Fall 2003/Pasadena
NS566
Park
NS566: NEW TESTAMENT ESCHATOLOGIES. Joseph S. Park.
DESCRIPTION:
- This course is an examination of the various presentations of
end-time expectations found in the New Testament. Eschatology is a broad
concept, and therefore the course will cover, for example, national hopes as
well as individual expectations at death. Special attention will be given to
the questions raised by the diversity of eschatological expressions in the New
Testament, as well as questions concerning Jewish and Greco-Roman
backgrounds.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- Although much avoided and misconceived, the expectation of the
"last things" is of fundamental importance in the New Testament. Serious
consideration of these expectations, seen generally in threats of judgment and
promises of reward, will result in much-needed renewal and hope in today's
church.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The course will be a combination of lectures, in-class discussion,
and student reports on assigned topics of research. The class will meet weekly
for a three-hour session.
REQUIRED READING:
- Beasley-Murray, G.R. Jesus and the Last Days: The Interpretation
of the Olivet Discourse. Hendrickson, 1993.
- Ladd, G.E. The Presence of the Future. Eerdmans, 1974.
- Schmidt, T.E. and Moises Silva, eds. To Tell the Mystery: Essays on New
Testament Eschatology in Honor of Robert H. Gundry. JSNTSup 100. JSOT
Press, 1994.
- Witherington, B., III. Jesus, Paul, and the End of the World.
InterVarsity Press, 1992.
- Course reader containing articles from various journals and
anthologies; authors represented include R. Bauckham, W.D. Davies, D. Daube, R.
H. Gundry, J. Jeremias, M. L. Peel et al.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Beasley-Murray, G.R. Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Eerdmans,
1986.
- Buchanan, G.W. New Testament Eschatology: Historical and Cultural
Background. Mellen Biblical Press, 1993.
- Cooper, J.W. Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting. Eerdmans, 1989.
- Davies, W. D., and D. Daube, eds. The Background of the New Testament
and its Eschatology. Cambridge University Press, 1972.
- Gloer, W.H., ed. Eschatology and the New Testament: Essays in Honor of
George Raymond Beasley-Murray. Hendrickson, 1988.
- Harris, M.J. Raised Immortal: Resurrection & Immortality in the New
Testament. Eerdmans, 1983.
- Kummel, W.G. Promise and Fulfillment. The Eschatological Message of
Jesus. SCM, 1957.
- Lincoln, A.T. Paradise Now and Not Yet. SNTSMS 43. Cambridge
University Press, 1981
- Nickelsburg, G.W.E., Jr. Resurrection, Immortality, and Eternal Life in
Intertestamental Judaism. Harvard Theological Studies 26. Harvard
University Press, 1972.
- Plevink, J. Paul and the Parousia. Hendrickson, 1997.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- 1) Notes on the reading assignments. 2) A research paper, not
exceeding twelve pages in length, on a specific topic in New Testament
Eschatology. Topics should be discussed with and approved by the instructor
early in the course. 3) A progress report to the class on the assigned topic,
above. 4) An essay-style final examination based on the readings and class
lectures.
PREREQUISITES: NS500 and NS501.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets M. Div. core requirement in New Testament
Theology (NTT).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.