NE526
Spittler
NE526: 1 CORINTHIANS. Russell P. Spittler.
DESCRIPTION:
- As a community of inquiry, teacher and students will approach the
book of First Corinthians with three questions in mind: (1) What did the author
intend when he wrote this letter? (2) How many contemporary Christians
apply its teachings? (3) What principles and resources best allow the student
of Scripture to link the ancient author's intention with the contemporary
reader's application? The course is thus an exercise in applied hermeneutics,
an exegetical study of this fascinating letter.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- First Corinthians remarkably anticipates many of the congregational
disorders found in the church today: disunity, immorality, litigiousness,
elitism, charismatic excess, theological heresy, financial undependability.
Encounter with this text thus shows how "biblical" modern church problems can
be.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The normal pattern will be an interruptible lecture followed by
discussion. During the course, a series of color slides will be shown. These
relate to the historical background of Christianity at Corinth. The course will
meet 10:50 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, except Thursday, November
28, Thanksgiving Day.
REQUIRED READING:
- Fee, Gordon D. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. New
International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.
Recent, fresh, exhaustive, and monumental.
- Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome. St. Paul's Corinth: Texts and Archaeology.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press (Michael Glazier Imprint), 1983. Collected
texts from antiquity, which speak about Corinth--along with a fresh
interpretation of this data.
- Resources for the Study of First Corinthians. Packet of
course-related materials available through the Fuller Seminary
bookstore.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- An exegetical paper (approximately 5000 words) and a comprehensive
final exam are required. Students are expected regularly to apply themselves to
the portion of the text of 1 Corinthians scheduled for each class period,
putting themselves in a position to report their leading observations on the
assigned text portions.
PREREQUISITES:
- None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Will consist of 100 multiple-choice items covering the background,
content, and interpretation of First Corinthians. Set for 10:50 a.m.-12:15
p.m., Thursday, December 5, 1996.