Winter 2015/Pasadena

NE527

Green

NE527: NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (4 Units: 165 Hours). Joel B. Green.

DESCRIPTION: A close reading of selected passages in the Acts of the Apostles, with special attention given to literary, socio-historical, and theological understandings of the second half of the Lukan narrative comprising the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to employ a range of exegetical approaches appropriate to the interpretation of a New Testament narrative like the Acts of the Apostles; (2) to interpret particular texts within the Acts of the Apostles within the book’s socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (3) to articulate primary theological and ethical concerns of the Acts of the Apostles; and (4) to work with lexical semantics and grammatical constructions in the Greek text of the Acts of the Apostles, using BibleWorks (or comparable tools).

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets twice weekly for two hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lectures, discussion, and break-out groups for translation and textual work. This course is concerned with the practice of New Testament exegesis. As a result, participation will require regular preparation, translation work, and exegetical practice.

REQUIRED READING: Choose ONE text from each of the following four sets:

Set 1: Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament. 5th ed. United Bible Societies, 2014 [UBS5]. ISBN: 9781619701397, Pub. Price $69.95; OR Nestle, E., and K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012 [NA28]. ISBN: 978-3438051400, Pub. Price $40.99.

Set 2: Fitzmyer, J.A. The Acts of the Apostles. Doubleday, 1998. ISBN: 978-0300139822, Pub. Price $60.00 [ca. 600 pp.]; OR Johnson, L.T. The Acts of the Apostles. Liturgical, 1992. ISBN: 978-0814659687, Pub. Price $39.95 [ca. 500 pp.]; OR Pervo, R.I. Acts. Fortress, 2009. ISBN: 978-0800660451, Pub. Price $85.00 [ca. 600 pp.].

Set 3: Bede, The Venerable. Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. Cistercian, 1989. ISBN: 978-0879079178, Pub. Price $24.95 [ca. 200 pp.]; OR González, J.L. Acts: The Gospel of the Spirit. Orbis, 2001. ISBN: 978-1570753985. Pub. Price $30.00 [ca. 200 pp.]; OR Wall, R.W. “The Acts of the Apostles: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections.” In The New Interpreter’s Bible, edited by Leander E. Keck, vol. 10. ISBN: 978-0687278237, Pub. Price $74.00 [ca. 300 pp.].

Set 4: Johnson, L.T. Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church: The Challenge of Luke-Acts to Contemporary Christians. Eerdmans, 2011. ISBN: 978-0802803900, Pub. Price $23.00 [198 pp.]; OR Robinson, A.B., and R.W. Wall, Called to Be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day. Eerdmans, 2006. ISBN: 978-0802860651, Pub. Price $25.00 [298 pp.].

Students will need to consult the following resources throughout the quarter:

Danker, F.W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2000 [BDAG]. ISBN: 978-0226039336. Pub. Price $165.00.

Wallace, D.B. Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the NT. Zondervan, 1996. ISBN: 978-0310218951. Pub. Price $44.99.

For further resources, see “Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Program” available at http://www.fuller.edu/sot/ecds/Ling-Exeg-Biblio.html.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Preparation for each meeting of the course by carefully reading the assigned texts in Acts and comparing one’s observations with at least one of the required commentaries [65 hours].

  2. Two interpretive exercises on selected passages (2 pages each) (30%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] [18 hours].

  3. A critical review of one book from the required reading list, Set 4 (25%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome 3.] [20 hours].

  4. Research essay on a pericope in Acts (ca. 10 pages) (45%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4.] [24 hours].

PREREQUISITES: (LG510 or LG512A/B or LG512) and (BI500 or NE502) and (NT500 or NS500).

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the Biblical Language Exegesis requirement in the 120 MDiv program. Meets MDiv core requirement in New Testament Exegesis (NTE).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.

For your convenience, order these texts online through the Archives Bookshop.