Spring 2020/Pasadena

NE527

Blumhofer

NE527: NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: MARK (4 Units: 160 hours). Chris Blumhofer.

DESCRIPTION: This course will offer a study of selected passages of the Gospel of Mark, with an emphasis on a historical and social context of the Gospel, its literary style and narrative coherence, its theological presuppositions and implications, and its reception in the church.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to interpret the Gospel of Mark within its socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (2) to identify central issues in the critical study of the Gospel of Mark; (3) to articulate primary theological and ethical concerns of the Gospel of Mark; (4) to use Greek based language tools for interpreting the text; and (5) to interpret this text for faithful use of Scripture in their own lives and ministries.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: Through focused study of a particular biblical book or topic, students acquire deeper mastery of the interpretation of the Bible, taking into account its ancient and contemporary contexts, which addresses the SOT PLO: “Students will have demonstrated competence in the practice of biblical interpretation for faithful use of Scripture in their own lives and ministries”(MDiv, MAT, MATM).

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: 1000 total number of pages required.

Required (for all students):

Boring, M. Eugene. Mark: A Commentary. NTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006. ISBN

9780664238995. Pub. Price: $60.00. This book is available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [450pp. assigned]

Required (students should choose one of these two):

Marcus, Joel. Mark 1–8; 8–16. AB27, 27A. New York: Doubleday, 1999–2009. Pub. Price $50.00, vol 1;

$75.00, vol 2; ISBN 9780300139792;9780300141160. Volume 2 of this work is available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [apr. 300 pp. assigned]

Stein, Robert. Mark. BECNT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. ISBN: 9780801026829. Pub. Price

$59.99. This book is available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [apr. 300 pp. assigned]

Required (choose one of these two):

Aland, K., et al.The Greek New Testament. 5th ed. United Bible Societies, 2014 [UBS⁵]. ISBN: 9781619701397, Pub. Price $79.95;ORNestle, E., and K. Aland.Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012 [NA²⁸]. ISBN: 9783438051400, Pub. Price $57.99. (The 27th ed. is also acceptable, available via Fuller Library at https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fuller/detail.action?docID=995033).

The Greek text is also available on Accordance Bible software.

Students will need to consult the following resources throughout the quarter:

Danker, F.W.A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001 [BDAG]. ISBN: 9780226039336, Pub. Price $184.49 [1188 pp.] (also available on many Bible software programs, including Accordance).

Kittel, Gerhard, et al., ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 10 Volumes. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1964. [TDNT] Available in the Fuller Library Reference Room, the Library’s

circulating collection, and as an Accordance add-on.

Wallace, D.B.Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the NT.Enlarged ed. Zondervan, 1997. ISBN: 9780310218951, Pub. Price $59.99 [860 pp.] (also available on many Bible software programs, including Accordance).

Course Reader: Selected articles and essays on the Gospel of Mark by ancient and modern interpreters (including Brian Blount, Richard Hays, Amy-Jill Levine, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Joel Marcus, Ched Myers, Elizabeth Shively, and Christopher Tuckett) will be made available to students via Canvas/eReserves or as eBooks through the Fuller Library.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Attendance and participation. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.] (20%; 30 hours).
1000 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] (70 hours).
Completion of five, one-page “exegetical observations” exercises that engage selected texts and identify significant interpretive and exegetical issues. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] (20%; 10 hours)
Completion of one, four-page interpretive working paper on a specific passage. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4.] (20%; 20 hours)
Completion of one, four-page essay on your understanding of how the Gospel of Mark informs Christian vocation today. This assignment meets the requirement of a “Directed Learning Activity.” [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 2, 3, and 5.] (10%; 10 hours)
Completion of one, ten-page research paper in which students will present the significance of a specific passage’s contents in light of the Gospel of Mark as a whole. [Signature assignment; this assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4.] (30%; 20 hours)

PREREQUISITES: LG510 or LG512A/B or LG512; BI500 or NE502; NT500 or NS500 or NS501.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the Biblical Language Exegesis requirement in the 120 MDiv program. Meets the NTE in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.