Spring 2001
NE526
Spittler

NE526: 1 CORINTHIANS. Russell P. Spittler.


DESCRIPTION:

As a community of inquiry, teacher and students will approach the book of First Corinthians with three questions in mind:
  1. What did the author intend when he wrote this letter?

  2. How may contemporary Christians apply its teachings?

  3. What principles and resources best allow the student of Scripture to link the ancient author's intention with the contemporary reader's application?
The course is thus an exercise in applied hermeneutics, an exegetical study of this fascinating letter.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
First Corinthians remarkably anticipates many of the congregational disorders found in the church today: disunity, immorality, litigiousness, elitism, charismatic excess, theological heresy, financial undependability. Encounter with this text thus shows how "biblical" modern church problems can be.

COURSE FORMAT:
The normal pattern will be an interruptible lecture followed by discussion. During the course, a series of color slides will be shown. These relate to the historical background of Christianity at Corinth. The course will meet Tuesdays, 6:30 - 9:20 p.m., beginning March 29 and concluding with the final exam in the eleventh week on June 5.

REQUIRED READING:
Biblical text: RSV second edition (NT: 1972) recommended. Or: NIV, NRSV, NAB. Also suggested: a good paraphrase, such as Phillips or the New Living Translation.
Collins, Raymond F. First Corinthians. Sacra Pagina Series 7. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1999. Recent, insightful, accessible even by non-Greek readers.
Furnish, Victor Paul. The Theology of the First Letter to the Corinthians. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Makes the point the 1 Corinthians is not merely ethics but theology as well.
Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome. St. Paul's Corinth: Texts and Archaeology. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1983. Collected texts from antiquity, which speak about Corinth--along with a fresh interpretation of this data.

ASSIGNMENTS:
An exegetical paper (approximately 5000 words) on any two to five verses in 1 Corinthians and a comprehensive final exam are required. Students are expected regularly to apply themselves to the portion of the text of 1 Corinthians scheduled for each class period, putting themselves in a position to report their leading observations on the assigned text portions.

PREREQUISITES:
None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
Elective.

FINAL EXAMINATION:
Will consist of 100 multiple-choice items covering the background, content, and interpretation of First Corinthians along with a few short essay questions. Set for Tuesday, June 5, 6:30 - 9:20 p.m.