COURSE SYLLABUS. OBJECTIVE: By close reading in translation the biblical text of the Major Prophets.

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1 TRINITY EVANGELICAL DIVINITY SCHOOL PITTSBURGH EXTENSION FALL SEMESTER 2017 (SEPT. 1-2, 22-23; OCT ; NOV. 3-4) F 5:30-9:30 P.M.; S 8:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M.; 12:45-3:15 P.M. DR. DENNIS R. MAGARY COURSE DESCRIPTION COURSE SYLLABUS A study of the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) designed to acquaint the student with the literary, historical, and theological content of this corpus and these books. Attention will be given to matters of literary form and structure (looking at how the message of the book is presented) and to the historical, cultural, and theological content (looking at what message is being conveyed) with a view to understanding the distinctive meaning and message of these books for the people of God today. COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES GOAL 1: The student will gain an understanding of the formal structures, literary conventions, and compositional techniques of Old Testament poetic text. OBJECTIVE: By discussing in class at the very outset of the course the nature of biblical poetry as a form of representation and communication. OBJECTIVE: By considering throughout the course the concept of meaning and the ways in which it is determined in the poetic text of the prophets. OBJECTIVE: By close reading in translation the biblical text of the Major Prophets. GOAL 2: The student will gain a working knowledge of the literary structure and historical and theological content of the Major Prophets. OBJECTIVE: By observing the distinctive structure and content of these books in daily reading and study. OBJECTIVE: By discussing matters of content and structure as a vital part of each class period and lecture. OBJECTIVE: By applying all acquired interpretative skills and methodologies to the careful analysis and exegesis of the English text of these books. OBJECTIVE: By carefully reading and assimilating each assigned chapter in C. Hassell Bullock s Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. OBJECTIVE: By carefully reading and assimilating each assigned chapter in Abraham J. Heschel s The Prophets.

2 GOAL 3: The student will interact with key exegetical, historical, theological, and hermeneutical issues of these prophetic books. OBJECTIVE: By making note of textual and interpretative problems encountered in close reading and study of the biblical text. OBJECTIVE: By working through selected problematic portions in class. OBJECTIVE: By interacting with the positions and presuppositions of your professor and assigned readings. OBJECTIVE: By noting the relative strengths and weaknesses of opposing positions and the significant difficulties precipitated by easy answers. GOAL 4: The student will understand the place and contribution of the Major Prophets in the progress of revelation. OBJECTIVE: By considering the meaning and message of these books in light of available and relevant historical, cultural, linguistic, literary, and theological evidence. OBJECTIVE: By discussing throughout the course the use of the Old Testament in the Major Prophets. OBJECTIVE: By discussing throughout the course New Testament use of the Major Prophets. GOAL 5: The student will apply the concrete teaching and principles provided by the Major Prophets to the pressing needs and concerns of the believer (and non-believer) today. OBJECTIVE: By allowing the biblical text to set the agenda and define the parameters of our quest for meaning and significance in the Major Prophets. OBJECTIVE: By devoting yourself wholeheartedly to the diligent study of this early word and work of God. OBJECTIVE: By asking the God of this revelation to give you an inquiring mind and a receptive heart and to enable you to see the profound relevance of this Scripture to your life; and then, by His grace, to live out the truth of this life-altering, God-breathed word. COURSE TEXTBOOKS REQUIRED 2

3 Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Revised and expanded ed. Chicago: Moody Press, ISBN-10: ; ISBN- 13: Heschel, Abraham J. The Prophets. Perennial Classics ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., ISBN-10: ; ISBN-13: RECOMMENDED Hays, J. Daniel. The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, ISBN: McConville, J. Gordon. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets. Vol. 4. Downers Grove: InterBarsity Press, ISBN: COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. ASSIGNED READINGS 30% The following materials have been selected for required course reading because they provide a rich and necessary foundation for what we will be doing in class. These readings are of fundamental importance to the textual study of the Major Prophets this semester. Read the pages or portions indicated in each of the following works. N.B. All assigned readings have been scheduled into the COURSE CALENDAR. If you follow the reading guide provided in the COURSE CALENDAR, not only will you be prepared for class discussion of the scheduled portion of text, but by the end of the semester, all assigned readings for the course will have been read. a) BIBLICAL TEXT During the course of this semester the student will read in translation each of the Major Prophets completely through twice. Each assigned reading of the biblical text is to be done at one sitting, if at all possible. The benefit here is that the student will constantly see each book and its constituent parts as a whole. It is this holistic and total view that, while always open to revision in light of the merest detail, must always have the final word in interpretation. In our quest for the meaning and significance of texts, the meaning and message, purpose and function of the work as a whole will be our ultimate ambition. We must attempt to understand how the parts fit together, how the parts succeed in producing the whole, and how the whole is supported by the parts. If we are successfully to avoid an atomistic and wholly arbitrary interpretation which focuses more on how much can be gotten out of or read into a passage than on interpreting and understanding what is there, then the primary object of our interpretative scrutiny must be the whole in the articulation of its parts and in its manifold variety. If some parts seem hard to reconcile with other parts, we need not jump to the conclusion that the book is fundamentally at cross purposes with itself or, in light 3

4 of the difficulty, does not (or could not) really mean what it says. We must seek rather to understand what a book so seemingly at variance with itself would mean and signify when taken as a whole. Unless one moves constantly between the parts and the whole, between the particular and the general, what appears to be a worthily thorough and detailed interpretation may, in fact, be a steadfast and systematic refusal to confront the primary questions of meaning. So, we will read and reread the Major Prophets this semester. (1) Determine which version you are going to use for study. The following English versions are recommended study versions: New International Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version. (2) Read each Major Prophet completely through, as assigned in the Course Calendar, in your chosen study N.B. The student may read through the Major Prophets both times in a single version, viz., one s study version, but the student is not required to read the same version for both readings. However, if one of the readings is being done in a version other than one s study version, that version must be read for the entire read through. In other words, the student may not read Isaiah 1-12 in NIV, then Isaiah in NASB, and then Isaiah in ESV, etc. The student could read the book of Isaiah (or Jeremiah or Ezekiel) completely through (as assigned) the first time in NIV. The second time through, the student may choose to read a different version, e.g., ESV, but the ESV must be used for that entire reading. If the student desires to read a version other than the study versions indicated above, the student must consult with the professor for approval of the This reading requirement may also be met by listening to assigned portions in electronic/digital format. b) COURSE TEXTBOOKS Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Revised and expanded ed. Chicago: Moody Press, READ pp , 45-46, , , , TOTAL PAGES: 152 Heschel, Abraham J. The Prophets. Perennial Classics ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., READ pp. xxi-xxix, 3-31, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , TOTAL PAGES: 573 c) SUPPLEMENTARY READING Miller, Patrick D. The Theological Significance of Biblical Poetry. In Israelite Religion and Biblical Theology: Collected Essays, edited by David J. A. 4

5 Clines and Philip R. Davies, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series, 267. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, TOTAL PAGES: 17 [Available on Moodle] Baker, David W. Israelite Prophets and Prophecy. In The Face of the Old Testament: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches, Edited by David W. Baker and Bill T. Arnold. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, TOTAL PAGES: 29 [Available on Moodle] Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. Genres of the Old Testament. In Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, , Revised and expanded ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, TOTAL PAGES: 29 [Available on Moodle] Houston, Walter. What Did the Prophets Think They Were Doing? Speech Acts and Prophetic Discourse in the Old Testament. In Gordon, Robert P., ed. The Place Is Too Small for Us : The Israelite Prophets in Recent Scholarship, Sources for Biblical and Theological Study. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, TOTAL PAGES: 20 [Available on Moodle] At the end of the semester the student will submit a Report of Assigned Readings. The instructor will provide a form on which the student will indicate those readings which have been read in their entirety, or in part, or not at all. The percentage of readings completed will determine the amount of credit to be received for fulfillment or partial fulfillment of this course requirement. The Report of Assigned Readings form is available on the class Moodle page. The form is downloadable and will be submitted electronically. N.B. The assigned readings report is due no later than 11:00 P.M. on Thursday, December 14. Assigned reading reports will not be accepted after 11:00 P.M. on Thursday, December JOURNALING THE MAJOR PROPHETS 25% Each student will keep a journal in which he/she will record, not a summary of content, but one s own thoughts, reflections, and reactions to the biblical reading. The reading of the biblical text provides the occasion for an encounter with truth. One cannot read Scripture, and not respond! So, upon completion of each assigned reading of the biblical text each week, the student will bring closure to the reading assignment by journaling. Each entry--not to exceed 250 words (single-spaced, word-processed, 12 pt. font)--is to be referenced and dated at the top of the entry. For example, if you complete the first Jeremiah reading assignment on Friday, September 29, the journal entry would indicate the date and assigned portion at the top and might look and begin something like this: 5

6 Friday, September 29, 2017 Jeremiah 1:1-15:9 The beginning of this book is all too familiar. God calls someone to a task, and the immediate response is to offer excuses. As is common, the excuses are actually statements of fact (!), but they are excuses all the same! Jeremiah was certainly aware of his own inadequacies, and he was just a kid. But God created Jeremiah to be a spokesman for the word of the Lord, and this was put into motion long before he was born! As for me, I never saw an almond tree, and I was never shown a boiling pot, but there was no uncertainty as to what God was calling me to do. Did the task seem daunting? Yes! (It is daunting!) Did I feel inadequate? Absolutely! Did I resist? Of course! But my resistance to God s call and claim on my life was no more successful than was Jeremiah s. I am learning what he began immediately to learn: When God calls, he equips! I can t say that I project the same boldness and clarity that Jeremiah did in the early days of his ministry, but I... [etc.]. The readings journal must include an entry for each of the following First Reading portions (Weeks 3-11) as scheduled in the Course Calendar: First Reading Second Reading Week 3 Isaiah 1:1-23:18 Week 4 Isaiah 24:1-39:8 Week 5 Isaiah 40:1-66:24 Week 6 Jeremiah 1:1-15:9 Week 7 Jeremiah 15:10-29:32 Week 8 Jeremiah 30:1-39:18 Week 9 Jeremiah 40:1-52:34 Week 10 Ezekiel 1:1-24:27 Week 11 Ezekiel 25:1-48:35 Week 12 Isaiah 1:1-66:24 [no journaling] Week 13 Jeremiah 1:1-52:34 [no journaling] Week 14 THANKSGIVING WEEK Week 15 Ezekiel 1:1-48:35 [no journaling] The journal will be evaluated on the basis of its completeness (for each reading which is read and journaled as assigned) and conformity to the criteria of brevity and reflection. N.B. The journals will be read only by the professor! N.B. The Major Prophets journal will be uploaded to the class Moodle page and is due no later than 11:00 P.M. on Friday, November 10. Journals submitted after 11:00 P.M. on Friday, November 10 will not be accepted. 6

7 3. POETIC ANALYSIS 25% Each student will select and prepare a poetic analysis of one of the following texts from the book of Isaiah: Isaiah 11:1-16 Isaiah 40:12-26 Isaiah 41:1-20 Isaiah 55:1-13 Isaiah 61:1-11 Text selection should be made by the end of class on Saturday, September 2. Following the model and methodology presented in class, the analysis will include the following, in the order here designated. The student will use the headings provided for the development of the analysis: (1) Structured Translation Using either the ESV or NASB version, identify the utterance units comprising each verse in the text you have chosen. An utterance unit is a basic unit of meaning (clause) in discourse. In poetry this will be a colon, also referred to as a stich, or verset. Segmenting a text into its utterance units usually starts from an identification of the verbal elements, since most other grammatical-syntactical adjuncts (e.g., subject, direct object, indirect object, adverbs) are governed by the verbal component. Utterance units will also be marked by the presence of certain particles and interrogative pronouns. Structure each unit so as to portray visually the semantic and syntactic relationship of each line of text, e.g., coordination, subordination, repetition, etc. The intent of this aspect of textual analysis is to identify the fundamental components of meaning and their syntactical relationship within a meaningful stretch of text. (2) Identification of Parallelism and Poetic Techniques Locate and identify (label) all types of parallelism--both semantic and grammatical--present in the passage. Locate and characterize compositional patterns, use of repetition (e.g., keywording), imagery, and figures of speech. These observations are essential, because they provide the raw data for ascertaining the meaning and significance of the text. (3) Context and Cohesiveness of the Poetic Unit Summarize your findings on parallelism and poetic technique, and explain the trajectory of meaning they produce. Summarize the context (immediate and extended) in which the text is found. How do these verses fit and function within the literary setting? What holds these verses together as a meaningful literary unit within the surrounding verses? 7

8 (4) Comparison of Versions and Translations Observe what the English versions have done with the text. How have the translations understood and rendered these verses? Using the English versions to which you have access, create a vertical alignment of the texts, so that the similarities, differences, and omissions in translation are clear. In addition to your primary version, include one other standard translation (e.g., NIV, ESV, NASB, NJV) in your comparison. Include also one or two additional less formal versions for a sampling of what other translators have done, e.g., NLT, NEB, TEV, CEV, et al. From the alignment, identify the significant differences in translation, and provide an annotated description of the divergence. What are the implications of the differences observed? Comment briefly on the effect the differences might have on one s understanding and application the text. (5) Bringing Truth to Bear on Life What is the thematic focus of the verses you have chosen? Summarize the teaching of the passage based upon the structure of the passage. What are these words presented in this order with this over-arching structure getting at? Taking into account the surrounding material, what instruction is this meaningful literary unit providing? And how might this instruction be appropriated in one s life? Be specific! The written Poetic Analysis will be submitted electronically as a PDF, uploaded to the class Moodle page before 11:00 P.M. on Wednesday, October 18. Each student will then present a summary of his/her analysis to the class in a 30 minute presentation on the passage, utilizing PowerPoint, Prezi, or other visual presentation modes. N.B. The class presentation will not be a reading of the analysis, but rather a creative, visual summary of findings. Class presentations will be made on Friday, October PRESENCE AND PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT 10% The student is expected to come to class prepared to interact with the course readings and basic interpretive dimensions of the biblical text. Students will be expected to respond when called upon and, as a result of personal preparation and study of course material, to offer pertinent observations and interaction on the relevant questions of textual and interpretive study. Absence from an evening, morning, or afternoon session will adversely affect this component of course credit. 5. REFLECTION AND RESPONSE 10% In the final few weeks of the semester--as a way of bringing closure to our reading and study of the Major Prophets--each student will prepare a brief reflection paper growing out of course readings, journaling and lectures. The paper, not to exceed 1,000 words, will include the following: (1) Identify which Major Prophet--Isaiah, Jeremiah, or 8

9 Ezekiel--has had the greatest impact on your thinking this semester. Which prophet most significantly increased your understanding of God? Which prophet challenged your perspective, confronted your theology (?), changed your mind (?), or even, perhaps, called you out in some way? (2) Describe briefly your journey with that prophet, i.e., how it began and in what ways that prophet became compelling. (3) Explain how your engagement with this one prophet over the semester will affect your present ministry and involvement in the church. In what concrete ways has this prophet affected the way you now see things and the way you will now do things? Be specific! The Reflection and Response paper will be submitted electronically, uploaded to the class Moodle page before 11:00 P.M. on Friday, December 8. The paper will be evaluated on the basis of its completeness (identification of prophet, description of journey, explanation of impact on ministry), and conformity to the criteria of brevity (1,000 words) and substantive reflection. N.B. The Reflection paper will be read only by the professor! SUMMARY STATEMENT OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. ASSIGNED READINGS 30% 2. JOURNALING THE MAJOR PROPHETS 25% 3. POETIC ANALYSIS 25% 4. PRESENCE AND PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT 10% 5. REFLECTION AND RESPONSE 10% COURSE GRADING: % GRADE SCALE GRADE POINTS (TEDS Online Catalog) A A 4.0 outstanding work A- 3.7 superior achievement of course goals B+ 3.3 good work B B 3.0 commendable achievement of course goals B- 2.7 clearly above average performance C+ 2.3 acceptable work C C 2.0 satisfactory achievement of course goals C- 1.7 average performance D+ 1.3 minimal work D D 1.0 marginal achievement of course goals D- 0.7 below average performance F F 0.0 failure, unacceptable work 9

10 COURSE CALENDAR The course calendar found on the following pages of this syllabus contains: 1. A complete lecture/class schedule for the entire semester. 2. A complete schedule of all reading assignments for the class. 3. A complete schedule of due dates. Stay with the course calendar! Even if we should on occasion fall behind or dovetail material in class discussion, it will be your responsibility to stay with the assignments as they are here scheduled. WEEK DATE LECTURE 2 F Sep 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE--EXPLANATION OF COURSE PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS AN INTRODUCTION TO HEBREW POETRY AND THE STUDY OF POETRY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT S Sep 2 DIVINATION AND REVELATION IN ISRAEL AND IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST INTRODUCTION TO THE MAJOR PROPHETS DUE: TEXT SELECTION FOR POETIC ANALYSIS * CONFER WITH PROFESSOR BY 3:15 P.M. TODAY Sep 4-8 ISAIAH READ the course syllabus thoroughly! FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF with the Course Calendar. READ Isaiah 1:1-23:18 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Isaiah 1:1-23:18. READ Bullock pp (Introduction), (The Neo-Assyrian Period and the Prophets). READ Heschel xxi-xxix (Introduction); pp (What Manner of Man Is the Prophet?). 4 Sep ISAIAH READ Isaiah 24:1-39:8 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Isaiah 24:1-39:8. 10

11 READ Bullock pp (Isaiah: Prophet Par Excellence). READ Heschel pp (Isaiah [Isa. 1-39]); (Religion of Sympathy); (Prophecy and Ecstacy): (The Theory of Ecstacy): (An Examination of the Theory of Ecstacy). 5 Sep ISAIAH READ Isaiah 40:1-66:24 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Isaiah 40:1-66:24. READ Heschel pp (Second Isaiah [Isa ]); (History); (Chastisement); (Justice). 5 F Sep 22 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ISAIAH 5 S Sep 23 ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 6 Sep JEREMIAH READ Jeremiah 1:1-15:9 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Jeremiah 1:1-15:9. READ Bullock pp (The Neo-Babylonian Period and the Prophets); (Jeremiah: Prophet to the Nations). READ Heschel pp (The Theology of Pathos); (Comparisons and Contrasts); (The Philosophy of Pathos); (Anthropopathy). 7 Oct 2-6 JEREMIAH READ Jeremiah 15:10-29:32 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Jeremiah 15:10-29:32. READ Heschel pp (Jeremiah); (The Meaning and Mystery of Wrath); (Ira Dei). 8 Oct 9-13 JEREMIAH READ Jeremiah 30:1-39:18 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Jeremiah 30:1-39:18. 11

12 READ Heschel pp (Prophecy and Poetic Inspiration); (Prophecy and Psychosis). 9 Oct JEREMIAH READ Jeremiah 40:1-52:34 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Jeremiah 40:1-52:34. READ Heschel pp (Explanations of Prophetic Inspiration); Heschel pp (Event and Experience). DUE: POETIC ANALYSIS PAPER * UPLOAD TO MOODLE BY 11:00 P.M. ON OCTOBER 18 9 F Oct 20 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JEREMIAH POETIC ANALYSIS PRESENTATIONS 9 S Oct 21 ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH 10 Oct EZEKIEL READ Ezekiel 1:1-24:27 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Ezekiel 1:1-24:27. READ Bullock pp (Ezekiel: Prophet Par Excellence). READ Heschel pp (Prophets Throughout the World); (Prophet, Priest, and King); (Conclusions). 11 Oct 30-Nov 2 EZEKIEL READ Ezekiel 25:1-48:35 completely thru at one sitting in your study JOURNAL on Ezekiel 25:1-48: F Nov 3 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EZEKIEL 11 S Nov 4 ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 12 Nov 6-10 ISAIAH 12

13 READ Isaiah 1:1-66:24 completely thru at one sitting in a version of your choice. DUE: MAJOR PROPHETS JOURNAL * UPLOAD TO MOODLE BY 11:00 P.M. ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER Nov JEREMIAH READ Jeremiah 1:1-52:34 completely thru at one sitting in a version of your choice. 14 Nov THANKSGIVING WEEK 15 Nov 27-Dec 1 EZEKIEL READ Ezekiel 1:1-48:35 completely thru at one sitting in a version of your choice. WRITE Reflection and Response Paper 16 Dec 4-8 REFLECTION WRITE Reflection and Response Paper DUE: REFLECTION AND RESPONSE PAPER * UPLOAD TO MOODLE BY 11:00 P.M. ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 17 Dec FINAL EXAM WEEK DUE: REPORT OF ASSIGNED READINGS * UPLOAD TO MOODLE BY 11:00 P.M. ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 OFFICE AND CONTACT INFORMATON: Dr. Dennis R. Magary, Department Chairman Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages Department of Old Testament and Semitic Languages Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 2065 Half Day Road Deerfield, IL PHONE: FAX: dmagary@tiu.edu 13