NEW COURSE
HEBREW 298 / HDS 1140 – Rite Place at the Rite Time: Temples and Festivals in the Biblical World
Semester: Spring
Offered: 2026
Instructor: Julia Rhyder
Meeting Time: W 12:00-2:45pm
Sacred space and sacred time are two major axes of religion. What purpose did they serve in ancient Israel and the broader Near East? In this seminar, we will work collaboratively to uncover the literary and material evidence of the major shrines and festal celebrations that shaped the history of Israelite religion and early Judaism. In the first half of the course, we will examine key texts of the Hebrew Bible that describe cultic spaces and artifacts, including the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle at Sinai, and the enigmatic “chosen place” of Deuteronomy. We will consider the processes by which the Israelite cult was gradually centralized to a small number of temples and priestly families in Israel, and the way in which centralization enhanced the cultic and economic importance of Jerusalem, for Jews, and Mount Gerizim, for Samarians. In the second half of the course, we will trace the creation of a shared calendar of festivals, including celebrations such as Passover and Sabbath, understanding how the structuring of time linked Jews living in diverse locations and provided a sense of connectivity across a growing diaspora. This seminar aims to equip students with the skills needed to combine biblical exegesis, archaeological data, comparative materials from the ancient Near East, and social theories about space and time to advance their understanding of key institutions in the history of Israelite religion and early Judaism.
Jointly Offered with: Harvard Divinity School as HDS 1140
For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.