Summer 2014/Fuller Online

NS539

Winn

NS539: EARLY CHRISTOLOGIES (4 Units: 120 hours). Adam Winn.

DESCRIPTION: This course is an exploration of the christological content of the New Testament and the development of christological thought in earliest Christianity. While the text of the New Testament will be the primary focus of the course, significant attention will also be given to contemporary scholarship on New Testament Christology.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to (1) work with the New Testament materials relevant to Christology in a synthetic way that takes seriously the particularity of these materials as well as the potential of a coordinated New Testament witness to Christology; (2) articulate possible resolutions both to the divergent christological material found in the New Testament as well as to perceived tension between OT monotheism and NT Christology; and (3) discuss the relationship between the exegesis of New Testament texts and the church’s construction of christological faith commitments.

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:

NRSV, TNIV, or CEB Bible.

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN: 978-0802845597, Pub. Price $36.00 [336 pp.].

Dunn, James D. G. Did the First Christians Worship Jesus? The New Testament Evidence. Westminster John Knox, 2010. ISBN: 978-0664231965, Pub. Price $20.00 [176 pp.].

Longenecker, Richard N., and H. H. Bingham, eds. Contours of Christology in the New Testament. Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN: 978-0802810144, Pub. Price $30.00 [359 pp.].

Matera, Frank J. New Testament Christology. Westminster John Knox, 1999. ISBN: 978-0664256944, Pub. Price $40.00 [320 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to New Testament Christology. Paulist Press, 1994. ISBN: 978-0809135165, Pub. Price $14.95.

Dunn, J. D. G. Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation. 2nd ed. Eerdmans, 1996. ISBN: 978-0802842572, Pub. Price $45.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Active participation in course discussion forums in which students interact with course lectures and course readings—addresses learning outcomes 1 and 3 (20%).

2. 4500 word exegetical paper on a passage or topic of christological import—addresses learning outcomes 1 and 2 (40%).

3. Weekly reading assignments—addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3.

4. A final position paper articulating the significance of New Testament Christology for Christian faith and practice. While this paper is a statement of your own position and understanding, it should demonstrate critical engagement with and reflection on the course materials (reading; class discussions; the biblical witness; etc.). The paper is not simply a summary of those materials. It demonstrates the student’s capacity to articulate an understanding of the significance New Testament Christology. 2500-3000 words—addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3 (40%).

PREREQUISITES: NS500 (NT1) and NS501 (NT2), or NT500.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in New Testament Theology (NTT).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.