Winter 2014/Fuller Online

NE567

Erickson

NE567: ROMANS (English text). Richard J. Erickson.

DESCRIPTION: A detailed English-text-based study of Paul's epistle to Rome, which is, in some respects, the central document in the New Testament. Attention is focused primarily on the argument, message, and theological significance of the book itself and secondarily on exegetical method and certain aspects ofPaul's ideas.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: God's faithfulness to his covenant promise for all creation, applied by Paul to a real historical situation, shows the Bible to beboth human word and divine revelation. The course intends, in light of this, to inspire students with enthusiasm for reading the Bible responsibly in ministry and fordeeper obedience to Scripture in their own lives. We ourselves are to be "studied" by the text and by Him who meets us in it.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students successfully completing NE567 "Romans" will have demonstrated (1) knowledge and understanding of the letter to the Romans; (2) ability to interpret Romansthrough critical, community interaction, using historical, socio-cultural, literary and other methods; (3) and skill in reading the Bible theologically in view of diverse contexts.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. 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: (See syllabus for Recommended Reading)

Two rapid readings of Romans, at least one in the NRSV or the TNIV. [c. 40 pp.].

Weekly lectures, posted online

Byrne, Brendan. Romans. Liturgical Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0814659694, Pub. Price $39.95 [506 pp.] OR Wright, N. T. "The Letter to the Romans: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections." In The New Interpreter's Bible, vol. 10, pp. 393-770. Abingdon, 2002. ISBN: 978-0687278237, Pub. Price $74.00 [376 pp.]. [This commentary is also available online through Fuller Library’s database “Ministry Matters” (formerly iPreach.)].

Johnson, Luke Timothy. Reading Romans: A Literary and Theological Commentary. Smyth & Helwys, 2001. ISBN: 978-1573122764, Pub. Price $22.00 [260 pp.]

Tamez, Elsa. The Bible of the Oppressed. Wipf & Stock, 2006 [orig. 1982]. ISBN: 978-1597525558, Pub. Price $13.00 [88 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Rapid reading of Romans in either the NRSV or the TNIV, entire in one sitting (c. two hours). Write a maximum 750-word reflective essay on your sense of (a) the message of Romans and (b) its relation to your previous assumptions of the book’s message.Essay due the end of Week 1. [5%].

2. Weekly online forums on assigned texts from Romans and on assigned co-lateral readings. [20%].

3. Two 1500-word (max) essays describing insights from close readings of selected texts from Romans. [50%].

4. A 2000-word (max) essay on a selected text from Romans, relating its exegetically based theological interpretation to the kinds of concerns raised in Tamez, Bible of the Oppressed and taking into account the issue of “reading from location.”Essay due in Week 9. [20%].

5. Second rapid reading of Romans, at one sitting, after Week 8 and before the end of Week 10. Describe in a maximum 750-word essay how your impressions of Romans in this second rapid reading differ from and resemble those from your first reading. Essay due at the end of Week 10. [5%].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MA program requirements for NT book study (NTBK).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.