Winter 2013/Pasadena

NE506

Lee

NE506: NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: 1 CORINTHIANS. Yongbom Lee.

DESCRIPTION: A careful reading of selected passages in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, with attention to the literary, socio-historical, and theological understandings of the epistle.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: In 1 Corinthians, Paul as a missionary and a pastor writes about his various concerns to the Corinthian church that he himself planted. This church certainly was not a healthy thriving congregation as we find out in Paul’s letter. Ironically, however, severe problems in this church forced Paul to explain many essential aspects of Christian faith in his letter. This course provides an exciting opportunity for students to critically engage in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church and reflect on what the apostle has to say to Christian churches and church leaders today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated (1) the ability to translate with competence selected passages from 1 Corinthians in the Greek New Testament into contemporary English, using appropriate tools and resources; (2) an understanding of 1 Corinthians within its socio-historical, literary and canonical contexts; (3) the ability to identify central issues in the critical study of 1 Corinthians, (4) the ability to articulate the primary theological and ethical concerns of 1 Corinthians and (5) the ability to reflect on 1 Corinthians and its implications for Christians and churches today.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet once weekly for a three-and-a-half-hour session for discussion and lecture. The course is comprised of lectures, small group and class discussion.

REQUIRED READING:

Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament (4th ed.; United Bible Societies, 1998)

[reprints by Hendrickson Publishers, 2006], $45.00, ISBN: 978-3438054081; or Nestle, E. & K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece (27th ed.; Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1993), $49.95, ISBN: 978-1598561692.

Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), $65.00, ISBN: 978-0802837325.

Raymond F. Collins, First Corinthians (Sacra Pagina; Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1999), $39.95, ISBN: 978-0814659700.

Victor Paul Furnish, The Theology of the First Letter to the Corinthians (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), $30.99, ISBN: 978-0521358071.

Richard A. Horsley, “The First and Second Letters to the Corinthians,” in Post-Colonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings (edited by Fernando F. Segovia and R. S. Sugirtharajar; London, T & T Clark, 2009), pp. 200-245. ISBN: 978-0567045638. Pub. Price $160.00.

Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins (10th anniversary edition; New York: Crossroad, 1994), pp. 205-235 [Chapter 6]. ISBN: 978-0824513573. Pub. Price $49.95.

Students will need to consult the following resources throughout the quarter:

Danker, F.W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2000, $165.00, ISBN: 978-0226039336

Wallace, D.B. Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the NT. Zondervan, 1996, $44.99, ISBN: 978-0310218951

For further resources, see “Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Programs” at http://schedule.fuller.edu/sot/ecds/Ling-Exeg-Biblio.html.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Completing parsing sheets and translating assigned passages [10%]

  2. A detailed outline of 1 Corinthians and a summary of the letter in 250-300 words [10%]

  3. A critical review of Horsley or Fiorenza in 3-5 pages [10%]

  4. An exegesis paper on one of the assigned passages with its theological implications on some contemporary issues of Christianity today (12-15 pages) [40%]

  5. Final exam: translation of selected passages and short essay questions on these passages [30%]

  6. An optional project for extra credit: an expository sermon based on one’s exegesis paper (5-10 pages; double spaced; e.g. B Þ B+; B+ Þ A-).

PREREQUISITES: NE502 and (NS501 or NT500).

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in New Testament Exegesis (NTE) and MA program requirements for New Testament book study (NTBK).


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification.