Offered:

This course is next offered during 2023 Term 1.

Date & Time:

This course begins on Wednesday 22 March 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm, and meets for 6 consecutive weeks. The last session meets on Wed 26 April 2023. If you live outside of New Zealand and wish to Zoom in to our live class sessions, check the nearest local Time Zone equivalent below.

Time Zone equivalents:

for live-streaming Zoom Sessions from New Zealand. If your Time Zone doesn't suit our live-streamed class, you can also access our courses by watching the live-recorded sessions that are posted to the course webpage each week, usually within 1-2 days.

  • Honolulu, Hawai’i: begins Tue 21 Mar 2023, 8:00-9:30pm

  • US Pacific: begins Tue 21 Mar 2023, 11:00pm-12:30am

  • London, UK: begins Wed 22 Mar 2023, 6:00-7:30am

  • New Delhi, India: begins Wed 22 Mar 2023, 11:30am-1:00pm

  • Bangkok, Thailand: begins Wed 22 Mar 2023, 1:00-2:30am

  • Singapore & Shanghai: begins Wed 22 Mar 2023, 2:00-3:30pm

  • Tokyo, Japan: begins Wed 22 Mar 2023, 3:00-4:30pm

  • Sydney, Australia: begins Wed 22 Mar 2023, 5:00-6:30pm

Description:

HIS310: “The Dead Sea Scrolls”

Ever since their discovery in the 1940s the Dead Sea Scrolls have generated massive amounts of scholarly controversy. Even those outside the field of Biblical Studies tend to be vaguely aware of academic scandals, Religiously motivated cover-ups and conspiracy theories. So what is it about the “most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th century” that has created so much controversy? This course focuses on the historical and archaeological significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and examines the discovery, scholarship and ongoing controversies associated with their publication.

Course curriculum

PDFs of class presentations and video recordings of each session will be posted 1-2 days after each session for the duration of the course.

    1. EarthDiverse Course Information

    2. EarthDiverse Zoom instructions

    3. Dead Sea Scrolls Handout Timeline 2023 PDF

    4. 2023 Term 1 - Dead Sea Scrolls images 1-100

    5. 2023 Term 1 - Dead Sea Scrolls images 101-175

    1. The Discovery and Publication Controversy of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1947-1956

    2. 20230322 T1.1 HIS330 Dead Sea Scrolls video

    1. Discovery and Publication: 1956-1967

    2. 20230329 T1.2 HIS330 Dead Sea Scrolls video

    1. The 1991 Revolution

    2. 20230405 T1.3 HIS330 Dead Sea Scrolls class video

    3. Dead Sea Scrolls BBC Horizon 1993 video

    4. Dead Sea Scrolls - Thames Productions 1989 video

    1. The Essenes

    2. Handout: Three Classical Witnesses on the Essenes

    3. 20230412 T1.4 HIS330 Dead Sea Scrolls video

    1. The Archaeology of the Dead Sea Scrolls

    2. 20230419 T1.5 HIS330 Dead Sea Scrolls video

Additional course info:

  • Videos and PDF content of class presentations or whiteboard notes are uploaded weekly after each live session
  • Begins on Wed 22 Mar 2023
  • NZ time: Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30pm

Meet our Instructor

History Instructor Dr Dennis Green, PhD

Dennis holds a PhD from the University of Waikato, and is a graduate of the Oxford Center for Postgraduate Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He lectured for 16 years for the University of Waikato’s Religious Studies Department. He has special interests in the Archaeology and Anthropology of the southern Levant, Iron Age Israelite history and the Second Temple Period of Jewish history. Apart from ongoing research, he is employed doing archaeological excavations in the greater Waikato area.

Location:

All in-person classes are held at the EarthDiverse Centre located at 401 Anglesea Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton (located just north of the Hamilton Central Bus Station) (entrance is located on the side of the building). Those looking for parking for our evening classes can park just in front of the building in any of the available car parks. Daytime parking can be found in our dedicated car parks, or free 2-hour on-street daytime parking can be found just in front on Anglesea Street.


EarthDiverse Centre, 401 Anglesea St, Hamilton, New Zealand


Distance-Learning :

This course has distance-learning options for those unable to attend the live class sessions in Hamilton. Students have three options for attending our courses once they have registered: attend in-person classes in our Hamilton classrooms at the regularly scheduled day and time, attend our live on-line classroom sessions via Zoom at the regular scheduled day and time, watch the live-recorded class sessions at your leisure, at a time, day and place more suited to your schedule. These options can be mixed and matched throughout the course to suit your own availability and location.

Distance-Learning Options:

In addition to our in-person classes in Hamilton, our courses offer distance learning options for those unable to attend classes in-person. Live-streamed Hamilton classes are available via free Zoom software for those living outside the Waikato. Live-streaming allows you to participate fully in your own learning, ask questions of the instructor and participate fully in the same way as if you were in the physical classroom. Those unable to attend the scheduled date and time of the actual class sessions, or those who need to miss a class or two due to previous engagements or unexpected illness, can watch any or all of the live-recorded video sessions on their computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices and study at their own pace and in their own time. Detailed instructions on how to access our distance learning components will be sent after completing your registration. There are no additional fees for this service. However, distance learners will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a good quality web-camera (tablet devices and mobile phones can also access our live-streamed classes), a built-in microphone (most modern laptops have built-in microphones) or a headset with a microphone. You will also need to download and install the free Zoom software on your computer or device. Those accessing the video recordings will be able to do so with a simple web browser on any device.

Pricing options

All prices in New Zealand dollars and includes GST. Unwaged includes students, seniors and retirees.

Notes

Those who cannot make the class meeting day and time via live Zoom sessions may consider accessing this course through the weekly recorded video sessions. Class videos are usually posted within 1-2 days of each live class session and are available for your own personal learning on a day and time of your choosing. Any Term can be taken independently of the others, and there are no prerequisites for any of the Term courses. This class has no assignments, required readings, quizzes, tests or exams. All classes encourage questions and group discussion. PDF copies of each class presentation are posted on the course webpage 1-2 days after each live session so that you are free to focus on class content rather than taking notes. You are most welcome to come, sit back, relax, take part in and enjoy the discussions! There are no refunds for missed classes. Guests of registered participants are welcome to attend a single class at no charge. Certificates of Completion for any particular Term Course or Series are available for Professional Development purposes upon request at the end of each Term or Series.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites for this course.