DESCRIPTION: This online course constitutes an introduction to the nature, structure, and message of the New Testament Gospels and Acts in their historical, literary, and canonical contexts.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The Gospels and Acts are our primary witnesses to the life and ministry of Jesus and the Spirit by which he began to lead the church after his resurrection. A thorough knowledge of their contexts is crucial for understanding Jesus and his message, for shaping Christian discipleship, as well as for the various tasks of preaching and teaching in the church today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to (1) articulate the character of the Gospels and Acts as witnesses to Jesus Christ and the Spirit of his church; (2) demonstrate familiarity with the historical background, content, structure, and message of each of the Gospels and Acts; and (3) demonstrate developing skill in the interpretation of the Gospels and Acts as appropriate for effective leadership in Christian communities.

COURSE FORMAT: We will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions of lecture and discussion and make use of Moodle for work submission.

REQUIRED READING:

The Bible in the NRSV or TNIV.

Barton, Stephen C., ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels. Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 0521002613. $30.99.

Theissen, Gerd. The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest for the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. 2d ed. Fortress, 2007. ISBN: 9780800639006. $22.00.

Course packet: Includes Gospel texts and articles/chapters by Frances Taylor Gench, Joel Green (on Acts), Amy Jill Levine, Teresa Okure, Elsa Tamez, Marianne Meye Thompson, N. T. Wright, and others.

Achtemeier, P., J. Green, and M. Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Eerdmans, 2001. ISBN: 0802837174. $40.00.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. 3rd ed. Eerdmans, 2003. ISBN: 0802822215. $38.00.

Green, Joel B., Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. InterVarsity Press, 1992. ISBN: 0830817778. $60.00.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Fortress Press, 1996. ISBN: 0800626826. $41.00.

1. Exegetical outline of each Gospel and Acts (750-1000 words each, worth total of 40%)

2. One exegetical working paper (1500-2500 words; 20%)

3. One book review of Theissen's In the Shadow of the Galilean (1000-1500 words, 10%).

4. Final exam assessing students' familiarity with the Gospels and Acts and understanding of central course issues (e.g., genre of Gospel and Acts narratives, the relation of Jesus and the church to the biblical hope of Israel) (30%)