New Mexico District -- Alliance course Syllabus: BIB-1013 Introduction to the Old Testament Class Location: Valley Training Center, Markam Rd: February 22 23, March 8 9, 22 23, 2019 Class Times: Fridays 6:00 9:30 Saturdays 8:00 5:30 Credit: 3 Semester Hours Credit COURSE INSTRUCTOR Dr. Veora L. Tressler Cell Phone: 814 233 8702 Email: vltressler@gmail.com D.Min Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1998 M.Div. Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1986 M.RE. Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1979 B.A. Eastern Nazarene College, 1970 Graduate Studies in Religion Gordon Conwell Seminary, 1969 and 1972 Graduate Studies in Education at Penn State University 1973-1974 Missionary in Costa Rica 1980 1985 Professor, Director of Christian Education program Missionary in Guatemala 1986 2003 Professor, Academic Dean Associate Pastor, Norwin Church of the Nazarene, 2003 2005 Interim Pastor, Norwin Church of the Nazarene 2006 Pastor, New Life Church of the Nazarene, Boswell, PA 2007 2012 Instructor Alliance Program New Mexico District, Church of the Nazarene, 2014 - present Adjunct Professor, Nazarene Bible College, Lenexa, KS, 2012 - present COURSE DESCRIPTION A survey of the historical, literary, and cultural context of the Old Testament. This course is a prerequisite for all other Old Testament classes. COURSE OBJECTIVES The following are objectives specific to this course: 1. Recognize the content of the Old Testament (main characters & events) 2. Comprehend the historical background reflected in the Old Testament 3. Understand the history of the composition of the texts in the Old Testament 4. Know the literary character and structure evident within the various divisions of the Old Testament 5. Become familiar with various approaches related to the study of the Old Testament 6. Identify the main themes and theological concepts revealed in the Old Testament 7. Appreciate the significance of Scripture for Ancient Israel and its application in the Christian Church The following are competencies for Ministry as outlined in the Sourcebook for Ministerial Development that will be addressed in this course: 1. Ability to identify the literary structure, the theological concepts and the main story line of the Old Testament (CN-1). 2. Ability to describe the historical and cultural contexts of the major sections of the Old Testament (CN-2). 3. Ability to describe the development of the canon and the historical and theological influences resulting in contemporary translations (CN5).
2 COURSE TEXTBOOKS 1. Holy Bible - Any of the following translations: NASB, NRSV, NIV, TNIV, RSV, KJV, NKJV, NAB, ESV, NET. 2. LaSor, William Sanford, David Allan Hubbard, and Frederic Wm. Bush. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament. 2 nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996. 3. Smith, Marsha A. Ellis, ed. Holman Book of Biblical Charts, Maps, and Reconstructions. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1993. COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. Readings are to be completed before the class period in which they are assigned. As a result, students should come to class prepared to discuss the readings assigned for that weekend. 2. Each student is required to keep a class notebook (3-ring binder; soft plastic binder preferred). Weekly powerpoint handouts, class notes, class handouts, and any other material relevant to the course should be gathered into the notebook. Notebooks will be collected and evaluated by the professor at the end of the third weekend. Students may take class notes on powerpoint handouts, or on their own paper. Whichever approach is used to take notes, they should be included in the class notebook (along with the powerpoint notes handouts and other materials). Class notes will be evaluated based on organization, quality, and thoroughness in recording information significant to each week's discussion. The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with a helpful resource in relation to an introduction to the Old Testament. Your name and course title should be clearly visible on the outside of your course Notebook. See course schedule below for due dates. 3. The following four academic exercises will be assigned in relation to the Old Testament. Students will be required to turn in a typed or computer-printed report regarding each assignment. Reports should be single-spaced and 1-3 pages in length, depending on the requirements of the particular exercise. Read the instructions for each exercise carefully! The concern of these exercises is to give students direct exposure to Old Testament texts. For these exercises use only a Bible, and focus on the OT. See course schedule below for due dates. Exercises: A. Scan through the books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). For each of the five books, identify two distinct accounts/events (for a total of ten) with which you are not otherwise familiar. Briefly describe: 1- the characters involved, 2- the physical location (city, country, geographic area, etc.), 3- the event or information which is the focus of the account, and 4-what you think is significant about the account in relation to purpose and message. Please note: This assignment is due the first weekend of class. If you have questions about this assignment, in the week prior to class, please contact me, no later than Wednesday, February 20, 2019. B. Scan through I and II Kings. Identify 7 different kings of Israel and/or Judah. Summarize the life and accomplishments of each of the 7 kings. At the end of this report, write a paragraph or two discussing your own evaluation of the kings of Israel and Judah, based on your investigation. C. Scan through Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah 1-39. Identify and briefly describe four major themes which are evident in all four of these prophetic books (the same four themes should appear in all four books). Be sure each theme is distinct from the other three themes. Also, provide at least one quote from each book to illustrate each theme (for a total of 16 quotes). D. Scan through the book of Proverbs and list at least 10 distinct topics (that is, 10 separate issues) which are addressed in the book. First identify in your own words each topic you identify (example: "how to raise a child"), then provide a quote from Proverbs which illustrates each topic. Finally, based on your investigation of the book of Proverbs, write a paragraph or two describing the character and purpose of the book of Proverbs. 4. The mid-term exam will cover material in the lectures and readings from the first day of class up to the day of the exam and will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, matching, true/false, fill-in the blank,
3 and short answer questions. Success on the exam will require taking careful notes on each lecture and diligently studying those notes. 5. The final exam will cover material in the lectures and readings from the first-class session after the midterm up to the day of the final exam, and will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, matching, true/false, fill-in the blank, and short answer questions. Success on the exam will require taking careful notes on each lecture and diligently studying those notes. Note: All assignments should include your full name at the top of the first page, or on a title page. Please do NOT place assignments in sleeves, folders, notebooks, or binders; just staple and submit them (exception = class notebook). COURSE PROCEDURES Combination of reading, research, lecture, and discussion COURSE POLICIES Academic Honesty: Honesty in all academic endeavors is vital as an expression of the Christian life. It is required that students will not participate in cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty, or encourage or condone such behavior by permitting it and/or allowing it to go unreported. All assignments must be the student s original work for the course in which the material is submitted. When a student utilizes work that is not his/her own (words or ideas), proper credit must be given to the source of the information. Academic dishonesty is a serious violation of morality, and academic integrity. The minimum penalty for academic dishonesty will be failure of the assignment. More stringent measures may include failure of the course, disciplinary probation, or disciplinary suspension. Attendance: Students are required to attend and participate in the three weekend class sessions. Any absences may result in the loss of points. Missing an entire weekend of class sessions will result in failure of the class. Missing 4 hours of any of the class sessions will result in the reduction of a full class grade (e.g. B to C ). The attendance policy, and grading thereof will be discussed at the first-class session. Late Assignments: Assignments are due at the beginning of the class weekend. Assignments will be considered late, and penalized if turned in after the first hour of the Friday class sessions. Late assignments receive a 20% reduction in points after the Friday class sessions. For each day the assignment is late, an additional 20% will be deducted until no points for the assignment are awarded. On-time assignments should not be submitted by email; they should be submitted in person at the beginning of class. Late work may be submitted by email. Also, you may submit on-time assignments by email only if you are not able to physically attend class on the day the assignment is due. Further explanation will be given and clarified at the first Friday of the course. Note: no course work will be accepted after the last class weekend of the course, March 23, 2019. Extra Credit: The assignments required for this class are considered valuable exercises for gaining understanding and practice in the study of the Old Testament. The student is encouraged to invest his/her time and best effort in the completion of the required assignments. Consequently, additional work for extra credit will not be granted for this course. COURSE EVALUATION (1,000 points) 1. Class notebook = 220 pts. = 22% of final grade (110 pts. each evaluation) 2. Class exercises = 280 pts. = 28% of final grade (70 pts. x 4 exercises) 3. Midterm exam = 250 pts. = 25% of final grade (% correct x 250) 4. Final exam = 250 pts. = 25% of final grade (% correct x 250)
4 Grammar counts! Please put to use the skills you have gained in English courses. Grading scale: 90-100 = A = Excellent distinctively superior work, a high degree of initiative, freedom from error, attainment of true insights 80-89 = B = Very Good considerable insight, understanding and thoroughness 70-79 = C = Satisfactory satisfactory work but without distinction, tending to be mechanical 60-69 = D = Inferior below average and less than satisfactory but receiving credit 59 & below = F = Failure entirely unsatisfactory for which no credit is given Grading Rubrics: OT Exercises: Failed to follow instructions well; presented insufficient information pertinent to the assignment = 0-20 Notebooks: Poor organization; missing notes and handouts; notes are unclear and incomplete = 0-30 Acceptable job following instructions; presented sufficient information to enhance learning of the topic = 42-56 Acceptable organization; includes most of the notes and handouts; notes are limited for some sessions = 66-88 Followed instructions completely; presented high quality, thorough and accurate information = 63-70 Well organized according to weeks of the course; includes all notes and handouts; notes are clear and thorough = 99-110 COURSE SCHEDULE / OUTLINE First Weekend: February 22 -- 23, 2019 February 22 Subject: Background: Canon, History Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 44-47 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 14, 16, 18-21, 24, 32-34 February 23 Subject: Background: Geography, Archaeology Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 48-51 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 17, 140 February 23 1) Subject: Torah: Pentateuch, Genesis Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 1-3 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 43, 57, 123, 145 Bible Focus = Genesis Assignments due:- Exercise A (see course requirements above) 2) Subject: Torah: Exodus-Deuteronomy Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 4-8 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 50, 54-56, 61, 66-67, 118, 139, 142-144 Bible Focus = Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
5 Second Weekend: March 8 9, 2019 March 8 Subject: Former Prophets: Joshua-II Samuel Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 9-12 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 48-49, 51, 57, 114-115, 120, 124 Bible Focus = Joshua, Judges, I-II Samuel Assignments due: - Exercise B (see course requirements above) Subject: Former Prophets: I-II Kings Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 13-15 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 65, 116, 119, 141 Bible Focus = I-II Kings Assignments due: - Class notebooks - MIDTERM EXAM Subject: Latter Prophets: 8 th Century Prophets Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 16, 18-22 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 62, 113 Bible Focus = Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah Assignments due: - Exercise C (see course requirements above) Subject: Latter Prophets: Exilic and Postexilic Prophets Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 23-30 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 44-45, 121-122 Bible Focus = Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah, Joel, Jonah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi Third Weekend: March 22 23, 2019 March 22 Subject: The Writings: Poetry & Wisdom Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 17, 31-35 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 46-47, 52-53 Bible Focus = Psalms, Proverbs, Job Assignments due: - Exercise D (see course requirements above) March 23 Subject: The Writings: The Five Scrolls and the Chronicler's History Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapters 36-42 Smith, Holman Charts, Maps = pp. 63, 117 Bible Focus = I-II Chron., Ezra, Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Esther March 23 Subject: The Writings: Apocalyptic Literature Read: LaSor, OT Survey = Chapter 26, 43 Bible Focus = Joel, Daniel Assignments due: - Class Notebooks - FINAL EXAM