Fall 2016/Fuller Online

OT573

Smoak

OT573: THEOLOGY OF EXILE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (4 units: 160 hours). Jeremy D. Smoak.

DESCRIPTION: This course will examine the diverse ways in which the Hebrew Bible develops theologies of exile in relation to the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles of Israel and Judah. Specific focus will be given to how the biblical texts relate the topic of exile to certain theological and humanitarian concerns, such as the status of the refugee, the pollution of the land, and issues related to divine presence and absence. In addition, the class will consider how the literature of the Persian period offers diverse perspectives on how the biblical writers developed theologies after the exile in the early Second Temple Period. Towards this end, the class will do a close reading of selected texts from the Torah, Prophets, and Writings in order to examine how the biblical texts represent responses to questions about exile, dislocation, and refugee movements for both the ancient and modern world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to (1) describe the main content of the biblical literature from the period of the exile and early Second Temple Period that focuses upon the themes of exile, foreign occupation, theodicy, and the pollution of the land; (2) describe how perspectives from post-colonial methodologies offer new ways to approach the literature of the Hebrew Bible; (3) compare some of the situations described in this literature to modern situations of exile and refugee movements; and (4) identify and explain how the theologies of exile in this literature inform the church’s call to minister to all peoples, especially the suffering, the refugee, and the dispossessed.

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, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. 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: 1000 total number of pages required.

NRSV, TNIV, or CEB Bible.

Houston, Fleur S. You Shall Love the Stranger as Yourself: The Bible, Refugees and Asylum (Biblical Challenges in the Contemporary World). Routledge, 2015. ISBN: 978-1138859319, Pub. Price $47.95 [214 pp.].

Smith-Christopher, Daniel. A Biblical Theology of Exile. Overtures to Biblical Theology. Augsburg, 2002. ISBN: 978-0800632243, Pub. Price $20.00 [209 pp.].

Selected readings on e-Reserve, including:

Roselinde Den Boer, “Liminal Space in Protracted Exile,” Journal of Refugee Studies 28/4 (2015), 486–504.

Nancy Lee, “Lamentations and Polemic: The Rejection/Reception History of Women’s Lament…and Syria,” Interpretation 67/2, 2013. [pages 155–83 assigned].

L. Stulman, “Ezekiel as Disaster/Survival Literature: Speaking on Behalf of the Losers,” The Prophets Speak on Forced Migration. Society of Biblical Literature, 2015. [pages 133–46].

Fernando Segovia, “In the World but Not of It: Exile as Locus for a Theology of Diaspora,” in Hispanic/Latino Theology (1996), 195–217.

Stephanie Nawyn, “Welcoming the Stranger: Constructing an interfaith ethic of refuge,” in Religion

and Social Justice for Immigrants (2007), 139–155.

RECOMMENDED READING:

McEntire, M. Portraits of a Mature God: Choices in Old Testament Theology. Fortress, 2013. ISBN: 978-0800699413, Pub. Price $40.00. [256 pp.].

Lipschits, O. The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem. Eisenbrauns, 2005. ISBN: 978-1575060958, Pub. Price $59.50. [474 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Class attendance. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4]. [40 hours].

2. Weekly forum posts (250-word) on the reading assignments and class participation (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4]. [70 hours].

3. Two 1500-word reading responses on selected biblical texts (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4]. [20 hours].

4. 3000-word Research Paper on an aspect of the biblical ger (legal rights, spaces of refuge, social justice, suffering, etc.) (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1–4]. [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Biblical elective in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Biblical elective MATM and MAICS Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.