University of Manchester School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures School of Arts, Histories and Cultures

Typology of Anonymous and Pseudepigraphic Jewish Literature in Antiquity, c. 200 BCE to c. 700 CE

Two AHRC PhD studentships

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is funding the above project for four years from September 2007. The Project, led by Prof. Samely, aims to create a new way to describe the literary genres of post-biblical Jewish literature, spanning the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha of the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and rabbinic literature. The emphasis lies on complete anonymous or pseudepigraphic works. The aim is to develop a new conceptual framework which allows a more systematic approach to the genres of these texts. One key aspect of the new framework will be the notion of perspective, leading to questions such as: What are the literary structures which reveal the “point of view” from which the text’s governing voice speaks to the reader? How is this linked to the literary stance of anonymity, or the assumption of a biblical “identity”? How is the part-whole relationship of a text managed?, etc. The conceptual framework will be developed in the first year of the Project. Thereafter, an on-line Database will be created in which each document receives a literary profile according to the new typology.

The Project’s team members are: Professor Samely, Professor Alexander, Professor Hayward (Durham) and Dr Bernasconi.

To run concurrently with the above Project, but independent of its specific assumptions, the AHRC is offering two PhD studentships for three years of full-time funding (fees + maintenance at c. £12,600 per annum), to work on a PhD in the following broadly defined topics: 1. An analysis of (a) the thematic or narrative coherence, or (b) the function of generalizations and related phenomena, in one of the anonymous rabbinic Project texts. Works from which to choose the PhD topic include: the Mishnah, the Tosefta, the Mekhilta; Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer, or another document open to negotiation with the supervisor. These are key examples of "anonymous" rabbinic texts, and the doctoral research would pay particular attention to the perspective conveyed in the text's governing voice, the function of narrative brackets and other "frames", and the structural role of quotations and similar phenomena. The doctoral student would link specifics of the work to the wider issues of genre, the anonymous perspective, and coherence or argument. S/he would be expected to address the abstract dimension of the question of textual form and master theoretical literature on these topics. Here the ongoing theoretical discussions of the senior researchers in the Project will provide a helpful context, though the student will be under no pressure to conform to the Project methodology. The student will also be expected to take account of the manuscript evidence; master the secondary scholarly literature on the chosen text; and critically analyse the existing scholarly views on genre, coherence, and anonymity/pseudepigraphy.

The supervisor is Professor Samely (based in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures).

2. An analysis of the genre, coherence and argument of one of the non-rabbinic Project texts, paying special attention to the text's perspective, the function of narrative brackets and other "frames", and the role of quotations. The student could choose, depending on linguistic aptitude and personal interests, from: 3 Maccabees (Greek); Dead Sea Community Rule (Hebrew); Dead Sea Temple Scroll (Hebrew); 2 Baruch (Syriac); Sefer Yetzirah (Hebrew); AHRC Studentships (Jewish Literature in Antiquity) 2

Heikhalot Rabbati (Hebrew); Targum Lamentations (Aramaic), or any other non-rabbinic Jewish text from late antiquity which falls within the Project’s scope. The student would be expected to (1) consider in the abstract the questions of genre, coherence and perspective, and master and critique the relevant theoretical literature. Here the ongoing theoretical discussions of the senior researchers in the Project will provide a helpful context and a stimulus, though the student will be under no pressure to conform to Project methodology. (2) Survey the work's manuscript traditions, and consider how different recensions affect the questions of genre, coherence and argument. Where no adequate edition is available, the student would be required to identify and use original manuscript evidence. (3) Master the secondary scholarly literature on the chosen text. (4) Apply their theoretical insights to an analysis of the text's genre, coherence and argument, and consider how its anonymity or pseudepigraphy affects these. S/he would probe the current scholarly views and discuss of the strengths and weaknesses of ancient ideas on these topics, which often inordinately influence modern scholarship.

The supervisor is Professor Alexander (based in the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures).

Applications are invited from students who hold a first-class or good upper second-class degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (including, but not restricted to, Hebrew, Semitic, Greek, Jewish, Biblical Studies), and who either hold or are about to complete a Masters degree (or equivalent).

Successful candidates should possess a good knowledge of either Hebrew (Aramaic is desirable) (for PhD Project 1); or of Greek or Syriac or Hebrew or Aramaic (for PhD Project 2), and a willingness to acquire one further relevant language as necessary in the course of the first year of the PhD project. Non-native speakers of English must meet the respective postgraduate IELTS/TOEFL requirements of the admitting School.

Due to funding regulations, the applicant must satisfy AHRC eligibility criteria. All applicants are advised to consult the ‘Guide for Applicants for Postgraduate Awards in the Arts and Humanities: The Doctoral Awards Scheme’ on the AHRC website www.ahrc.ac.uk, or to contact the AHRC directly (tel. +44[0]117 987 6500) to establish whether or not they meet eligibility requirements. Please note that some potential non-UK EU students will be eligible for fees but not for the maintenance grant. All AHRC funding is subject to satisfactory progress, reviewed annually.

Each student will go through the standard research and skills training provided by the Faculty of Humanities, and will work alongside a lively cohort of research students in the two Schools (Languages, Linguistics and Cultures; Arts, Histories and Cultures), and in the University’s active Centre for Jewish Studies. Supervision will follow good practice as established by the Faculty of Humanities, fully complying with AHRC guidelines. The supervisor and the student will meet at least every two weeks in year 1, and emphasis will be placed on getting things down on paper at an early stage. The student's progress will be monitored every six months by a PhD supervisory panel, appointed by the respective Schools and including the supervisor. At the end of the first year the student will go through a thorough probation review.

Applicants are invited to address informal inquiries to Professor Alexander Samely (e-mail [email protected]).

To apply please send a full curriculum vitae (including statements of linguistic competence) and a 500-1000 word outline of why you are interested in the project and how you might approach it. Please include the names of two referees.

The closing date for applications is 30th September 2007 (with a view to the successful candidates registering from January 2008).

Applications should be made directly to:

Professor Alexander Samely School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, United Kingdom

AS 19/07/07