Fall 2018/Pasadena

NE527

Givens

NE527: NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: MATTHEW (4 Units: 160 hours). Tommy Givens.

DESCRIPTION: A close reading of selected passages of the Gospel according to Matthew in Greek, with theological attention to its relation to the Old Testament, socio-historical setting, literary art, and its function as a guide for communities of Christ’s disciples.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to interpret Matthew within its socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (2) to identify central issues in the critical study of Matthew; (3) to articulate primary theological and ethical concerns of Matthew; (4) to use Greek-based language tools for interpreting the text of Matthew; and (5) to interpret Matthew for faithful use 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.

REQUIRED READING: 850 total number of pages required

1. Choose ONE of the following: Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament. 5th rev. ed. German Bible Society, 2014 (UBS5). ISBN: 978-1619701380, Pub. Price $59.95 OR Nestle, E. & K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 2012 (NA28). ISBN: 978-1619700307, Pub. Price $59.95.

2. Choose ONE of the following: Davies, W. D. and D. C. Allison. Matthew. 3 vols. ICC. T & T Clark, 2004, 2004, 2004. ISBN: 978-0567083555, 978-0567083654, and 978-0567083753, Pub. Price $60 [780 pp], $60 [800 pp], and $60 [808 pp]; OR France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. NICNT. Eerdmans, 2007. ISBN: 978-0802825018, Pub. Price $70.00 [1233 pp]; OR Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew. NIGTC. Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN: 978-0802823892, Pub. Price $88.00 [1579 pp].

3. Choose ONE of the following: Carter, Warren. Matthew and the Margins. T & T Clark, 2005. ISBN: 978-0567040619, Pub. Price $90.00 [636 pp.]; OR Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Brazos, 2007. ISBN: 978-1587430954, Pub. Price $29.99 [272 pp]; OR Case-Winters, Anna. Matthew. Westminster John Knox, 2015. ISBN: 978-0664232672, Pub. Price $40.00 [388 pp.].

4. Course Packet: Includes articles/chapters by Michael Joseph Brown, Shaye Cohen, Musa Dube, Frances Gench, Richard Hays, Josephus, Amy Jill Levine, Dorothy Jean Weaver, Walter Wilson, and others [292 pp].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Simonetti, Manlio, ed. Matthew. 2 vols. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. IVP, 2001, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830814862 and 978-0830814695, Pub. Price $55.00 each.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 850 pp. of logged, required reading (10%). [48 hours].
  2. Preparation for each course meeting by studying the Greek text of assigned passages, considering the exegetical judgments of two required texts above (one from group 2, the other from group 3) and any assigned articles, and responding to interpretive study questions of the Directed Learning Activities (ca. 500 words each, for eight session assignments) (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, and #4]. [48 hours].
  3. One exegetical working paper on a selected passage (ca. 1,500 words each) (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5]. [10 hours].
  4. A final exegetical research paper on one of several suggested passages in Matthew (ca. 3,000 words) (45%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5]. [24 hours].

PREREQUISITES: LG510 or LG512A/B or LG512; BI500 or NE502; NT500 or NS500 or NS501.

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

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.