Reading Classical Hebrew returns for Semester 2 2026! This time, however, we will be making our first forays outside of the Biblical corpus. After beginning on familiar ground, reading an excerpt from Numbers 13–14 in Week 1, Weeks 3 & 5 will cover the Meṣad Hashavyahu letter and Lachish Letter 3 (7th and 6th century BCE ostraca, respectively), and in Week 7 we will take a look at the famous Siloam Inscription (KAI 189; 8th century BCE). The texts for after the semester break are less certain, but we will likely be sticking with an extra-biblical theme (think, perhaps, of the Bar Kokhba letters or the Qumran documents, otherwise known as the Dead Sea Scrolls).

Prerequisites: Beginners are encouraged to join! An overview of the Hebrew script will be provided, and grammatical and linguistic features will be guided through in detail. Those with roughly a year of experience with Hebrew will be well familiar with the grammatical structures and vocabulary of the readings, but all are welcome!

Date and Time: Alternating Fridays. First Session: Friday 31 July 2026, 1pm-3pm

Materials for the Classical Hebrew reading group may be accessed here.