Fall 2017/Pasadena

NT500

Hill

NT500: NEW TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Craig Allen Hill.

DESCRIPTION: New Testament Introduction orients students to the literature of the New Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to New Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course students will have demonstrated that they (1) have an introductory knowledge of the literature, history, and theology of the New Testament; (2) can identify a range of questions (e.g., historical, literary, canonical) that might be addressed to particular New Testament texts and can explore those questions in the process of interpreting particular New Testament texts; (3) are able to take into account the varied contexts of both the biblical materials and their contemporary interpreters; and (4) can read the New Testament in ways that foster faithful Christian practice.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. A high degree of student participation is expected; students will be responsible for preparing assigned passages of the New Testament to discuss in class.

REQUIRED READING: 825 pages of books and articles required, plus reading the entire New Testament.

The entire NT in English using the NRSV, TNIV, or CEB translation.

Achtemeier, P., J. Green, and M. Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Eerdmans, 2001. ISBN: 978-0802837172, Pub. Price $46.00 [636 pp.].

EITHER,

González, J. L. Santa Biblia: The Bible through Hispanic Eyes. Abingdon, 1996. ISBN: 978-0687014521, Pub. Price $18.99 [123 pp.].

OR,

Green, Joel B. Seized by Truth: Reading the Bible as Scripture. Abingdon, 2007. ISBN: 978-0687023554, Pub. Price $25.99 [185 pp.].

Course reader. [Various articles available on eReserves]. [90 pp. assigned]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 825 pages of required reading, plus the NT. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [80 hours, which includes 25 hours of reading the entire NT].

  2. Book Review of either Green, Seized by Truth; or Gonzalez, Santa Biblia [1,000 words]. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2-3]. [5 hours].

  3. Online Discussion Groups (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #3-4]. [10 hours, DLAs].

  4. Interpretative Papers [2 papers; 1,500 words each] (50%; 20% for the first; 30% for the second; for assessment purposes, the second IP will be designated as an 'interpretive assignment'). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [20 hours].

  5. Midterm Project: Gathering Thematic Material in the NT [1,500 to 2,000 words] (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [15 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015) and the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


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.

For your convenience, order these texts online through the Archives Bookshop.