IST2004-1HY-SP14 - Intro to the New Testament

Introduction to the New Testament

This course introduces the literature of Christian origins that begins with a look at the context out of which the New Testament emerged and then turns to the earliest extant texts, including Paul's letters, the Gospels, Acts, and post-Pauline epistles. In addition, this course will survey (most of) the texts of the New Testament (and a few texts outside the New Testament) and will seek to place them in their specific historical and cultural contexts. Furthermore, this course aims to give students skills that will allow them to interpret these texts responsibly and with methodologies that have proved useful for contemporary audiences. Introduction to the New Testament fulfills the breadth requirement for Sacred Texts.

Books for the Course

Required

• Marc Brettler and Amy-Jill Levine (eds.), The Jewish Annotated New Testament (Oxford, 2011). ISBN: 978-0195297706. You may also want a study Bible (such as the most recent HarperCollins Study Bible, ISBN: 978-0060786847), although the latter is not required. The Jewish Annotated New Testament already contains the text of the NRSV and is quite adequate as a New Testament.
  
• Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings (Fifth Edition; Oxford, 2012). ISBN: 978-0199757534.
• Pamela Eisenbaum, Paul Was Not A Christian (HarperOne, 2010). ISBN: 978-0061349911.
• Krister Stendahl, The Final Account: Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Fortress, 1995). ISBN: 978-0800629229.
• L. Michael White, Scripting Jesus: The Gospels in Rewrite (HarperOne, 2010). ISBN: 0061228796.

Recommended

• Kurt Aland (ed.), Synopsis of the Four Gospels (Revised 1982; English only; American Bible Society, 2010). ISBN: 978-1585169429. This book is HIGHLY recommended. We will make substantial use of the synopsis in class, but I will also provide copies of the relevant pericopes online.
• Brian Blount et al., True to Our Native Land: An African American Commentary on the New Testament (Fortress, 2007). ISBN: 978-1585169429.
• Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley (eds.), Women’s Bible Commentary (Third Edition Revised and Updated; Westminster/John Knox, 2012). ISBN: 978-0664237073.

See Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.

Goals of the Course

• To recognize that multiple forms of Christianity emerge in the texts of the New Testament;
• To learn to carefully read and analyze ancient texts;
• To understand the texts of the New Testament in the context of other contemporaneous texts;
• To understand the larger debates that have preoccupied scholars and other readers of the New Testament. 

Course Outcomes

Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to do the following:

• Write a solid exegetical paper that has a deliberate methodology.
• Identify and engage the concepts that have emerged from the study of the New Testament.
• Identify where significant New Testament passages reside.
• Use a synopsis. 

Evaluation

Course Requirements

Exegetical Papers: Students will complete three (3-page) exegetical papers. One of the most important skills students can take away from an introductory biblical studies course is the ability to read texts carefully, to identify and use appropriate exegetical and literary methods to explain and interpret these texts, and to ask questions that help penetrate the obfuscations inherent in reading texts far removed from their own time and culture. (30%)

Peer Reviews: Students will complete three peer reviews during the course of the quarter, one for each exegetical paper. (10%)

Midterm Exam: Students will complete a midterm exam that will aim to develop the following competencies in the student: an understanding of important terminology, the ability to identify important differences between texts that are often blurred together, and an awareness of the complexities of these texts and how these complexities interrelate. (30%)

Discussion and Participation: Students will be expected to participate in online and in-class discussions in a manner that demonstrates that they have completed the reading and that they are engaging (and not merely summarizing) the material at a level suitable for graduate studies. (30%)

Policies and Services

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community. 

Required Texts

• A Study Bible—preferably the Harper Collins Study Bible.
• Aland, Kurt ed. Synopsis of the Four Gospels. English Edition. New York: American Bible Society, 1982.
• Ehrman, Bart. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. Fifth Edition. Oxford University Press, 2012.
• White, Michael L. Scripting Jesus: The Gospels in Rewrite. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2010.

Recommended Texts

• Valantasis, Richard. Gospel of Thomas New York: Routledge, 1997.
• Hays, John and Carl Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginners’ Handbook. 3rd Edition. Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.
• Newsom, Carol A. and Sharon H. Ringe, eds. Women’s Bible Commentary, Expanded Edition. Louisville: Westminster//John Knox, 1998.
• Patte, Daniel, ed. Global Bible Commentary. Nashville: Abingdon, 2004.