Intro to the New Testament

Instructor: Eric C. Smith, Ph.D.

Course Texts:
Pamela Eisenbaum. Paul Was Not A Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle. HarperOne, 2010. ISBN: 978-0061349911.

Krister Stendahl. Final Account: Paul's Letter to the Romans. Fortress Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800629229.
Amy-Jill Levine; Marc Z. Brettler. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-19-046185-0.

Bart Ehrman. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. Oxford, 2015. ISBN: 978-0190203825.

Additionally, you might consider purchasing a good, modern NRSV study bible such as the one below. The Jewish Annotated New Testament above will be sufficient, but if you don't a Harper-Collins, an Oxford, a New Interpreter's, or another NRSV study bible, it would be a good investment. No NIV, NKJV, or other translations please!

Society of Biblical Literature. Harper Collins Study Bible. Harper Collins, 2006. ISBN: 978-0060786847.

An overview of the weekly schedule is available in the "How the Course Will Work" forum. Please read it carefully!

Grades are calculated this way:
Weekly posts, four per week, 1.5 points per post, for a total of 48 points or 48%
Say Hello/How the Course Will Work discussion, 2 points or 2%
Philemon writing assignment, 10 points or 10%
Midterm, 20 points or 20%
Final, 20 points or 20%

Course Goals:

• To recognize that multiple forms of Christianity emerge in and from 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, faith communities, and other readers of the New Testament.

Course Outcomes:

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

• Navigate confidently and competently through the world of early Christian writings
• Identify and engage the concepts that have emerged from the study of the New Testament.
• Identify where significant New Testament passages reside.
• Read and interpret the New Testament for a variety of contexts.

Course Overview

Course Objectives

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

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.

Core Values: As a community, Iliff strives to live by this set of Core Values.

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.