Course Number: SAS 621 Course Title: Prophetic Literature Term: Fall 2016 Professor Dr. Matthew Ramage

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1 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION Course Number: SAS 621 Course Title: Prophetic Literature Term: Fall 2016 Professor Dr. Matthew Ramage This course examines the phenomenon of prophecy in Israel, and surveys early non-writing prophets, and classical prophets in their historical contexts to uncover their theological message and understand the development of prophecy into eschatology and apocalyptic. 2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Students will be able to articulate the core content of the Old Testament prophetic books: their message, themes, and theology. 2. Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with the historical and geographical context in which the Old Testament prophetic books were written (able to recognize/identify key people, places, events, and dates, as well as some key worldview differences between ancient times and today). 3. Students will be able to apply both patristic-medieval and modern historical-critical methods of interpretation to study of the Old Testament prophetic books, with an emphasis on underscoring their connection with the New Testament and their relevance in the life of the Church today. 4. Students will be able to appraise and respond to critiques of the Old Testament prophetic books, in particular the so-called dark passages found therein. 3. COURSE SCHEDULE Week 1: Course Introduction & Foundations for Study of the Prophetic Books Ramage, Dark Passages, Introduction & ch. 2 s Course overview/introduction (video) Foundations for the study of Sacred Scripture within the heart of the Church Praying with Sacred Scripture Write a short autobiographical essay--tell the class who you are and what you hope to gain from this course (The place to write this can be found under the Discussions tab). 1

2 Week 2: The Big Picture: Prophetic Literature and the Prophets in History Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Old Testament Prophetic Literature: The Big Picture Week 3: Isaiah 1-39 Isaiah 1-39 Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Isaiah 1-39 Week 4: Isaiah Isaiah Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Isaiah Submit paper proposal Week 5: Jeremiah Jeremiah Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Jeremiah 2

3 Week 6: Ezekiel Ezekiel Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Ezekiel Week 7: Daniel Daniel Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Daniel Week 8: Hosea, Joel, and Amos Hosea, Joel, and Amos Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Hosea, Joel, and Amos Week 9: Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah 3

4 Week 10: Nahum, Habbakuk, and Zephaniah Nahum, Habbakuk, and Zephaniah Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Nahum, Habbakuk, and Zephaniah Week 11: The Postexilic Prophets: Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi Hays, The Message of the Prophets, Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi Exegetical paper due Week 12: Engaging the Dark Passages of the Bible Ramage, Dark Passages of the Bible, ch. 1 How Can That Be in the Bible? Apparent Problems in the O.T. Prophetic Literature Week 13: Addressing Development and Apparent Contradictions within Scripture Ramage, Dark Passages of the Bible, chs. 3-4 How to Address Development and Apparent Contradictions within Scripture 4

5 Week 14: What Exploring the Dark Passages Reveals about the Nature of God, the Nature of Good and Evil, and the Afterlife Ramage, Dark Passages of the Bible, chs. 5-6 O.T. Prophetic Literature Themes: The Nature of God, the Nature of Good and Evil, and the Afterlife Week 15: The Book of Revelation and Christ s Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy Book of Revelation Michael Barber, Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying Its Lessons Today None Final exam due 4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Please begin each week first by reading the required text(s) then by viewing or listening to the lecture(s) I post in Populi. This order is important because my lectures will build upon the readings and assume your knowledge of them. Be sure to complete the readings and lectures before engaging in any activity (e.g. quizzes, discussion posts). The breakdown of your grade will be determined as follows: Discussion postings (20% of total grade). Students will complete discussion posts each week of class. The posts are to be made in light of knowledge gained from the required reading(s) and lecture(s) for that week. No make-up posts are allowed. Posts are due by Saturday at 11:59 PM of each week. However, it is better to post as early as possible in the week so that your classmates can respond to you and you respond to them. You must post at least twice each week: one post directly in response to the discussion topic and then at least one post as a comment upon another s post. While you may post as often you wish, I will evaluate your discussion contributions based upon content and not upon quantity of words. While length may vary, aim to convey your direct response to the discussion question in approximately one to three paragraphs (roughly words). Your responses to fellow students will vary in length, but make sure that they are substantial and not just I agree or I disagree, etc. Weekly quizzes (30% of total grade): Students will take a quiz each week of class. The quiz covers the required reading(s) and lecture(s) for that week. No make-up quizzes are allowed. As with discussions, so quizzes are due by Saturday at 11:59 PM of each week. 5

6 Exegetical paper (20% of total grade): Students will choose a particular passage in a prophetic book and develop an exegetical paper. The paper should address the passage in its literary context, historical context, and canonical context. The paper should also include sections devoted to showing how the passage prefigured what is revealed in the New Testament as well as how the original passage applies in the life of the Church today. Students should identify a topic and submit to the professor for approval. Students should then develop an 8 10 page paper on the specific passage, utilizing 8 10 quality, academic resources, both ancient and modern. If you have any questions about what is a quality, academic resource, please ask. Final exam (30% of total grade): For the final exam, students will compose a 8-10 page essay that unlocks the mysteries of the Old Testament prophets in light of the Book of Revelation. Specifically, in this paper your job is to develop a deep understanding of Michael Barber s book Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying Its Lessons Today and synthesizing this understanding in the form of a structured essay-paper. You may give your final exam essay a title of your own choosing and make your own outline, but whatever focus you develop, be sure that you (a) present the key mysteries and passages of Revelation discussed in Barber s book and (b) demonstrate how the Old Testament prophetic literature we have studied in this course is fulfilled in Revelation. In addition to demonstrating your penetrating understanding of Barber s book, I encourage you to draw from our course lectures and the readings from this semester. You may use additional academic sources if desired, but this is not required. If you have any questions about what constitutes a quality, academic resource, please ask. Guidelines for Papers Before beginning your essays, please refer to the Guidelines for Papers, Projects, and Theses, which is available here. Guidelines for Papers, Projects, and Theses Citations in Discussion Posts Please use parenthetical references to document any source for the weekly discussions in Populi. When referring to an idea or when giving a direct quote from any source, you must use a parenthetical reference. A parenthetical reference is placed at the end of your sentence, before the punctuation mark. Give the author s last name followed by a comma, an abbreviated book or article title followed by a comma, and then record the page or paragraph number to which you refer. Example: Ramage, Dark Passages, 54. When quoting from a website, providing the link to the web address of the article suffices. You may also provide the author s name and the title of the piece. However, be judicious about citing from internet sources. Countless important and helpful sources are available online, but remember that not every source is credible. Citing from poor sources will be reflected in the grade of your posts and paper. 5. REQUIRED READINGS and RESOURCES: Holy Bible (any translation is acceptable but RSV-CE2 is preferred) J. Daniel Hays, The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old Testament Matthew Ramage, Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and Thomas Aquinas Michael Barber, Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying Its Lessons Today Any other required resources and readings not listed above will be provided in Populi 6. SUGGESTED READINGS and RESOURCES: 6

7 Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum Ignatius Catholic Study Bible St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology The Sacred Page Truth in Charity (Dr. Ramage s blog) 7. EVALUATION Basis of evaluation with explanation regarding the nature of the assignment and the percentage of the grade assigned to each item below. Students who have difficulty with research and composition are encouraged to pursue assistance with the Online Writing Lab (available at GRADING SCALE: A ; A ; B ; B 84-86; B ; C ; C 74-76; C D 60-69; F 59 and below Grading Rubric for the Paper and for Discussion Board Postings 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) CONTENT Absence of Understanding Lack of Understanding Adequate understanding Solid Understanding Insightful understanding Demonstrates no awareness of the discipline or its methodologies as they relate to the topic. Demonstrates a misunderstanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic through an inability to articulate them. Demonstrates an adequate understanding of basic concepts addressed in the topic but could express them with greater clarity. Demonstrates a clear understanding and articulation of concepts with some sense of their wider implications. Clearly demonstrates an understanding and articulation of concepts of the topic; highlights connections to other concepts; integrates concepts into wider contexts. RESEARCH Missing Research Shows no evidence of research: citation of sources missing. Inadequate research and/or documentation Over-reliance on few sources; spotty documentation of facts in text; pattern of citation errors. Weak research and/or documentation Inadequate number or quality of sources; many facts not referenced; several errors in citation format. Adequate research and documentation but needs improvement Good choice of sources but could be improved with some additions or better selection; did not always cite sources; too many citation errors. Solid research and documentation A number of relevant scholarly sources revealing solid research; sources appropriately referenced in paper; only a few minor citation errors. WRITING & EXPRESSION Incomplete writing Is only partially written or completely Writing difficult to understand, serious improvement needed Fails to address the Acceptable writing, but could use some sharpening of skill Is an uneven response to parts of the topic; Solid writing, with something interesting to say. Is an adequate response to the Command-level writing, making a clear impression Is a thorough response to the topic; 7

8 misses the topic. topic; confusing organization or development; little elaboration of position; insufficient control of sentence structure and vocabulary; unacceptable number of errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage. somewhat conventional treatment; satisfactory organization, but more development needed; adequate syntax and diction, but could use more vigor; overall control of grammar, mechanics, and usage, but some errors. topic; some depth and complexity in treatment; persuasive organization and development, with suitable reasons and examples; levelappropriate syntax and diction; mastery of grammar, mechanics, and usage, with hardly any error. thoughtful and insightful examination of issues; compelling organization and development; superior syntax and diction; error-free grammar, mechanics, and usage. RESPONSES TO OTHER STUDENT POSTS (for discussions, not applicable to the paper) Inadequate response Response merely provides laudatory encouragement for original post Poor response Response misses the point of the original posting. Acceptable response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds. Individuallyconscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds and fosters its development. Communityconscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to the learning community and fosters its development. 8. DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY Holy Apostles College & Seminary is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities who qualify for admission to the College. Students enrolled in online courses who have documented disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Bob Mish, the Director of Online Student Affairs, at rmish@holyapostles.edu or In all cases, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that all students with disabilities have access to course materials in a mode in which they can receive them. Students who have technological limitations (e.g., slow Internet connection speeds in convents) are asked to notify their instructors the first week of class for alternative means of delivery. 9. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty. Avoiding Plagiarism In its broadest sense, plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas, presented or claimed as your own. At this stage in your academic career, you should be fully conscious of what it means to plagiarize. This is an inherently unethical activity because it entails the uncredited use of someone else's expression of ideas for another's personal advancement; that is, it entails the use of a person merely as a means to another person s ends. Students, where applicable: Should identify the title, author, page number/webpage address, and publication date of works when directly quoting small portions of texts, articles, interviews, or websites. Students should not copy more than two paragraphs from any source as a major component of papers or projects. 8

9 Should appropriately identify the source of information when paraphrasing (restating) ideas from texts, interviews, articles, or websites. Should follow the Holy Apostles College & Seminary Stylesheet (available on the Online Writing Lab s website at Consequences of Academic Dishonesty: Because of the nature of this class, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Students participating in academic dishonesty may be removed from the course and from the program. 10. ATTENDANCE POLICY Even though you are not required to be logged in at any precise time or day, you are expected to login several times during each week. Because this class is being taught entirely in a technology-mediated forum, it is important to actively participate each week in the course. In a traditional classroom setting for a 3-credit course, students would be required, per the federal standards, to be in class three 50-minute sessions (or 2.5 hours a week) and prepare for class discussions six 50-minute sessions (or 5 hours) a week. Expect to devote at least nine 50-minute sessions (or 7.5 quality hours) a week to this course. A failure on the student s part to actively participate in the life of the course may result in a reduction of the final grade. 11. INCOMPLETE POLICY An Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the faculty member. It is typically allowed in situations in which the student has satisfactorily completed major components of the course and has the ability to finish the remaining work without re-enrolling, but has encountered extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent his or her doing so prior to the last day of class. To request an incomplete, distance-learning students must first download a copy of the Incomplete Request Form. This document is located within the Shared folder of the Files tab in Populi. Secondly, students must fill in any necessary information directly within the PDF document. Lastly, students must send their form to their professor via for approval. Approval should be understood as the professor responding to the student s in favor of granting the Incomplete status of the student. Students receiving an Incomplete must submit the missing course work by the end of the sixth week following the semester in which they were enrolled. An incomplete grade (I) automatically turns into the grade of F if the course work is not completed. Students who have completed little or no work are ineligible for an incomplete. Students who feel they are in danger of failing the course due to an inability to complete course assignments should withdraw from the course. A W (Withdrawal) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the first week of a semester to the end of the third week. A WF (Withdrawal/Fail) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the third week of a semester and on or before the Friday before the last week of the semester. 12. ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR Dr. Matthew Ramage is an Adjunct Professor of Theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary and is also Associate Professor of Theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. His research and writing concentrates on the theology of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, biblical exegesis, and the continuity of papal doctrine. Dr. Ramage is author, co-author, or cotranslator of several books, including Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and Thomas Aquinas (Catholic University of America Press, 2013) and Jesus, Interpreted: Benedict XVI, Bart Ehrman, and the Historical Truth of the Gospels (forthcoming from CUA Press in 2016). His articles have appeared in a number of scholarly journals including Nova et Vetera, Scripta Theologica, Cithara, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review as well as popular online venues such as Strange Notions, The Gregorian Institute, and Crisis. Dr. Ramage has been interviewed by 9 news outlets including the National Catholic Register and First Things and has appeared on EWTN radio and the EWTN program Catholicism on Campus. Dr. Ramage lives in Atchison, Kansas, with his wife, Jennifer, and four children. For more on his work and his CV, visit Dr. Ramage's website