Fall 2018/Pasadena

OT500

Hays

OT500: OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Christopher B. Hays

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; and (5) have used this knowledge and these abilities to interpret some key Old Testament texts.

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: 1,050 total pages required.

NRSV, TNIV, or CEB Bible [Genesis; Exodus; Deuteronomy; 2 Samuel; Job; Psalms 42-106; Isaiah 1-14, 40-53, 63-66; Jeremiah 1-36; Daniel]. [250 pp.]

Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. 3rd. ed., OUP, 2015. ISBN: 978-0190238599, Pub. Price $66.95. [300 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 [150 pp.].

Course reader [350 pp.; includes Michael J. Brown, Carolyn Sharp, Ellen Davis, George V. Pixley, Jon Levenson, Karel van der Toorn, etc.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1,050 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5] [65 hours].
Participation in in-class activities (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5]. [30 hours].
Quizzes on course content (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [10 hours].
Completion of three 3-page essays (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5]. [15 hours].
Final exam covering readings and lecture (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4]. [10 hours].
An interpretive essay on a biblical passage [2,500-3,500 words] (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5]. [30 hours].

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. In-class.