DESCRIPTION:

Jewish apocalyptic literature maintained that this world was to an undefined degree seized by and tyrannized over by Satan and the other rebellious members of the fallen heavenly host, who afflicted the pious and caused pain on the earth. Thus was born the yearning for the re-establishment of God's reign.

The purpose of this course is to seek to determine the extent to which these apocalyptic views shape the earliest New Testament documents, i.e., the synoptics and Paul. Examples: to what extent are the synoptic miracles, the Lord's prayer, the anthropology and cosmology of Paul, permeated by apocalyptic demonology and eschatology.

One cannot counsel suffering souls soothingly assuring them that "this is the will of God." Apocalyptic makes it clear that often the opposite is the case--that suffering may not be the will of God, neither therapeutic nor correctional, but is an attack of Satan upon the elect. Jesus often endorses that view--"ought not this daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound . . . be loosed from this bond." The minister comes to see that God is not the author of agony but its answer. That is the gospel.

This is basically a lecture course which will meet twice weekly.

Charlesworth, J. H., ed. Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1. Doubleday, 1983.

Russell, D. S. Divine Disclosure. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.

Bultmann, Rudolph. The Theology of the New Testament, Vol. 1. New York: Scribner, 1951.

Caird, G. B. Principalities and Powers. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1956.

Dodd, C. H. The Parables of the Kingdom. New York: Scribner, 1961.

Kallas, James. The Satanward View. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1966.

__________. The Significance of the Synoptic Miracles. Greenwich: Seabury Press, 1961.

Schweitzer, Albert. The Quest of the Historical Jesus. New York: Macmillan, 1968.

In addition to submitting brief summaries on some of the assigned texts, the student will be asked to write a 10-15 page study on a specific New Testament topic along the lines of the stated purpose of the course, i.e., seeking to see to what extent, if any, the topic is permeated by apocalyptic concepts.

NS500, NS501.

Meets M. Div. core requirement in New Testament Theology (NTT).

Yes, essay type.