ENGL 340
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Daniel and Judith

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper:

1. What kind of story appealed to Second-Temple Jews.  What do the stories about Judith, Daniel/Belteshezzar, Shadrach/Hananiah, Meshach/Mishael, and Abednego/Azariah have in common?  What is a typical Second-Temple hero (or heroine) like?  What characteristics does such a hero(ine) possess?  Why would such characteristics appeal to Second-Temple Jews?
2. How do the apocalyptic visions of Daniel differ from the prophetic visions of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and/or Ezekiel?  How are Daniel's visions like the prophetic books?  What elements from the prophetic tradition does Daniel’s author use?  Why might apocalyptic visions (which proliferated all over Judea after the book of Daniel was written) appeal to Second-Temple Jews?
3. Is the role and view of women in Second-Temple stories different from that in the stories of the Pentateuch and earlier Hebrew literature?  How are the female figures in the Second-Temple stories like (and/or unlike) the female figures in other books of the Hebrew Bible?

Click here to go to the syllabus.