Winter 2019/Pasadena

NT500

Blumhofer

NT500: NEW TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 162 hours). Chris Blumhofer

DESCRIPTION: New Testament Introduction orients students to the literature of the New Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to New Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course students will have demonstrated that they (1) have an introductory knowledge of the literature, history, and theology of the New Testament; (2) can identify a range of questions (e.g., historical, literary, canonical) that might be addressed to particular New Testament texts and can explore those questions in the process of interpreting particular New Testament texts; (3) are able to take into account the varied contexts of both the biblical materials and their contemporary interpreters; and (4) can read the New Testament in ways that foster faithful Christian practice.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: 1000 pages of books and articles, plus reading the entire NT.

The entire NT in English (using the NRSV, TNIV, or CEB) [25 hours].

Achtemeier, P., J. B. Green, and M. Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Eerdmans, 2001. ISBN: 978-0802837172, Pub. Price $48.00 [608 pp.; apr. 450 assigned].

Blount, Brian K. Can I Get a Witness? Reading Revelation through African American Culture. Westminster John Knox, 2005. ISBN: 978-0664228699, Pub. Price $25.00. This book is available from the Fuller Library as an eBook [117 pp.].

Gorman, Michael. Reading Paul. Cascade Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-1556351952, Pub. Price $22.00 [206 pp.].

Course reader. Articles/chapters by Cain Hope Felder, Richard Hays, Teresa Okure, Elsa Tamez, Mirsoslav Volf, et al. [apr. 250 pp.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1000 total number of pages of books and articles required, plus reading the entire NT (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4] [91 hours including 25 hours of reading the entire NT].
Attendance in class and participation in interpretive discussions (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4] [30 hours].
A book review on Blount, Can I Get a Witness? (1,000 words) (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2–4] [4 hours].
Completion of an “annotated guide to the New Testament.” (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 4] [12 hours.] This assignment meets the class’s requirement of a “directed learning activity.”
Interpretive working papers: (1) a two-page working paper that gathers the results of the student’s close reading of an assigned biblical text [4 hours]. (2) an eight- to ten-page interpretive essay that advances a particular interpretation of a biblical text [16 hours]. (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2–4]. For assessment purposes, this second assignment will be designated “interpretive assignment.”
Final examination covering lectures and readings (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4] [5 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015) and the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes, in class.