Spring 2018/Fuller Live!

Irvine & Pasadena

OT527

Hays

OT527: OLD TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: ISAIAH 1–39 (HEBREW TEXT) (4 Units: 160 Hours). Christopher B. Hays.

DESCRIPTION: Isaiah ben Amoz prophesied in Jerusalem in the 8th century BCE, and had a difficult time getting a hearing from his contemporaries. Since then, however, there seems never to have been a time in which the tradition he began was not important. Starting from Isaiah’s original historical context and the theological and political controversies about which he spoke, this course takes an eclectic approach to the most important Hebrew prophet of them all. It looks at Isaiah as a poet, a diviner, and a preacher of social justice. Finally, it considers the ways in which traditions grew up around his memory and the book named for him became “The Fifth Gospel.”

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to interpretIsaiah 1-39 within its socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (2) to identify central issues in the critical study of Isaiah 1-39; (3) to articulate primary theological and ethical concerns of Isaiah 1-39; (4) to use Hebrew based language tools for interpreting the text;(5) to recognize hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers;and (6) to interpret this text for faithful use of Scripture in their own lives and ministries.

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. Content will include lecture, plenary discussion, and study of individual passages in Hebrew.

REQUIRED READING: 750 pp. required.

BibleWorks 10 software, which includes the following components: an exhaustive Hebrew concordance, the text of the Hebrew Bible, Brown, F. with S.R. Driver & C.A. Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew English Lexicon. Hendrickson, 1996. Gesenius, W., E.F. Kautzsch, et al. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar. Dover Publications, 2006. OR Joüon, P. - T. Muraoka. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Parts 1, 2 & 3. Biblical Institute Press, 2006. Koehler, L. and W. Baumgartner. Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. 2 Volumes. Brill, 2002. BibleWorks is priced at $389, or $289 with group discount; see www.bibleworks.com/IPP/. Currently the HALOT module is $159, the standard Greek lexicon (BDAG) is $150, and both together are $212.

Elliger, K. and W. Rudolph. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Hendrickson, 2006. Compact edition: ISBN: 978-1598561630, Pub. Price $69.95.

Course reader [650 pp. required].

Roberts, J. J. M. First Isaiah. Fortress, 2015. ISBN: 978-0800660802, Pub. Price $69.00 [100 pp.].

NRSV Bible.

ASSIGNMENTS & ASSESSMENT:

  1. 750 pp. of required reading [50 hours].
  2. Class participation (25%). [30 hours + 30 hours Hebrew preparation]
  3. Quiz on historical backgrounds (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [5 hours].
  4. Five directed learning assignments: One-page papers in response to readings (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [10 hours].
  5. One 1,200-word interpretive assignment (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [10 hours].
  6. 10-page exegetical paper on a selected Hebrew text (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [25 hours].

PREREQUISITES: LG500, LG502, or LG502A/B or passing grade on a waiver exam; BI500 or NE502; OT500 or OT501 or OT502.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the Biblical Language Exegesis requirement in the 120 MDiv program. Meets the OTBE or OTCE in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Oral examination on Hebrew translation for students who miss more than two classes.

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.