Professor: Eric C. Smith
Email: ecsmith@iliff.edu
Office: I-202A
Office Hours: Thursdays 9-11 a.m. and by appointment
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.
Recommended
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to do the following:
Epistle Exercise: Due in week 4, this exercise will consist of two 300-400 word letters and a few short (2-3 sentence) answers about the letters you wrote. (10%)
Short Presentation: Given in week 9, these presentations will serve to familiarize the class with one non-canonical writing from early Christianity. The presentations should last about 5 minutes, and should familiarize the class with the name of the text, its purported and actual (if known) author, its genre, its date, its canonical status (is it canonical for anyone, or has it ever been), its textual status (is it extant, fragmentary, whole, etc), and some interesting features of the text. Students may elect to work alone or in pairs. No written assignment needs to be turned in, and students may elect to use PowerPoint, Prezi, Keynote, or another electronic presentation tool if they like. The texts should be drawn from the list below. You may petition the instructor for permission to present on a text that is not listed. (10%)
The Gospel of Peter
The Secret Gospel of Mark
Papyrus Egerton 2 (The Unknown Gospel)
The Gospel of the Ebionites
The Gospel of the Nazareans
The Gospel of Mani
The Gospel of Basilides
The Acts of Pilate/Gospel of Nicodemus
The Gospel according to the Hebrews
The Acts of Paul and Thecla
The Gospel of Bartholomew
The Diatessaron
The Book of Thomas the Contender
Dialogue of the Savior
Gospel of Mary (Gospel of Mary Magdalene)
Gospel of Judas
Apocryphon of James
Apocryphon of John
Acts of Timothy
Acts of Peter and Andrew
Acts of Peter and Paul
Acts of the Martys
1 Clement
The Didache
The Didascalia Apostolorum
Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians
Ignatius’ Letter to the Magnesians
Ignatius’ Letter to the Trallians
Ignatius’ Letter to the Romans
Ignatius’ Letter to the Philadelphians
Ignatius’ Letter to Polycarp
Ignatius’ Letter to the Philippians
The Epistle of Barnabas
3 Corinthians (The Third Epistle to the Corinthians)
The Preaching of Peter
The fragments of Papias
The Shepherd of Hermas
The Apocalypse of Peter
Midterm Exam: The midterm exam will ask students to know and recognize key persons, concepts, texts, and dates from the first half of the class (generally, the epistles of Paul and the Jewish and Roman backgrounds of the New Testament). (30%)
Final Exam: The final exam will ask students to know and recognize key persons, concepts, texts, and dates from the second half of the class (generally, the gospels, Acts, Revelation, and some non-canonical materials), and to synthesize this material with material from the first half of the class in comprehensive essay questions. (40%)
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. (10%)
Incompletes: Incompletes are offered only in exceptional circumstances. See the Masters Student Handbook on my.iliff for specific 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. 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.
| Date | Day | Details | |
| Mar 16, 2015 | Mon | Final Exam | due by 03:00PM |