‫ המכון ללשונות ולמדעי הרוח בירושלים‬- ‫פוליס‬

‫ القدس‬- ‫ معهد اللغات والعلوم اإلنسانية‬-‫پول ِـس‬

580539591 )‫(ע''ר‬

Polis – The Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities

- Polis is an Israeli amuta specialized in research and teaching on ancient biblical languages, second language
acquisition studies, and studies related to the Holy Land.
- Polis is located at HaAyin Het 8, Jerusalem and rents there two buildings.
- Polis has developed an innovative method to teach modern and ancient languages and has collaborated with the
Israeli Ministry of Education in a program to teach Hebrew to Arab Israelis. The Polis method to teach languages
has been adopted by some teachers of ancient languages in the States, Latin America, the Philippines, and Europe.
Polis also publishes books on ancient languages and human sciences.
- Polis organizes short language courses in Jerusalem for people who happen to live in Israel, either residents or
legal tourists (500 students per year): we do not request visas for them.
- Polis also organizes one-year and two-year academic programs (which can be extended to a third year)
sanctioned by a certificate. These academic programs always comprise language courses and theoretical courses
linked to these languages (philology, linguistics, history of the Holy Land...). With that certificate, some of our
students may enrol afterwards in some European universities, comply with their requirements, pay their
inscription fees, and, if all goes well, get a degree from them.
- Polis requests visas for this second category of students.
- Our students come from the best universities of Europe, America and the Far East. They are requested to have a
BA, some of them come with a MA or even a PhD.
Our programs have attracted several university professors to study at Polis during a sabbatical year (so far, coming
from the UK and Canada).
- Students are requested to pay some 25,000 NIS for the tuition fees for each academic year. Each program implies
some 25 hours of classes per week.
In order to get their certificate, students have to attend at least 80% of the classes during each one of the two
semesters of the academic year.
- The selection of students is made by a committee of three teachers of Polis. Students have to send two academic
recommendation letters, a motivation letter, their cv, the transcript of their former studies, and their diplomas.
Only the students who fulfil the academic requirements are accepted.
Important note: per an agreement with our partner universities in Europe, students who finish the Two-Year
Program in Ancient Philology and the Two-Year Program in Near Eastern Languages are entitled to apply for
registration in one of our partner universities – the International University of Catalonia (Spain) for the Two-Year
Program in Ancient Philology, and the University of Navarre (Spain) for the Two-Year Program in Near Eastern
Languages.
If the student successfully registers and complies with all the requirements of the aforementioned universities
after finishing their studies at Polis, they can request a Third-Party (Accredited) MA from them, with the official
diploma and transcripts. Please note that Polis does not grant these official certificates.
- Polis is the official representative of the Pontifical University of the Sancta Croce in Jerusalem (see Directory of
the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, 2018, p. 246 and 317)

8 HaAyin Het St. - 9511208 Jerusalem Tel: +972 (0)747011048

info@polisjerusalem.org www.polisjerusalem.org
 ‫ המכון ללשונות ולמדעי הרוח בירושלים‬- ‫פוליס‬
‫ القدس‬- ‫ معهد اللغات والعلوم اإلنسانية‬-‫پول ِـس‬
580539591 )‫(ע''ר‬

The Two-Year Program in Ancient Philology focus on the study of biblical languages and translation techniques
of ancient texts related to Judaism, Christianity, and Antiquity. It is complemented by the study of other elective
languages, such as Latin, Classical Syriac, and Coptic, as well as other authors, such as the Fathers of the Church. It
also includes visits to Holy Places related to biblical and Christian events.
Students of the Two-Year program In Ancient Philology for 2022-2024 will take the following courses:

Two-Year Program in Ancient Philology

Year 1 (2022-2023)
Mandatory Ac. Ac.
Crd.Equiv* Mandatory Practical/Theoretical Courses Crd.Equiv*
Languages H. H.
Ancient
240
Greek** 24 Phonetics and Phonology 20 2
Biblical
200
Hebrew** 20 Derivational Morphology 20 2
Historical Geography III 20 2
Historical Geography IV 20 2
History of the Near East I/II*** 12 2
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Philology 15 1.5
Medieval Sources 20 2
Patristic Sources 10 1
Greek Palaeography 15 1.5
Introduction to Jewish Sources 15 1.5
Critical Apparatus 15 1.5
Translation Theory (Taught in A. Greek) 15 1.5
Subtotal 440 44 Subtotal 197 20.5

Year 2 (2023-2024)
Mandatory Ac. Ac.
Crd.Equiv* Mandatory Practical/Theoretical Courses
Languages H. H. Crd.Equiv*
Ancient
60
Greek** 6 Greek Philology (Taught in A. Greek) 15 1.5
Biblical
Hebrew** 120 12
Historical Geography I 20 2
Historical Geography II 20 2
History of the Near East III/IV*** 12 2
History of Writing Systems (Taught in A. Greek) 15 1.5
Issues in Semitic Languages 15 1.5
Lexicon, Code, and Interaction 20 2
Rabbinic and Early Christian Literature 15 1.5
Syntax of Natural Languages 20 2
Speech in Ancient Language**** 20 6
Subtotal 180 18 Subtotal 172 22
*Crd. Equiv: Polis does not grant credits. The equivalence is included for reference, according to the accrediting
institution’s calculations.

8 HaAyin Het St. - 9511208 Jerusalem Tel: +972 (0)747011048

info@polisjerusalem.org www.polisjerusalem.org
 ‫ המכון ללשונות ולמדעי הרוח בירושלים‬- ‫פוליס‬
‫ القدس‬- ‫ معهد اللغات والعلوم اإلنسانية‬-‫پول ِـس‬
580539591 )‫(ע''ר‬

During the September intensive course (one month in the first year), classes take place 5 days a week, 4-5 hours a day
from Monday to Friday. As for the Regular semesters (Fall/Spring), language courses take place two days a week (either
morning, afternoon, or evening, depending on the course), while the theoretical courses take place once a week during
the morning hours. Normally, in the Fall and Spring semesters, students will have to attend language classes from
Monday to Thursday for around 15 to 20 hours a week. If they take Historical Geography, they will have field trips several
Fridays in the semester. The final schedule will depend on the courses they will be taking as electives too. The final
schedule is determined over the summer.

8 HaAyin Het St. - 9511208 Jerusalem Tel: +972 (0)747011048

info@polisjerusalem.org www.polisjerusalem.org