The Sojourn of the People of God among the Nations: Interpreting Hebrews through Revelation Spring 2015

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1 The Sojourn of the People of God among the Nations: Interpreting Hebrews through Revelation Spring 2015 Course Instructor: Rev. Mark B. Poe, Masters in Biblical Studies; Masters in Christian Thought Contact info: or Course Logistics Day and Time: Thursdays (6:30 P.M.-8:30 P.M.) Dates: April 9, 2015 May 14, 2015 ** Breakout Sessions (only for credit-seeking students): 6:00-6:30 P.M. Location: Lake Forest, 8519 Gilead Road, Huntersville Course Description This 6 th course of the BibleJourney program focuses our attention on the sojourn of the people of God among the nations. We will be surveying Hebrews through Revelation. Each New Testament book will be examined in terms of in-the-text issues (content, structure of the work, arguments, themes and use of the Old Testament), behind-the-text issues (authorship, date, situation, purpose; geography, archaeology and social/historical context), and in-front-of-the-text issues (how the books have been understood and applied by the Church; how we should understand and apply them today). The course will look at these books in terms of what they say about how God s people, as the pilgrim people of God, are to live in this world in anticipation of their heavenly home. Assignments will reinforce how to interpret these books. About BibleJourney and this Course This course is the sixth in a series of courses making up the BibleJourney Program. 1. The Formation of the People of God from Eden to Canaan: Interpreting the Five Books of Moses 2. The Mission of the People of God in the Promised Land: Interpreting the Historical and Poetic Books 3. The Exile and Return of the People of God: Interpreting the Prophetic Books 4. The Restoration of the People of God: Interpreting the Gospels 5. The Mission of the People of God to the Nations: Interpreting Acts and Paul s Letters 6. The Sojourn of the People of God among the Nations: Interpreting Hebrews through Revelation Objectives 1. To gain knowledge of the overall content and main themes of this often neglected portion of the New Testament, examining each book s literary structure, seeing its relationship to the rest of Scripture and reflecting on its significance for our lives. 2. To enlighten participants with background information and resources that clarify God s Word in its original setting. 3. To equip participants to interpret the Bible correctly by introducing appropriate tools and methods. Registration 1

2 Registration for courses is required. Please visit or call Dr. Alison Littauer at for more information. Participants will sign up either as auditors (those who sit in the class for personal enrichment) or for credit (those who turn in weekly assignments and may receive credit toward a certificate). Credit students are required to participate in break-out groups for a ½ hour before class each evening. Certification Credit seeking students who meet all the requirements for the complete 6-course Bible sequence (including 10-page interpretation papers on Old Testament and New Testsment passages) are eligible to receive a Certificate in Biblical Interpretation. This certificate will exempt those successfully admitted into any masters or other certificate programs at Gordon-Conwell from three courses (Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, and Biblical Interpretation). Note: The cost of the 6-course sequence is the cost of one graduate level course. Therefore, students completing the Certificate in Biblical Interpretation will have taken three courses for the price of one! Format During each evening session, there will be two hours of presentation by the instructor. Credit students will engage in discussion about the lectures and assignments during a 30 minute discussion session offered from 6:00-6:30. Those not taking the course for credit will only attend the class sessions. Class outlines/notes will be available on the course website ( or they will sent via . Ideally, the assigned readings for each week should be done before class. The written/typed assignments are designed to follow class. Required Textbooks 1. The Bible (preferably a study Bible like the NIV Archaeology Study Bible, NIV First Century Study Bible, or the ESV Study Bible) 2. Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament, 3d ed. (Baker, 2013) 3. Duvall, J. Scott and J. Daniel Hayes, Grasping God s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible, 3d ed. (Zondervan, 2012) Recommended Textbooks 1. G. D. Fee & D. Stuart, How to Read the Bible for all its Worth (Zondervan, 2003). 2. desilva, David, Honor, Patronage, Kinship and Purity (InterVarsity, 2000). 3. G. K. Beale & D. A. Carson eds, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Baker, 2007) Assignments 2

3 5 weekly 1-2 page assignments will be expected of those who take the class for credit. The first assignment will be due on the second class meeting. Directions for the assignments are located below, following the course outline. These will be submitted weekly and returned with grades the following week. Participants will also complete a reading log for the assigned texts. Students should plan on 5-10 hours each week for the reading and assignments. Each weekly assignment will be worth 10% of the final grade (50% total). Completion of all reading, including reading all of the biblical books covered in this course, will be worth 25% of the final grade. Quiz The quiz, worth 25% of the final grade, will be given in the final break-out session. It will examine the student s knowledge of the content of New Testament books covered in this course. Interpretation Paper Courses 4, 5, and 6 of BibleJourney cover the entire New Testament. In order to receive credit for courses 4, 5, and 6, students must complete a final 10 page interpretation paper. Possible topics and format for the paper will be discussed in the coming weeks. Some of the assignments for the class will help students prepare to write the paper. The due date for the paper is August 1, Attendance and Missed Classes Given the shortened nature of this final course, credit students will need to be in attendance at least five of the six weeks. Discounts and Refunds Gordon-Conwell has significantly reduced the tuition for these courses to make them affordable to our community. We assume that churches may further subsidize this outreach for their members if hardship exists. Full refunds will be provided through the second week of the course for any reason. 3

4 Course Outline Topic Assignments 1. April 9 Hebrews Reading: Hebrews and Encountering, chp. 22 (pp ) Assignment: - Asst. 1 below 2. April 16 James Reading: James and Encountering, chp. 22 (pp ) Assignment: Asst. 2 below 3. April 23 1 and 2 Peter Reading: 1 and 2 Peter and Encountering, chp. 23 (pp ) Assignment: Asst. 3 below 4. April 30 1, 2, 3 John, Jude Reading: 1, 2, 3 John and Jude and Encountering, chp. 23 (pp ) Assignment: Asst. 4 below 5. May 7 Revelation Reading: Revelation; Encountering, chp. 24 (pp ); Grasping God s Word, chp. 17 Assignment: Asst. 5 below 6. May 14 Quiz (credit students); finish Revelation (if necessary); wrap-up session Reading for Credit Students: Appendix 2 Writing an Exegetical Paper. 4

5 Assignment 1: Hebrews Due April 16 Focus: In the Text Objective: To understand how the Old Testament is utilized by New Testament authors to develop larger themes and purposes. As summarized in The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, the overall argument of Hebrews is developed with a series of pictures drawn from the world of OT worship and the portrayal of their superior NT counterparts (p. 374). In this assignment, you will look back to the Torah to better understand the role of key worship images related to the old and new covenants. In this assignment, students should: 1) Re-read Hebrews ) Choose three of the following Old Testament themes: high priest, tabernacle, sacrifice, blood, the holy place, holiness, cleanse, or atonement. For each word or phrase, complete the following steps: a. At type the word or phrase into the search space, change the version to NIV, and click Search. Using the Search Results chart on the right, indicate how many times the word or phrase is used in each book of the Pentateuch. b. Click on the LexiConc tab (next to the Primary Results tab) to locate the English equivalents for the Hebrew word or phrase used in the Old Testament. c. Returning to the Primary Results tab, review the verses in the Pentateuch with the word or phrase you selected. Write a paragraph summary of how the word or phrase was primarily used in the Pentateuch, including the English equivalents that you located. d. Summarize the importance of this theme as it relates to the Pentateuch and covenant law (one paragraph). e. Briefly describe how the author of Hebrews uses these themes (one paragraph). Suggested Resources: Concordance / Reference Bible / Study Bible NT introductions: Achtemeier, Green, and Thompson. Introducing the NT: Its Literature and Theology Brown, Raymond. Introduction to the NT DeSilva, David. An Introduction to the NT Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction Single volume commentaries on Hebrews (whole Bible commentaries should be avoided when studying specific books and passages): Attridge, Harold. Hebrews, Hermeneia series Guthrie. Hebrews, Tyndale Commentary Series Hagner, Donald. Encountering the Book of Hebrews Johnson, Luke T. Hebrews: A Commentary, New Testament Library Jobes, Karen. Letters to the Church Lane, William. Hebrews (2 vols), Word Biblical Commentary Witherington, Ben. Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians 5

6 Assignment 2: James Due April 23 Focus: In and In Front of the Text Objective: To understand the relationship between faith and works in the New Testament Over the centuries, scholars have debated a perceived contrast between James and Paul in their understanding of faith and works. In the second chapter of James, the author focuses on the need for works within the life of faith and seems to question whether faith is enough for salvation: What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (2:14). In his letters, Paul uses the example of Abraham and the phrase but the righteous shall live by his faith (Habbakuk 2:4) to stress the saving nature of Christ s work and the fallacy of works righteousness. In this assignment, students should: (1) Reread James 2. In one or two paragraphs, write a summary of James argument. (2) Read Galatians 2-3. In one or two paragraphs, write a summary of Paul s argument. (3) Write a summary paragraph of whether James and Paul offer contrasting or compatible views on the relationship between faith and works. Be sure to give evidence for your view. In addition, one issue you should address is: do Paul and James use illustrations (and the OT) similarly or in contrasting ways? (4) In a final paragraph (and in preparation for group discussion), describe how your findings affirm or change your views on the relationship between works and faith. 6

7 Assignment 3: 1 Peter Due April 30 Focus: In Front of the Text Objective: To apply an important biblical theme to modern Christians facing increasing cultural challenges. The assignment this week involves crossing the interpretive bridge and applying an important theme utilized by Peter in his 1 st century context. To complete this assignment, you will need to do the following: 1) Reread 1 Peter and trace how Peter noting the theme of elect exiles throughout his letter. Write a brief, half page summary of your findings. 2) Using your summary and references from 1 Peter, write a one and a half page paper discussing what Peter might say to the church today concerning the elect in exile. For example, in what ways should we, as God s people, as his elect, be set apart from the world? How must we develop a deeper sense of how we are sojourners and exiles in this world? 7

8 Assignment 4: 1, 2 and 3 John and Jude Due May 7 Focus: Behind the Text Objective: To interact with and discuss views regarding the authorship of biblical books/letters. For this week s assignment, you will be discussing the issue of authorship in relation to the letter of Jude. The letter begins with the following, simple statement: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.... (NIV) The common question among scholars is: Jude who? Elwell and Yarbrough mention at least three possible answers from the New Testament. R.L. Webb, in the Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Development, states that there are at least eight possibilities! Another issue is the relationship of 2 Peter and Jude did one borrow from the other? In this assignment, you are to complete the following steps: 1) List potential authors and provide a brief overview of the evidence for each view (1 to 1 1/2 pages). 2) State your view of authorship (1 page) by: a. Laying out the weaknesses of the other views. b. Laying out the strengths of your view. 3) Summarize the various views on the issue of borrowing between 2 Peter and Jude. Suggested Resources: - Elwell and Yarbrough and other New Testament Introductions - Critical commentaries on Jude (i.e., Word Biblical Commentary, New American Bible Commentary, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Hebrews, James and Jude 1, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) - Introductory sections in critical commentaries on 2 Peter (for the final question) - Martin, Ralph P., and Peter H. Davids, eds. Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Development. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, Witherington, B., III. (2007). Letters and Homilies for Jewish Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Hebrews, James and Jude (3). Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Apollos. 8

9 Assignment 5: Revelation Due May 14 Focus: In, Behind, and In Front of the Text Objective: To apply the interpretive method to a selected text from Revelation In this assignment, you will be practicing the Interpretive Journey as presented in Grasping God s Word (pp in the 3 rd ed.). For this assignment, you should complete the following steps: - Choose your text: Revelation 2:12-17 or 2:18-29 or 3: Photocopy the text and make observations in the text (For examples, pp in the 3 rd ed.). - Complete Step 1 Grasp your text in Their Town (p. 42 in 3 rd ed.) - Complete Step 2 Measure the Width of the River to Cross (pp in 3 rd ed.) - Complete Step 3 Crossing the Principlizing Bridge (pp in 3 rd ed.) - Complete Step 4* Consult the Biblical Map (pp in the 3 rd ed.) - Complete Step 5 Grasping Revelation 2:12-17or 2:18-29 or 3:14-22 in Our Town (pp in 3 rd ed.) * Step 4 is new, added in the 3 rd edition of Grasping God s Word. Since, however, it is an important interpretive step, everyone should complete it for this assignment. It involves answering the following question: how does our theological principle(s) (cf. step 3) fit with the rest of the Bible? That is, is our principle(s) consistent with the rest of the Scriptures? Do other passages of Scripture validate, add insight, or qualify the principle(s)? Simply stated, our theological principle(s) should correlate with the rest of the Bible. Thus, in this step, you will want to provide other Biblical references/texts to affirm the principle(s) of Revelation 2:12-17or 2:18-29 or 3: