Fall 2019/Pasadena

NS512

Green

NS512: JESUS AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Joel B. Green.

DESCRIPTION: An exploration of the historical, theological, and ethical significance of the proclamation of God’s kingdom, centered especially in the witness to the mission and message of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, but also in other New Testament voices and beyond.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The message of God’s kingdom is a central coordinate for theology and ethics in and of the New Testament. Consequently, it provides an important focal point for engaging in the synthetic, critical, and constructive work of biblical theology that is pivotal to day-to-day ministries of all kinds.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated the ability (1) to articulate the importance of both the Old Testament witness to God’s dominion and the context of the first-century Roman Empire for explicating the witness of New Testament writings to God’s kingdom; (2) to work with the New Testament materials relevant to God’s kingdom in a synthetic way that takes seriously the particularity of these materials and the potential of a coordinated New Testament witness to God’s kingdom; (3) to exhibit the relationship between exegesis and theological interpretation of New Testament texts concerned with God’s kingdom; and (4) to articulate the ongoing significance of the witness of Jesus and early Christian writers to God’s kingdom for critical reflection on ecclesial practices.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: Through focused study of a particular biblical book or topic, students acquire deeper mastery of the interpretation of the Bible, taking into account its ancient and contemporary contexts, which is consistent with the SOT PLO “Students will have demonstrated competence in the practice of biblical interpretation for faithful use of Scripture in their own lives and ministries”(MDiv, MAT, MATM).

COURSE FORMAT: This course is concerned with the practice of New Testament theology, which necessarily involves sociocultural and canonical interests. As a result, the course will require regular exegetical and theological work with biblical texts. The course meets twice weekly for two-hour sessions for lecture and discussion.

REQUIRED READING: ca. 900 pages required.

Bryan, Christopher. Render to Caesar: Jesus, the Early Church, and the Roman Superpower. Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0195183344, Pub. Price $41.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [200 pp. assigned].

Grindheim, Sigurd. Living in the Kingdom of God: A Biblical Theology for the Life of the Church. Baker Academic, 2018. ISBN: 978-1540960320, Pub. Price $24.99. Not available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [200 pp. assigned].

New Testament. Students may use the CEB, NRSV, or TNIV. Those with Greek may use either UBS5 or NA28 [300–400 pp. assigned].

E-reserves:

Blount, Brian K. “The Synoptic Gospels: Kingdom Ethics” and "John: The Christology of Active Resistance." Pages 45–118 in Then the Whisper Put on Flesh: New Testament Ethics in an African American Context. Abingdon, 2001. ISBN: 978-0687085897, Pub. Price $25.99 [73 pp. assigned].

Green, Joel B. “Kingdom of God/Heaven.” Pages 468–81 in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Edited by Joel B. Green. Rev. ed. IVP Academic, 2013. ISBN: 978-0830824564, Pub. Price $60.00 [13 pp. assigned].

Kim, Seyoon. “Paul’s Gospel of Justification as a Post-Easter Formulation of Jesus’ Gospel of God’s Kingdom.” Pages 127–39 in Justification and God’s Kingdom. Mohr Siebeck, 2018. ISBN: 978-3161564215, Pub. Price $34.00 [13 pp. assigned].

Padilla, C. René. “The Mission of the Church in Light of the Kingdom of God,” Transformation 1, no. 2 (1984): 16–20. Online: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/026537888400100206 [5 pages].

Pennington, Jonathan T. “Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven.” Bible Odyssey. Online: https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/places/main-articles/kingdom-of-god-kingdom-of-heaven [2 pages].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Class preparation, attendance, and participation. (100 hours: 40 hours of class time, 60 hours of required reading).
  2. Five weekly assignments (a combination of Interpretive Assignments [900–1100 words each] and Working Papers [800–1000 words each) (50% of final grade). [This assignment Is related to learning outcomes ##1–4.] (30 hours).
  3. Research essay (2500–3000 words) (50% of final grade). [This assignment Is related to learning outcomes ##1–4.] (30 hours).

PREREQUISITES: NS500 New Testament 1: Gospels and Acts, or NT500 New Testament Introduction.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in New Testament Theology (NTT).

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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.