Last year I taught an undergraduate class called "Great Jewish Books" and posted the syllabus here. The course, I thought, went very well. Nevertheless, since I am an inveterate tinkerer, I have tinkered with the syllabus for the upcoming … [Continue reading] about Great Jewish Books: Second Time Around
Take That!
I direct an online project called Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine (IIP). The purpose of this project is to make accessible and searchable the many published inscriptions from this region that date from the sixth century BCE to the seventh … [Continue reading] about Take That!
Is the Bible True? Should It Matter?
This was just published at Aeon Ideas. I paste a copy below. Not really. And not really. The truth is that there isn’t much, if any, historical accuracy in the early accounts in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. There are many reasons to doubt … [Continue reading] about Is the Bible True? Should It Matter?
Love Is As Strong As Death
Construction on campus caused me to detour the other day to an out of the way corner of the Green where a tower sits. I had, of course, seen this tower before, but never close up and its (very well-locked) … [Continue reading] about Love Is As Strong As Death
Yale’s Betrayal
According to recent news reports, Yale University gave its former president, Richard Levin, a bonus of $8.5 million after his retirement. Even in comparison to the stratospheric salaries and perks given to administrators in higher education, this … [Continue reading] about Yale’s Betrayal