DESCRIPTION: A close reading of selected passages of the Gospel according to Matthew in Greek, with special attention to its relation to the Torah and Prophets, socio-historical setting, literary art, and its function as a guide for communities of Christ's disciples.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated (1) a learned, theologically sensitive reading of the Greek text of Matthew according to literary (including intertextual), grammatical, text-critical, and sociohistorical criteria; (2) an understanding of key issues in the critical study of Matthew, including post-colonial and feminist criticism; (3) critical reflection on the force of Matthew in shaping the Christian life (i.e., what Matthew "preaches").

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Matthew was a crucial guide for Christian discipleship in the early days of the Christian church, has served as such for much of the church's history, and remains so in our time. Faithful Christian service depends on good Bible reading, especially of its narratives and of the New Testament's first narrative about Israel's Messiah. Matthew presents Jesus at the center of the story of the people of God and thus is crucial for ministers of that people today.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet twice weekly for lecture, discussion, and small group activities. Much of our meeting time will be devoted to collaborative exegesis of the Greek text of Matthew, for which students must come prepared.

REQUIRED READING:

1. Choose one of the following: Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament. 4th ed. United Bible Societies, 1993 [UBS4] (ISBN 9783438051103, $43.99); or Nestle, E. & K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 27th ed. Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1993 [NA27] (ISBN 9783438051004, $40.99).

2. Choose one of the following: Davies, W. D. and D. C. Allison. Matthew. 3 vols. ICC. T & T Clark, 1988, 1991, 1997. ISBN: 9780567083555, 9780567083753, and 9780567083654. $55, $55, and $55; or France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. NICNT. Eerdmans, 2007. ISBN: 9780802825018. $65.

3. Choose one of the following: Carter, Warren. Matthew and the Margins. London: T & T Clark, 2005. ISBN: 9780567040619. $85; or Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Brazos, 2006. ISBN: 9781587430954. $29.99; or Luz, Ulrich. The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew. Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780521435765. $25.99.

4. Course Packet: Includes articles/chapters by Marianne Blickenstaff, Musa Dube, Richard Hays, Amy Jill Levine, Shelly Matthews, Gail R. O'Day, N. T. Wright, and others.

5. Also see the bibliography "Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Programs" available at http://schedule.fuller.edu/sot/ecds/Ling-Exeg-Biblio.html.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Keener, Craig. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Eerdmans, 2009. ISBN: 9780802864987. $50.

Luz, Ulrich. Matthew. 3 vols. Hermeneia. Fortress Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780800660994, 9780800660345, and 9780800637705. $75, $69, and $90.

Matthew. 2 vols. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. IVP, 2001, 2002. ISBN: 9780830814862 and 9780830814695. $40 and $40.

1. Preparation for each course meeting by studying the Greek text of assigned passages, considering the exegetical judgments of two required texts above (one from 2, the other from 3) and any assigned articles, and completing a translation with comments to be submitted (1 page each) (30%).

2. Two exegetical exercises on selected passages (ca. 1000 words each) (30%).

3. A final exegetical research paper on one of several suggested pericopae in Matthew (ca. 2500 words) (40%).