Fall 2014/Pasadena

NS500

Givens

NS500: NEW TESTAMENT 1: GOSPELS AND ACTS (4 Units: 160 Hours). Tommy Givens.

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

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: This class meets twice weekly for two hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion and make use of Moodle for work submission.

REQUIRED READING: 862 pp. required.

Either the CEB, NRSV, or TNIV translation of the New Testament and Old Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts, portions of Daniel and 1 Maccabees [170 pp.].

Barton, Stephen C., ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels. Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0521002615, Pub. Price $34.00 [255 pp. assigned].

Theissen, Gerd. The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest for the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. 2nd ed. Fortress, 2007. ISBN: 978-0800639006, Pub. Price $23.00 [232 pp.].

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.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Achtemeier, P., J. Green, and M. Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Eerdmans, 2001. ISBN: 978-0802837172, Pub. Price $44.00.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. 3rd ed. Eerdmans, 2003. ISBN: 978-0802822215, Pub. Price $40.00.

Green, Joel B., Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. InterVarsity Press, 1992. ISBN: 978-0830817771, Pub. Price $60.00.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Fortress Press, 1996. ISBN: 978-0800626822, Pub. Price $45.00.

ASSIGNMENTS & ASSESSMENT: 

1. 862 pp. of required reading [58 hours].

2. Exegetical outline of three Gospels and Acts (750-1,000 words each, worth total of 40%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, and #3]. [27 hours].

3. One exegetical working paper (1,500-2,500 words; 20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, and #3]. [15 hours].

4. One book review of Theissen’s In the Shadow of the Galilean (1,000-1,500 words, 10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [10 hours].

5. 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%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, and #3]. [10 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets 144 MDiv core requirement in New Testament 1 (NT1); meets MAT (2010) program requirement.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.