Winter 2013/Pasadena
NT824/NS524
M. M. Thompson
NT824/NS524: CRITICAL ISSUES IN JOHN. Marianne Meye Thompson.
DESCRIPTION: This CATS seminar introduces students to perennially challenging and important issues in the study of the Gospel of John, including the socio-historical contexts in which the Johannine tradition grew; the Gospel’s presentation of Jesus in its historical and theological dimensions vis-à-vis Judaism, the Roman empire, and early Christianity; and recent developments in the study of the Gospel.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: NT824/NS524 prepares students primarily for the ministry of teaching and research, focusing on critical issues for advanced study in the Gospel of John
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) a fundamental knowledge of the Gospel of John; (2) an acquaintance with a range of cultural and historical matters that may inform our understanding of the text; (3) further practice in and development of skills in interpreting the text; and (4) acquaintance and critical interaction with contemporary scholarship.
COURSE FORMAT: The class meets weekly for three-hour sessions.
REQUIRED READING FROM THIS LIST:
Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament's Christology of Divine Identity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN 978-0802845597. $34.00.
Carter, Warren. John and Empire: Initial Explorations. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2008. ISBN: 978-0567028402. $42.95.
Conway, Colleen. Men and Women in the Fourth Gospel. SBLDS 167. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997. ISBN978-1589836303. $23.45.
Hakola, Raimo. Identity Matters: John, the Jews and Jewishness. Supplements to Novum Testamentum, Vol. 118. Leiden: Brill, 2005. ISBN 978-9004143241. $183.00.
Klink, Edward W. III. The Sheep of the Fold: The Audience and Origin of the Gospel of John. SNTSM 141 . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 978-0521130448. $44.00
Lozada, Franciso, Jr., and Tom Thatcher, eds. New Currents Through John: A Global Perspective. Resources for Biblical Study. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006. ISBN 978-1589832015. $29.95
Martyn, J. L. History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel. Rev. and expanded ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003. ISBN 978-0664225346. $29.95.
Other reading from articles in journals and on reserve and primary sources.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Regular attendance, preparation for, and participation in class discussions; 10% of the grade.
Seminar presentation on required readings; 20%.
Four brief critical response papers to weekly reading; counting 30% together.
A final research paper, of 7000- 8000 words inclusive of footnotes on a passage from or topic related to the Gospel of John; due March 11; 40% .
PREREQUISITES: Open to a limited number of master’s level students with the following prerequisites: LG512, NE502, NS500, NS501 and written permission of instructor.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the requirement for one course in an area of NT literature for Ph.D. students with a major concentration in NT.
FINAL EXAMINATION: No.