Spring 2010/Houston

Chung

NE517: Philippians (ENGLISH TEXT).

DESCRIPTION: This course is an exegetical study of major sections in the letter to the Philippians, which seeks to develop confidence in interpreting the text as well as familiarity with historical, literary, and theological themes in this document.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students successfully completing this course will have demonstrated: (1) better know and understand Philippians and its social, cultural, and literary context; (2) understand more about Paul's theology of Christian ministry; and (3) develop a responsible and engaging method of interpreting Philippains both in its context and for the church today.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Philippians is a crucial New Testament text for reflection on the nature of Christian ministry and the life of joy.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet weekly for a three-hour session. Class time will be devoted to close readings of multiple English translations, discussion of key exegetical points, and discussion of the theology of the epistle.

REQUIRED READING:

Philippians in 3 modern translations including either NRSV or TNIV.

Carolyn Osiek Philippians, Philemon (Nashville: Abingdon, 2000) 160 pp. ISBN: 0687058228

Frank Thielman Philippians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) 256 pp. ISBN-10: 0310493005

ISBN-13: 978-0310493006

Marcus N.A. Bockmuehl The Epistle to the Philippians (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1998) ISBN: 9781565633506

RECOMMENDED READING:

D.A. Carson Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996) 128 pp. ISBN-10: 080105494X ISBN-13: 978-0801054945

Peter T. O’Brien The Epistle to the Philippians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991) 638 pp. ISBN: 0802823920

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. 2 Exegetical Working Papers: Students will choose two passages and prepare a six-page double-spaced summary of the exegetical and theological issues in that passage according to guidelines given in class, and will lead the class discussion of these issues (40%).

2. Teaching Outlines: The book of Philippians must be broken down into a sermon series, Sunday School or small group Bible Study series (25%).

3. Critical review of D.A. Carson’s book with analysis and application to Christian Ministry (15%)

4. Class Presentation; students will do one 15 minute sermon, talk, or Sunday School lesson on a passage from Philippians (10%).

5. Regular class attendance and interaction (10%).

PREREQUISITES: NS501.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the MA program requirements for New Testament book study (NTBK).

FINAL EXAMINATION: No.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (1/09)