from the Semester….

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My semester is winding down.  It is funny the way that it does this; it has mostly ended but there are stray bits and pieces that seem to drag on interminably.  Despite this, as at the end of every semester, I’ve started my own process of self-assessment to figure out with my teaching what went right, what wrong, and what I can do to be more effective in the future.  Here are my current thoughts, with the hope that somebody, somewhere might find something in them a little useful:

  1. Laptops and electronic devices:  I have known for some time about the research that argues that the use of laptops impede learning in class (see, e.g., here).  Yet I’ve always resisted banning them from my classes.  Over the past few years I’ve referred students to this research but let them make the choice – very few made the choice to close their laptops.  Laptops in class have undeniable benefits, allowing students to quickly access online readings and look up things that can contribute to the class.  And, remembering my own college days, I know that distraction can occur with or without a device.  This semester, however, I decided to try a “no-devices in class” policy.  I liked it – a lot.  Yes, some students were still distracted and once a while would even fall asleep (which always greatly bruises my ego).  But looking into faces and eyes, rather than the backs of screens, was great for me and for students who did not have to look past or over their own screens, not to mention the ten or fifteen others that might be somewhere in their peripheral vision, I think it made a real difference for the class atmosphere.  The engagement in this medium-sized class was far higher than it usually is and I think that some of this can be attributed to putting away the laptops, as well as the phones.  I will continue to use this policy in my classes.
  2. Course materials:  When I began teaching, I used course packets, which were convenient but expensive.  Now everything is online – but here is the rub with the no devices policy.  Since we spend time in many classes actually looking at some of these materials, I ask them to print out the materials and bring them to class since they cannot refer to them online in class.  I know that many are hesitant about the money, but the alternative – course packets – costs more and the cost of the other required materials for my course are not high.  And yet, a significant number of students do not print out and bring the materials, causing real pedagogic problems.  In the future I think that I will go back to required course packets.
  3. Peer reviews:  I had students do peer reviews for two of their papers; they each received four or five peer reviews (per paper) plus extensive notes from us (or, really, in this case, my TA) on these drafts.  I used to not grade these drafts but found that I needed to grade them at least a little so that students took them seriously.  They then revise and resubmit for a grade.  I design rubrics for the papers but it is hard to get students to give critical but constructive feedback to their peers; they tend to go very easy.  Yet while I am uncertain about the utility of these peer assessments, the students almost uniformly like the process and think that it improves their writing.  So I’ll continue to do this, but will also seek some ways to train students to be better peer reviewers.
  4. Note cards: Over the past few years I have increasingly used “minute papers” on note cards.  Students write, at the end of class (really for five minutes) on a 3X5 index card (1) their major take-away and (2) a lingering question.  This is the first year that I’ve given a class that meets twice each week this assignment for every class meeting.  I am upfront with them that the primary reason that they do this is for them: they need to develop the skill of self-reflection.  A bonus, though, is that it gives me feedback after every class.  I follow up each class with individual emails to a few students whose questions or comments could benefit from it.  A second bonus is that I save and sort them so each student receives back all of his or her cards at the end of the course, and thus have a record of their own takeaways.  This seems to have worked well and I will integrate it into more of classes.
  5. Personal Meetings: One of the things that I like most about my job is meeting students and getting to know them and watch them develop.  One of the things that I like least is waiting in my office pointlessly during office hours as few decide to visit and, when they do, it tends to be for transactional reasons (e.g., discussing a grade).  I have tried to address this by using Google Appointments.  I set aside blocks of time each week, moving them around from week to week, and tell students that they need to sign up in advance.  This has dramatically cut my time waiting pointlessly in my office but it has not increased the number of students who come to speak to me.  Next year I may require student conferences, but in the meantime I am grappling with figuring out if there are things that I can do (other than have office hours in coffee shops, etc., which have not been terribly successful) that would make me seem more approachable so that more seek out these meetings on their own.

Responses, as always, are welcome!

Canonizing the Christian Bible: A Simulation

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Every couple of years I teach a class called “How the Bible Became Holy” (and no, I do not assign my book).  The past few times I have taught it I have concluded with a simulation exercise – a game, really – in which different Christian groups (and the rabbis!) meet to settle on a canon.  Each time I run it I tweak it a bit so the rules are never quite the same as they were previously.

This year the class will be divided into two groups and each will run the simulation simultaneously.  My teaching assistant for the course, Noah Tetenbaum, will lead one section and I will lead the other.  The simulation will take place on Tuesday, May 1, beginning at 2:30 PM EDT (and going until around 5:30 PM).  We will each live tweet the proceedings under the hashtags #bibsim1 and #bibsim2.  I encourage you to join us (for part or whole) and chime in – students will watch the tweet stream live as the simulation progresses.

Below is a description of the exercise (modified a bit for public consumption):

Canonizing Scripture

BACKGROUND

We are sometime in the fourth century CE in Constantinople.  The Roman emperor, a devout Christian (and also a practical ruler), spurred by the bishops in his court and concerned about both growing Christian diversity and his own eternal salvation, has recently convened a series of synods to hash out “orthodox” Christian theology.  They have not gone particularly well.  While some bishops were able to develop creeds that they could live with, other participants left angry and alienated.  Chastened by the limited success of these synods, he has decided to address an issue that he hopes will be significantly easier to resolve: the confusing state of “scripture” within the Church.  Does the Church need a canon, and if so, what should be in it?  Primarily of interest to the bishops is whether, should it be decided that a canon is desirable, any parts of the Hebrew Bible should be included.

You have been summoned to participate in this Synod.  Representatives of the competing parties will attend; the emperor expects you all to arrive at an agreement.  Representatives of the Jewish community have also been invited to participate.

[N.B.  This Synod is a historical fantasy.  There was no Synod convened at this time to canonize the Christian Bible.  If there was, Jews would not have been invited and some of the other participants would have been long dead.   This is pretend.]

PARTICIPANTS

The Emperor [the instructor, naturally!]

The Bishops within the Royal Court

Marcionites

Montanists

Gnostics

Rabbis

PROCEDURE AND SCHEDULE

Prior to class on April 26:

  1. Everybody should read the following: Eusebius, Church History, 3.24-25; Athanasius, Selection from Letter 39; Harry Gamble, “The Canon of the New Testament”
  2. Due to the size of the class, we will play this simulation in two groups, simultaneously. You will each be assigned to one of these two groups (1 or 2) and a role (A-E).
  3. At the end of this sheet you will see resources to get you started so that you understand your group and your position. Prior to April 26 you must do some research on your group.  It would also be very helpful for you to research some of the other groups so that you understand their positions and motivations.

April 26

Much of this class will be spent in your groups.  By the end of class you should have formulated your “victory objectives.”  This should be a list of three to five goals (outcomes of the Synod) that align with your role.  Each objective should be assigned points; the sum of all the points should be 100.  At the end of the Synod the groups will be scored based on these objectives in order to determine who won.

April 30, 11:59 PM: Paper due.  This is the opening speech that you, in character, would deliver at the Synod.  This is individual, not group, work, and your group presentation might well differ.  It should run about five pages.

THE SYNOD

 Our simulation will take place on May 1, 2:30-5:30 PM.  The locations will be announced.

Procedure

  1. Each group will denote a representative to deliver its opening statement. The statement should run 5-7 minutes, no less.  Each statement will be followed by about 5 minutes of questioning;
  2. After the opening statements, groups will meet/negotiate for about 30 minutes;
  3. A second round of statements (which can be shorter than the first), each followed by Q&A period;
  4. A shorter round of negotiations (10 minutes);
  5. A vote to determine if the Rabbis will get to vote (the Rabbis themselves do not vote);
  6. Each group or “team” of groups gets to make a proposal;
  7. Vote on the proposals (following the rules in [5]; whether Rabbis vote or not depends on the outcome at that stage);
  8. Calculation of winner, followed by general discussion.

FOLLOW-UP

Please submit an assessment of the simulation: how did it go?  What did you learn from it?

 

Simulation Resources 

The resources listed here are meant to serve as a starting point.  You should try to look at as many of these as you can for your role (and may want to split up opposition research).  They each contain extensive bibliographies that you should use to continue your research.  If you go outside of this web of resources (e.g., just start googling) be careful – there is a lot of material of dubious quality and you are not yet in a position to discern between the better and worse resources.

To understand the position of the emperor, you might want to take a look at the following books.  They all discuss Constantine, who serves as something of a model, and his relationship to the emerging “Orthodox” church.

  1. D. Barnes, Constantine and Eusebius
  2. A. Drake, Constantine and the Bishops: The Politics of Intolerance
  3. Potter, Constantine: The Emperor

The Bishops

These are those who would come to define “orthodoxy” in the Church and who worked (sometimes in tension) with the imperial court.

  1. Rapp: Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity: The Nature of Christian Leadership in an Age of Transition
  2. Harries, Law and Empire in Late Antiquity
  3. L. Noethlichs, “Revolution from the Top? ‘Orthodoxy’ and the Persecution of Heretics in Imperial Legislation from Constantine to Justinian,” in Religion and Law in Classical and Christian Rome (ed. Ando and Rüpke), pp. 115-125

Marcionites

  1. Barton, Holy Writings, Sacred Text: The Canon in Early Christianity, chapters 1 and 2
  2. Quispel, “Marcion and the Text of the New Testament,” in Vigiliae Christianae 52 (1998): 349-360
  3. Lieu, Marcion and the Making of a Heretic: God and Scripture in the Second Century
  4. Vinzent, Marcion and the Dating of the Synoptic Gospels

Montanists

  1. De Soyres, Montanism and the Primitive Church: A Study in the Ecclesiastical History of the Second Century
  2. Trevett, Montanism: Gender, Authority, and the New Prophecy
  3. Denzey, “What did the Montanists Read?,” Harvard Theological Review 94 (2001): 427-448

Gnostics

  1. Painchaud, “The Use of Scripture in Gnostic Literature,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 4 (1996): 129-146
  2. King, What is Gnosticism?
  3. Perkins, “Gnosticism and the Christian Bible,” in The Canon Debate (ed. L. M. McDonald), chapter 21

Rabbis

  1. M. McDonald, ed., The Canon Debate, chapters 3, 10, 15, 16
  2. Satlow, How the Bible Became Holy, chapter 15