Winter 2020/Fuller Online

OT500

Melzian

OT500: OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Marilyn Lundberg Melzian.

DESCRIPTION: This course orients students to the literature of the Old Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to Old Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel will be the focus of study.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated that they: (1) have a basic grasp of the contents of Israel’s Scriptures, history, and geography; (2) can use interpretive approaches that explore both the literary features of the Old Testament and the historical and cultural contexts in which it came into being; (3) can assess hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers; (4) can relate the Old Testament as Scripture to Christian theology, mission, and discipleship; and (5) have used this knowledge and these abilities to interpret some key Old Testament texts.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will introduce students to content and interpretation of the OT in its historical and contemporary context, which is consistent with the SOT PLO “Students will have demonstrated competence in the practice of biblical interpretation for faithful use of Scripture in their own lives and ministries” (MDiv, MAT, MATM).

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: 1093 total pages required.

• NRSV, NIV, or CEB Bible [Genesis; Exodus; Deuteronomy; 2 Samuel; Job; Psalms 42-106; Isaiah 1-14, 40-53, 63-66; Jeremiah 1-45; Daniel]. [250 pp.]
• Hubbard, Robert L., Jr. and J. Andrew Dearman. Introducing the Old Testament. Eerdmans: 2018. ISBN: 978-0802867902, $40.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [351 pp.].

SELECTIONS FROM EBOOKS AVAILABLE FROM FULLER LIBRARY:

• Balentine, Samuel. The Torah’s Vision of Worship (Overtures to Biblical Theology). Philadelphia: Fortress, 1999. ISBN: 978-0800631550, Pub. Price $26.16 [58 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.
• Davis, Ellen F. Opening Israel’s Scriptures. Oxford University Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-0-19-094894-8, Pub. Price $45.00 [44 pp.]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.
• Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1987. ISBN: 978-0-883445525 [19 pp.]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

• Hays, Christopher B. Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East. Westminster John Knox, 2014. ISBN: 978-0664237011, Pub. Price $45.00 [48 pp. assigned] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.
• Lee, Archie C. C. “Returning to China: Biblical Interpretation in Postcolonial Hong Kong.” Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World. Edited by R. S. Sugirtharajah. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2006. 281-296. [16 pp.]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.
• Powery, Emerson B., Sadler, Rodney Steven, ch. 3 “The Sabbath and the Freedom Narrative.” The Genesis of Liberation: Biblical Interpretation in the Antebellum Narratives of the Enslaved. Westminster John Knox Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-0664230531. Pp. 63-81 [19 pp.]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.
• Wenthe, Dean O. and Thomas C. Oden. Jeremiah, Lamentations. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Intervarsity Press Academic, 2009. 978-0830814824. [3 pp.]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

eRESERVES:

• Bundang, Rachel. “Home as Memory, Metaphor, and Promise in Asian/Pacific American Religious Experience.” Semeia 90-91 (2002) 87-104. [22 pp]
• Chan, Michael G. “Isaiah 65-66 and the Genesis of Reorienting Speech” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 72/3 (2010) 445-463. [19 pp]
• Ellen Davis, “Losing a Friend: The Loss of the Old Testament to the Church.” In Jews, Christians, and the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures. Edited by Alice Ogden BellisandJoel S. Kaminsky. 2^nd ed. Society of Biblical Literature, 2000. Pp. 83–94 [12 pp.].
• Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. “The Atrahasis Epic and Its Significance for Our Understanding of Genesis 1-9.” Biblical Archaeologist 40.4 (Dec. 1977): 147–155.
• Ham, T.C. “The Gentle Voice of God in Job 38” JBL 132, #3 (2013) 527-541. [15 pp.].
• Hays, Richard B. Reading Backwards. Baylor University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-1481302333 [16 pp.].
• Jones, Barry A. “Resisting the Power of Empire: The Theme of Resistance in the Book of Daniel,” Review and Expositor 109 (2012) 541-556 [16 pp.].
• Luther, Martin. Reading the Psalms with Luther. Concordia Publishing House, 1993. ISBN: 978-0758613752. [14 pp.].
• Origen. The Song of Songs, Commentary and Homilies. Ancient Christian Writers 26. Trans. and annotated by R. P. Lawson. Newman Press, 1957. ISBN: 978-0809102617 [13 pp.].
• Reid, Stephen Breck. “Patriotism and Loyalty: The Foundation of a Quest for Black Liberation,” pp. 53-81 in his Experience and Tradition. A Primer in Black Biblical Hermeneutics (Abingdon, 1990). [31 pp.].
• Sakenfeld, Katharine D. “Ruth and Naomi: Economic Survival and Family Values.” Pp. 27–48 inJust Wives? Stories of Power and Survival in the Old Testament and Today. Westminster John Knox, 2004. ISBN: 978-0664226602 [22 pp.].
• Thomas Aquinas. Explanation of the Ten Commandments by Saint Thomas Aquinas. https://dhspriory.org/thomas/english/TenCommandments.htm [8 pp.].
• Wafawanaka, Robert. “African Perspectives on Poverty in the Hebrew Law Codes.” Pp. 490–97 in The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories, and Trends. Ed. Gerald West and Musa Dube. Brill, 2000. ISBN: 978-9004106277 [8 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Alexander, T. D., and D. W. Baker, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. InterVarsity Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830817818, Pub. Price $60.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Arnold, B. T., and H. G. M. Williamson, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. InterVarsity Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0830817825, Pub. Price $60.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Boda, Mark J., and J. Gordon McConville, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. InterVarsity Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0830817849, Pub Price $60.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. 3rd. ed., OUP, 2015. ISBN 978-0199830114, Pub. Price $64.95.

Ebeling, Jennie R. Women’s Lives in Biblical Times. Clark, 2010. ISBN: 978-0567196446, Pub. Price $32.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Hays, Christopher B.Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East. Westminster John Knox, 2014. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

King, Philip J. and Lawrence E. Stager. Life in Biblical Israel. Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0664221485, Pub. Price $55.00.

Longman, Tremper, and Peter Enns (ed.). Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. InterVarsity Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830817832, Pub. Price $60.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT

1. Lectures, audio recordings, and other instructional content curated by the professor [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5] [20 hours].
2. 1,095 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5] [66 hours].
3. Participation in weekly forum discussions [approx. 500 words per week] (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5] [20 hours].
4. Two close reading assignments on selected biblical texts, 4-pages each (20%; 10% each). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4] [24 hours].
5. Interpretive Assignment of 8-10 pages [An interpretive paper that includes close reading, genre identification, description of literary structure, theological reflection and ministry application of an assigned Psalm] (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1–5] [20 hours].
6. Final Exam (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 & 2] [10 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTC requirement in the 144 MDiv. Option to meet requirement in the MAT Program (Winter 2010) and a core requirement for the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes

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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.