DESCRIPTION:

This course is a general introduction to the New Testament texts from Acts through Revelation with major emphasis given to the letters of Paul and Pauline studies. Attention is given to the first century contexts (Judaism; Greco-Roman society; early church) of these documents, to the methodological issues of interpretation, and to the use of these texts in the church today.

An understanding of the letters of Paul, the other New Testament letters, Acts, and Revelation is essential for Christian teaching and preaching. As well as considering historical and literary matters related to Christian origins, the course will also include selected issues related to contextualizing the New Testament's message for contemporary society, with a view to inspiring and informing relevant Christian thought and action.

The course will meet daily for two weeks (July 24-August 4) for four-hour sessions. Class meetings will utilize a variety of different formats, including plenaries, small group discussion, role play, and lectures. Interaction between class members will be a fundamental part of the learning process.

Ascough, R. S. What Are They Saying About the Formation of Pauline Churches? Paulist, 1998.

Barrett, C. K. Paul: An Introduction to His Thought. Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.

Drane, John. Introducing the New Testament. 3rd. ed. Lion Publishing, 1999. (Pages 237-474.)

Reumann, John. Variety and Unity in New Testament Thought. Oxford University Press, 1991.

Stambaugh, J. E. and D. L. Balch. The New Testament in its Social Environment. Westminster Press, 1986.

Banks, R. Paul's Idea of Community. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.

Cousar, C. B. The Letters of Paul. Abingdon Press, 1996.

Dunn, James D. G. The Theology of Paul the Apostle. Eerdmans, 1998.

Ferguson, E. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. Eerdmans, 1993.

Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome. Paul the Letter-Writer: His World, His Options, His Skills. Liturgical Press, 1995.

1. Attendance: students who miss more than three class meetings will not receive a passing grade.

2. Preparation: students will be expected to engage in adequate advance preparation and participate fully in all activities in class meetings.

3. Written work, to consist of (a) a personal course journal with an entry for each class meeting, to count for 40% of the final course grade; (b) a final paper of 10-12 pages, or its equivalent, on a subject to be proposed by the student and given advance approval in writing by the professor or teaching assistant (counting for 60% of the final course grade). All written work is due September 15.

None.

Meets M.Div. core requirement in New Testament 2 (NT2).

None.