DESCRIPTION:

This course is a study of the Gospel of John, which seeks to increase the student's knowledge of its content, give practice and skill in interpreting it, and deepen understanding of Jesus and the way in which he was understood and interpreted by early believers.

For many Christians, the most beloved of our Gospels is John, prized above all for its distinctive portrayal of Jesus. And yet, precisely because of its distinctive christology, as well as its many differences from the Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John also presents its own challenges to interpretation. This course highlights John's portrait of Jesus in the context of first-century Judaism and Christianity in order to foster faithful understanding of the Gospel and of the one it presents as Messiah and Son of God.

1. knowledge of the content and main themes of the Gospel;

2. the ability to interpret a passage from the Gospel, taking various literary, historical, and theological issues into account;

3. reflection on the ways in which social location, including the students' own, affects interpretation of the Gospel.

There will be two main aspects to the course: (1) class discussion of selected passages assigned for the day; (2) lectures to facilitate understanding of the text. The class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.

The Gospel of John. A good modern inclusive translation (such as the NRSV or the TNIV).

Brown, Raymond E. The Gospel According to John. Anchor Bible. 2 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1966, 1970.

Lincoln, Andrew. The Gospel of John. Black's NT Commentary 4. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson/New York: Continuum, 2005.

Koester, Craig. Word of Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008.

Course reader, including feminist, Latino, and African interpretations of selected passages (see assignment #2, below).

There are numerous good commentaries on the Gospel, and these will be discussed in class. Most are available in the bookstore and on reserve, as are a number of books with articles relevant for the reflection paper (Assignment #2 below).

1. Three interpretative assignments on passages from the Gospel (50%).

2. A short paper reflecting on one of the essays from the course reader (20%).

3. A final exam (30%), testing an understanding of the content and main themes of the Gospel.

NS500.

Meets the MA program requirements for New Testament book study (NTBK).

Yes.