Spring 2013/Pasadena

NE506

Young

NE506: NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: GOSPEL OF LUKE. Stephen E. Young.

DESCRIPTION: A close reading of selected passages in the Gospel of Luke, with special attention given to literary, socio-historical, and theological understandings of the first half of the Lukan narrative comprising the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Central to Christian discipleship and the various forms of Christian ministry is serious and faithful engagement with the biblical texts read as Christian Scripture. This course focuses on the development of competence among readers of New Testament narratives for this most essential grace of working with these texts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to employ a range of exegetical approaches relevant to the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke; (2) to understand the Gospel of Luke within its socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (3) to identify central issues in the critical study of the Gospel of Luke; (4) to articulate primary theological and ethical concerns of the Gospel of Luke; and (5) to employ lexical semantics, identify grammatical constructions, engage in syntactical analyses, translate with minimal lexical assistance, and perform rudimentary exercises in text criticism in the Gospel of Luke.

COURSE FORMAT: This course is concerned with the practice of New Testament exegesis. As a result, participation will require regular preparation and exegetical practice. The course meets twice weekly for two-hour sessions for lectures and discussion.

REQUIRED READING: Choose texts from each of the following sets:

Set 1: Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament. 4th ed. United Bible Societies, 1993 [UBS4] (ISBN: 978-3438051103, Pub.price $43.99); OR Nestle, E., and K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012 [NA28] (ISBN: 978-3438051400, Pub.price $40.99). Nestle, E., and K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 27th ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993 [NA27]. ISBN: 978-3438051004, Pub.price $40.99) is also allowed.

Set 2: Choose TWO of the following: Bock, D.L. Luke. 2 vols. BECNT. Baker, 1994-96. ISBN: 978-0801010538, Pub.price $59.99 [988 pp.] & ISBN: 978-0801010521, Pub.price $59.99 [1162 pp.]; Carroll, J.T. Luke: A Commentary. NTL. Westminster John Knox, 2012. ISBN: 978-0664221065, Pub.price $50.00 [560 pp.]; Green, J.B. The Gospel of Luke. NICNT. Eerdmans, 1997. ISBN: 978-0802823151, Pub.price $55.00 [1020 pp.]; andJohnson, L.T. The Gospel of Luke. SP 3. Liturgical, 1991. ISBN: 978-0814659663, Pub.price $29.95 [480].

Set 3: Choose ONE of the following: Green, J.B. The Theology of the Gospel of Luke. NTT. Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0521469326, Pub.price $29.00 [184 pp.]; Johnson, Luke Timothy. Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church: The Challenge of Luke-Acts to Contemporary Christians. Eerdmans, 2011. ISBN: 978-0802803900, Pub.price $23.00 [198 pp.]; Rowe, C.K. Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke. Baker Academic, 2009. ISBN: 978-0801035913, Pub.price $40.00 [290 pp.].

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 [BDAG]. ISBN: 978-0226039336, Pub.price $165.00 [1188 pp.].

Wallace, D.B. Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the NT. Zondervan, 1996. ISBN: 978-0310218951, Pub.price $44.99 [860 pp.].

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

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Preparation for each meeting of the course by carefully reading the assigned texts in the Gospel of Luke, comparing one’s observations with at least one of the required commentaries, and preparing translations as assigned weekly.

  2. A reading journal of the Gospel of Luke, tracking and commenting briefly on its major themes (10%).

  3. Two interpretive exercises on selected passages (2 pages each) (30%).

  4. A critical review of one of these books from the required reading list: Green (Theology), Johnson (Prophetic), or Rowe (25%).

  5. Research essay on a pericope in the Gospel of Luke (ca. 10 pages) (35%).

PREREQUISITES: NE502 and (NS500 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. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.