Fall 2016/Pasadena

OT500

Riley

OT500: OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Jason Riley.

DESCRIPTION: This course orients students to the literature of the Old Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to Old Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel will be the focus of study.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated that they: (1) have a basic grasp of the contents of Israel’s Scriptures, history, and geography; (2) can use interpretive approaches that explore both the literary features of the Old Testament and the historical and cultural contexts in which it came into being; (3) can assess hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers; (4) can relate the Old Testament as Scripture to Christian theology, mission, and discipleship; (5) have used this knowledge and these abilities to interpret some key Old Testament texts; and (6) can produce a well-documented researched based project.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once weekly for three hour sessions for a total of 30 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: 1,205 pp. of required reading.

Genesis; Exodus; Deuteronomy; 2 Samuel; Job; Psalms 42-106; Isaiah 1-14, 40-53, 63-66; Jeremiah 1-36; Daniel (NRSV, TNIV, or CEB) [375 pp. assigned].

Additional Ancient Near Eastern Texts [15 pp.] (Available on E-Reserves.)

Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. 3rd ed, Oxford University Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0190238599, Pub. Price $64.95. [400 pp].

Hays, Christopher B. Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East.Westminster John Knox, 2014. ISBN: 978-0664237011, Pub. Price $45.00 [165 pp. assigned] (Also available in the Fuller library as an eBook.)

Readings from Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Athalya Brenner, Ronald E. Clements, Kathleen M. O’Connor, David Adamo, C.L. Seow, and other scholars will be on e-reserve. [250 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Alexander, T. D., and D. W. Baker, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. IVP Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830817818, Pub. Price $60.00.

Arnold, B. T., and H. G. M. Williamson, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. IVP Academic, 2005. ISBN: 978-0830817825, Pub. Price $60.00.

Boda, Mark J., and J. Gordon McConville, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. IVP Academic, 2012. ISBN: 978-0830817849, Pub. Price $60.00.

Longman, Tremper, and Peter Enns, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. IVP Academic, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830817832, Pub. Price $60.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Completion of weekly assigned reading material (approximately 120 pages per week). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3.] [Approximately 80 hours].

2. Attendance and participation. Regular contribution of answers, comments, and reflections on the instructor and other participants’ questions and comments (20%). [30 hours].

3. DLAs: Eight 250-word reflections on readings from select weeks (20%). [10 hours].

4. Mid-term exam (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [5 hours].

5. Final exam (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes # 1-4]. [10 hours].

6. An interpretive paper that includes close reading, genre identification, description of literary structure, theological reflection and ministry application of an assigned passage. [2100-2400 words] (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2, 3, 4, 5.] [25 hours research and writing]

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTC requirement in the 144 MDiv. Option to meet requirement in the MAT Program (Winter 2010) and a core requirement for the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.