DESCRIPTION: This seminar combines work with (primarily Attic) Greek among ancient historians, together with exposure to the practice of historiography in the Classical and Roman Periods and to recent developments in the philosophy of history.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Situating questions about the historical character of the NT documents within wider perspectives on the philosophy of history, both ancient and contemporary, is vital to grappling with the nature of their witness. Advanced facility with Greek is crucial for ministries of research and teaching, for which this course is preparatory.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, participants will be able: (1) to demonstrate facility in Greek-reading skills, particularly with reference to Attic Greek; (2) to articulate the nature and development of historiography in the Hellenistic world and in the Roman period, particularly in their relation to the socioliterary environment of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity; and (3) to reflect on the major concerns of the philosophy of history vis-à-vis the interpretation of the Bible's historical narratives.

COURSE FORMAT: This seminar meets twice each week, once for translation and once for presentation on and discussion of literature on the philosophy of history.

REQUIRED READING:

Selections from the following: Holladay, Carl R. Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors, vol. 1: Historians (SBLTT 20; Pseudepigrapha 10; Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983 [978-0891303497; $30]); Dionysius of Halicarnassus (vol. 1; LCL 319; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1937 [978-0674993525; $24]); Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews and Contra Apion (vols. 1, 4; LCL 186, 242; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1926, 1930 [978-0674992054; $24; and 978-0674995758; $24]); Lucian (vol. 6; LCL 430; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 [978-0674994744; $24]); Polybius (vol. 1; LCL 128; Cambridge, MA: 1922 [978-0674996373; $24]); and Thucydides (vol. 1; LCL 108; Cambridge, MA; Harvard University Press, 1919 [978-0674991200; $24]).

Bevir, Mark. "Why Historical Distance Is Not a Problem." History and Theory 50, no. 4 (2011): 24-37.

Lowenthal, David. The Past Is a Foreign Country. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985 (978-0521294805; $45).

Marincola, John. Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997 (978-0521545785; $82).

Pitcher, Luke. Writing Ancient History: An Introduction to Classical Historiography. London: Tauris, 2009 (978-1845119584; $29).

Rae, Murray A. History and Hermeneutics. London: T. & T. Clark, 2005 (978-0567080929; $60).

Stock, Brian. Listening for the Text: On the Uses of the Past. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990; Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997 (978-0812216127; $25).

White, Hayden. The Content of the Form: Narrative Discourse and Historical Representation. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987 (978-0801841156; $24).

Lidell, H.G., and R. Scott. Greek-English Lexicon with a Revised Supplement. Revised by H. S. Jones and R. McKenzie. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996 (978-0198642268; $185). (LSJ)

Mastronarde, Donald J. Introduction to Attic Greek. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993 (978-0520078444; $40).