Summer 2020/Fuller Online

NT500

Estrada

NT500: NEW TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III

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.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will introduce students to content and interpretation of the NT 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: 952total number of pages of books required, plus reading the entire NT.

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

Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green and Marianne Meye Thompson, eds.Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Eerdmans, 2001. ISBN: 978-0802837172, Pub. Price $48.00. [604 pp. assigned].

Green, Joel B. Seized by Truth: Reading the Bible as Scripture. Abingdon, 2007. ISBN: 9780687023554, Pub. Price $28.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [185 pp. assigned].

Choose one of the following [163-299 pp.]:

Darden, Lynne St. Clair, Scripturalizing Revelation: An African American Postcolonial Reading of Empire. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-1628370874, Pub. Price $29.95. [208 pp.].

Estrada III, Rodolfo Galvan, A Pneumatology of Race in the Gospel of John: An Ethnocritical Study. Eugene: Pickwick: 2019. ISBN: 978-1532670862, Pub. Price $42.00. [299 pp. assigned].

Tamez, Elsa, Struggles for Power in Early Christianity: A Study of the First Letter to Timothy. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2007. ISBN: 978-1570757082, Pub. Price $22.00. [163 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Video lectures with PowerPoint [4 hours].
2. 250-word weekly forum posts with 250-word weekly replies on required reading [except when writing a book review] (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4] [14 hours].
3. 952 total number of pages of books and reading the entire NT (10%). [54 hours, not including an additional 25 hours of reading the entire NT]. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4].
4. 1 book review on Estrada, Darden, or Tamez (1000 words or 4 pages double-spaced) (10% total). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 3]. [6 hours].
5. 3 Close Readings. Students will practice close readings of selected biblical texts from the gospels and epistles (3 at 1,250 words each). Student address critical aspects of the text's literary, social, cultural, or historical dynamics with guided questions. These close readings aim to help the student pay close attention to the text and exercise a close reading that is necessary for a faithful reading of scripture [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2,3, 4] (30%). [22 hours].
6. Interpretive Assignment. An interpretive paper on a gospel or epistle text(s) (3,500 words or 14 pages double-spaced). This interpretive paper will be a close reading of an approved biblical text. It will chiefly concern itself with interpreting the literary, social, cultural, and historical aspects of the text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2, 3, 4]. (30%). [35 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: 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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.