Winter 2007/Pasadena
OT506
Butler
OT506: OLD TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS. James T.
Butler.
DESCRIPTION: This course will offer a survey of Israel's history in the land,
from the conquest to the exile, as it is portrayed in the books of Joshua,
Judges, Samuel, and Kings. A central concern throughout the course will be to
investigate the relationship between Israel's historical traditions and her
theological appropriation of those traditions around such themes as election,
law, the land, and leadership. Each week a session will be devoted to the
translation and careful exegetical examination of a representative passage.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have attained
- a thorough overview of the content and literary features of the four books
of the Former Prophets;
- a working knowledge of Israel's history from the conquest to the exile,
with an appreciation of the issues involved in relating history to faith;
- an enhanced competence in basic Hebrew, as well as in exegetical and
hermeneutical skills;
- a sensitivity to the theological issues presented in these narratives: the
significance of the land, the dangers of cultural and theological syncretism,
the need for order and leadership, the challenge of holding together pragmatic
politics and the demands of faith.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Having practice in exegetical work with Hebrew texts
is foundational for interpreting Scripture and for assessing the
interpretations of others. In these narrative texts, we will discover new
challenges and new possibilities for the church's reading of stories once
familiar but increasingly neglected.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet twice a week for two-hour sessions.
Classes will alternate between reading of prepared Hebrew texts and
lecture/discussion sessions.
REQUIRED READING:
- Bright, J. A History of Israel. 4th ed. Louisville:
Westminster John Knox, 2000.
- Brown, F., S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon
of the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1952.
- Elliger, K. and W. Rudolph, eds. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. New
York: American Bible Society, 1977.
- McDermott, John J. What Are They Saying About the Formation of
Israel? New York: Paulist, 1998.
- Course reader.
- See the Biblical Division bibliography "Linguistic and Exegetical
Books Required in the Master of Divinity Program" available in the SOT Academic
Advising office.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Coogan, Michael D., ed. The Oxford History of the Biblical
World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
- Finkelstein, Israel, and Neil Asher Silberman. The Bible Unearthed:
Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred
Texts. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.
- Provan, I., V. P. Long, T. Longman III. A Biblical History of
Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003.
- A bibliography will be included in the syllabus.
ASSIGNMENTS: The requirements will fall into three areas:
- Weekly preparation for translation and exegetical discussions (40%);
- The writing of an exegetical paper (12 pages) (30%);
- The use of lecture notes and syllabus readings to develop answers to study
questions from which the final examination will be drawn (30%).
PREREQUISITES: LG502.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Old Testament "b"
(OTBE).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.