Summer 2017/Fuller Online

OT517

McAlpine

OT517: OLD TESTAMENT BOOK STUDY: WISDOM TRADITIONS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (4 Units: 160 hours). Thomas H. McAlpine.

DESCRIPTION: A study of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and Wisdom, combining close readings of selected texts with attention to recurrent themes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated that they (1) have read the books carefully and are familiar with their contents and themes; (2) can interpret passages within them in their own right and in their socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (3) have identified central issues in the critical study of them; (4) can articulate their primary theological and ethical concerns; (5) can use English-based tools for interpreting them; (6) can recognize hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers; and (7) can interpret them faithfully and creatively in the context of their congregation, of the contemporary world and of their own lives.

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: 900 pp. assigned

Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, Wisdom, and selected psalms (NRSV, TNIV, or CEB). [Pages assigned: 189]

Brown, William P. Wisdom’s Wonder: Character, Creation, and Crisis in the Bible’s Wisdom Literature. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802867933. Pub. Price $25.00 [Pages assigned: 194]

Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. 3rd Edition. Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0664234591. Pub. Price $35.00 [Pages assigned: 276]

Course Packet via eReserves (sample): [Pages assigned: 241]

Brenner, Athalya. “Proverbs,” pp. 163-174 in Global Bible Commentary, D. Patte, ed. (Abingdon, 2004).

Davis, Ellen. “The Sufferer’s Wisdom,” pp. 121-143 in Getting involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament (Cowley, 2001).

Foster, Benjamin (translator). “Dialogue of Pessimism,” pp. 923-926 in Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature (CDL Press, 2005).

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. “My eyes have seen you,” pp.82-92 in On Job (Orbis, 1987).

Hays, Christopher. “Proverbs and religious instruction,” pp. 297-320 in Hidden riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East (Westminster John Knox, 2014).

Kloppenborg, John S. “Isis and Sophia in the Book of Wisdom.” Harvard Theological Review 75 (1982): 57-84.

Newsom, Carol A. “The Book of Job as a Polyphonic Text,” pp. 3-31 in The Book of Job: A Contest of Moral Imaginations (Oxford, 2002).

Seow, C. L. “Job’s Wife,” pp.141-150 in Engaging the Bible in a Gendered World, L. Day & C. Pressler, eds (Westminster John Knox, 2006).

Skehan, Patrick & Alexander Di Lella. “The Teaching of Ben Sira,” pp. 75-92 in The Wisdom of Ben Sira (Doubleday 1987).

RECOMMENDED READING:

Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Poetry. Basic Books, 2nd ed., 2011. ISBN: 978-0465022564, Pub. Price $18.00.

______. The Wisdom Books. Norton, 2010. ISBN: 978-0393340532, Pub. Price $18.95.

Davis, Ellen F. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Westminster John Knox, 2000. ISBN: 978-0664255220, Pub. Price $30.00.

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job. Orbis, 1987. ISBN: 978-0883445525, Pub. Price $ 24.00.

Murphy, Roland E. The Tree of Life. Eerdmans, 3rd ed., 2002. ISBN: 978-0802839657, Pub. Price $30.00.

Perdue, Leo G. The Sword and the Stylus. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN: 978-0802862457, Pub. Price $38.00.

Von Rad, Gerhard. Wisdom in Israel. SCM Press, 2012.ISBN: 978-1563380716, Pub. Price $60.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Weekly lectures via audio & text formats. [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1-7.] [20 hours].
2. Required reading from required texts and eReserves (900 pages). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1-7.] [60 hours].
3. Weekly posts on assigned topics (10 total, approximately 1 page each). (15% of grade). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 4, 6, 7.] [10 hours].
4. Weekly responses to another participant’s post (20 total, approximately 1/2 page each). (10% of grade). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 4, 6, 7.] [10 hours].
5. Two 5-page interpretive papers on assigned topics (10 pages total). (Each counts for 15% of grade, 30% total). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 2, 4, 5, 7.] [25 hours].
6. One 10-page exegetical paper on an assigned text (35% of grade). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 2, 4, 5, and 7.] [30 hours].
7. Final examination (10% of grade). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1, 3] [5 hours].

PREREQUISITES: BI500 or NE502; OT500 or OT501 or OT502.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Counts as a biblical elective for the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTBK requirement for the MAT Program (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.