Hebrew at TU Dresden

Biblical Hebrew has been taught at the Institute of Catholic Theology since 2007.

The teaching actively contributes to providing a basis for sustainable studies of theology as well as of neighbouring sciences in which reading Semitic sources is important.

Hebrew grammar is introduced on the basis of narrative Hebrew Bible texts. These texts also provide an introduction to the history of the relationship between God and man in the Bible as well as to the narrative world of the period. Their themes cover everyday life, love, suffering, war, peace, diplomacy, politics, and theology of ancient Israel and its neighbours in the context of the powers of Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Northeast Africa.

In addition, an insight into aspects of the development of early alphabets is given. Examples of Hebrew inscriptions older than the texts of the Hebrew Bible known to us as well as manuscripts from Qumran are presented.

A two-semester course starts in the winter semester and both introduces students to the language and prepares them for the Abitur supplement examination Hebraicum, which can be taken in the second semester upon registration. The course can be attended without previous knowledge of the language, and is also open to guest students, provided there is free capacity. At the end of the winter semester, an examination can be written upon registration to prove basic knowledge.

In addition, an in-depth reading course is offered each semester which requires basic knowledge of Hebrew. The topics of this course change and may be influenced by the students themselves on the basis of the texts offered.

Training material, overviews, and follow-up literature recommendations will be handed out during the course.