Fall 2020/Fuller Online

NE527

Blumhofer

NE527: NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: MARK (4 Units: 162 hours). Chris Blumhofer.

DESCRIPTION: This course will offer a study of selected passages of the Gospel of Mark, with an emphasis on a historical and social context of the Gospel, its literary style and narrative coherence, its theological presuppositions and implications, and its reception in the church.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to interpret the Gospel of Mark within its socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (2) to identify central issues in the critical study of the Gospel of Mark; (3) to articulate primary theological and ethical concerns of the Gospel of Mark; (4) to use Greek based language tools for interpreting the text; and (5) to interpret this text for faithful use of Scripture in their own lives and ministries.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: Through focused study of a particular biblical book or topic, students acquire deeper mastery of the interpretation of the Bible, taking into account its ancient and contemporary contexts, which addresses 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 30 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. This course modality provisions a fully asynchronous structure enhanced with optional synchronous meeting times. Although it does not require synchronous meeting times, faculty may provide one or more opportunities for live interaction scheduled to support represented time zones.

REQUIRED READING: 1000 total number of pages required.

Required (for all students):

Boring, M. Eugene. Mark: A Commentary. NTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006. ISBN

9780664238995. Pub. Price: $60.00. This book is available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [450pp. assigned]

Marcus, Joel. Mark 1–8; 8–16. AB27, 27A. New York: Doubleday, 1999–2009. Pub. Price $50.00, vol 1;

$75.00, vol 2; ISBN: 9780300139792;9780300141160. Volume 2 of this work is available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [apr. 300 pp. assigned]

Required (choose one of these two):

Aland, K., et al.The Greek New Testament. 5th ed. United Bible Societies, 2014 [UBS⁵]. ISBN: 9781619701397, Pub. Price $79.95;

Nestle, E., and K. Aland.Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012 [NA²⁸]. ISBN: 9783438051400, Pub. Price $57.99. (The 27th ed. is also acceptable, available via Fuller Library at https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fuller/detail.action?docID=995033).

These Greek texts are also available on Accordance Bible software.

Students will need to consult the following resources throughout the quarter, all of which are included in the Academic Amber Bundle from Accordance:

Danker, F.W.A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001 [BDAG]. ISBN: 9780226039336, Pub. Price $175.00 [1188 pp.] (also available on many Bible software programs, including Accordance).

Freedman, David Noel, ed., Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN

978–0802877437. Pub. Price 54.99. [1480 pp.]

Wallace, D.B.Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the NT.Enlarged ed. Zondervan, 1997. ISBN: 9780310218951, Pub. Price $59.99 [860 pp.] (also available on many Bible software programs, including Accordance).

Course Reader: Selected articles and essays on the Gospel of Mark by ancient and modern interpreters (including Brian Blount, Richard Hays, Amy-Jill Levine, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Joel Marcus, Ched Myers, Elizabeth Shively, and Christopher Tuckett) will be made available to students via Canvas or as eBooks through the Fuller Library. Please note that we will read nearly all of the following book. Students who envision ongoing work interpreting the gospels may wish to consider purchasing it:

Thiessen, Matthew. Jesus and the Forces of Death. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020. ISBN: 9781540961945. Pub. Price: $39.99. This book is available as an eBook from the Fuller library. [apr. 200 pp. assigned.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Participation, including watching/listening to apr. 20 hrs of class lectures and engagement with online forum discussions. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.] (20%; 30 hours).
1000 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] (70 hours).
Completion of four, two-page “exegetical observations” exercises that engage selected texts, identify significant interpretive and exegetical issues, and reflect on the pastoral or theological significance of the passage. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] 20%; 12 hours)
Completion of one, four-page essay on your understanding of how the Gospel of Mark informs Christian vocation today. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 2, 3, and 5.] (10%; 10 hours)
Completion of one, four-page interpretive working paper on a specific passage. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] (20%; 20 hours)
Completion of one, ten-page research paper in which students will present the significance of a passage’s contents in light of the Gospel of Mark as a whole. [Signature assignment; this assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4.] (30%; 20 hours)

PREREQUISITES: LG510 or LG512A/B or LG512; BI500 or NE502; NT500 or NS500 or NS501.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the Biblical Language Exegesis requirement in the 120 MDiv program. Meets the NTE in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.