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Office Hours:
On Leave during 2007-2008 Academic Year
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Laura Lieber
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Assistant Professor of Classics and Religion
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on leave academic year
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Phone: (802) 443 - 3453
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Email: llieber@middlebury.edu
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Degrees, Specializations & Interests:
B.A. University of Arkansas; M.A. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion; Ph.D. University of Chicago
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Classics
My teaching and research focus on early Judaism, in terms of both language and culture. I have studied the languages of the ancient Near East , including Ugaritic (ancient Canaanite) and Akkadian (the language of Assyria and Babylonia ), as well as Aramaic, and I teach Classical Hebrew here at Middlebury College . My research is in the area of Judaism in late antiquity, from the Second Temple period into the Byzantine Middle Ages. I have focused especially on the literature of the early synagogue in the land of Israel and the Diaspora.
As a member of the Classics Department, I work closely with students who are interested in reading the great texts of the Jewish tradition, including the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and rabbinic writings, such as midrash and Mishnah, in their original language. My other teaching interests include texts and cultures of the ancient Near East, Judaism and Hellenism (including Jews during the Roman period), and ancient and medieval Jewish literature and society.
Religion
Professor Lieber teaches courses in early Judaism, including Hebrew Bible and Rabbinic literature in the Religion Department, and Biblical Hebrew through the Classics Department. Her areas of scholarly interest include Ancient Near Eastern mythology, tradition history within Jewish culture, and Hebrew poetry. Her research focuses on the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Jewish texts from the ancient and medieval periods, particularly the literature of the early synagogue. Professor Lieber came to Middlebury College in September 2003.