Winter 2016/Sacramento

OT500

Shafer-Elliott

OT500: OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Cynthia Shafer-Elliott.


DESCRIPTION: This course orients students to the literature of the Old Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to Old Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel will be the focus of study.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated that they: (1) have a basic grasp of the contents of Israel’s Scriptures, history, and geography; (2) can use interpretive approaches that explore both the literary features of the Old Testament and the historical and cultural contexts in which it came into being; (3) can assess hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers; (4) can relate the Old Testament as Scripture to Christian theology, mission, and discipleship; and (5) have used this knowledge and these abilities to interpret some key Old Testament texts.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted in a hybrid format on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. A hybrid course includes both classroom and online instruction, for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students will meet on three Saturdays for seven-and-a-half-hour sessions for a total of 22.5 hours of classroom instruction that will consist of lectures and regular discussion. The remaining 17.5 instructional hours will include interaction with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: 1,162 total number of pages required.

Primary Texts [950 pages].

Genesis; Exodus; Deuteronomy; 2 Samuel; Job; Psalms 42-106; Isaiah 1-14, 40-53, 63-66; Jeremiah 1-36; Daniel (NRSV, TNIV, or CEB); Enuma Elish, Hammurabi’s Law Code, The Babylonian Theodicy, Akkadian Prophecies [400 pp.].

Brueggemann, Walter. The Practice of Prophetic Imagination: Preaching an Emancipating Word. Fortress Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0800698973, Pub. Price $25.00 [150 pp assigned].

Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament, 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0190238599, Pub Price $64.95 [400 pp. assigned].

Secondary Texts on eReserves [212 pages]:

Chia, Philip.“ On Naming the Subject: Postcolonial Reading of Daniel 1.” In R. S. Sugirtharajah (ed.). The Postcolonial Biblical Reader. Blackwell, 2006. ISBN: 978-1405133500, Pub. Price $52.95 [pp. 171-85, Daniel].

Fritz, Volkmar. The City in Ancient Israel. Sheffield Academic Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-1850754770, Out of Print [pp. 176-89, 2 Samuel].

Kepnes, Steven. “Job and Post-Holocaust Theology”. In T. Linafelt (ed.), Strange Fire. New York University Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0814751664, Pub. Price $27.00 [pp. 252-66, Job].

Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel. “Tuning Hebrew Psalms to Reggae Rhythms.” Cross Currents 50, (2000-1), [pp. 525-40, Psalms].

Reid, Stephen Breck. Experience and Tradition. Abingdon, 1990. ISBN: 978-0687124008, Out of Print [pp. 53-81, Exodus].

Sarna, Nahum M. Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bible in Light of History. Schocken Books, 1966. ISBN: 978-0805202533, Pub. Price $15.95 [pp. 1-62].

Stone, Bebb Wheeler. “Second Isaiah: Prophet to Patriarchy.” Journal for the Study of the OT 56, (1992), [pp. 85-99, Isaiah].

Trible, Phyllis. “Depatriarchalizing in Biblical Interpretation.” (1973). Journal of the American Academy of Religion 12 [pp. 30-48, Genesis].

Van der Toorn, Karel. “Nine Months among the Peasants.” In W. G. Dever and S. Gitin (ed.), Symbiosis, Symbolism, and the Power of the Past. Eisenbrauns, 2003. ISBN: 978-1575060811, Pub. Price $69.50 [pp. 393-410, Deuteronomy].

Wolff, Hans Walter. “Prophets and Institutions in the Old Testament.” Currents in Theology and Mission 13, (1986) [pp. 5-12, Jeremiah].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Alexander, T. D., and D. W. Baker, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. InterVarsity Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830817818, Pub. Price $60.00.

Arnold, B. T., and H. G. M. Williamson, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. InterVarsity Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0830817825, Pub. Price $60.00.

Boda, Mark J., and J. Gordon McConville, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. InterVarsity Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0830817849, Pub Price $60.00.

Ebeling, Jennie R. Women’s Lives in Biblical Times. Clark, 2010. ISBN: 978-0567196446, Pub. Price $32.95.

King, Philip J. and Lawrence E. Stager. Life in Biblical Israel. Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0664221485, Pub. Price $55.00.

Longman, Tremper, and Peter Enns (ed.). Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. InterVarsity Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830817832, Pub. Price $60.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 1,162 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-5] [77.5 hours].
  2. 250-word weekly forum posts to questions posed on the required primary and secondary readings [10 hours], and 2x 125-word weekly forum replies [10 hours]. Graded as pass/fail. (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 3 & 4]. [20 hours total].
  3. 1 visit to the Chabad Jewish Community Center [5 hours], 1 chat with Rabbi Yossi Korik afterwards [2 hours], and a 600-word reflective report [2 hours]. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 3 & 4]. [9 hours total].
  4. Mid-Term Exam Essays on the HB’s historical and geographical contexts - 1,250 words. (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1]. [10 hours].
  5. Final Paper - 2500-3000 words. (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. [21 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTC requirement in the 144 MDiv. Option to meet requirement in the MAT Program (Winter 2010) and a core requirement for the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.

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