Dr. Dorian G. Coover-Cox OT407A Office: Todd 204 Exegesis of Exodus (3 hrs.) 214.887.5312 (o) / 972.241.4427 (h) dcox@dts.edu Wednesdays 1:00 3:40 p.m. Dallas Theological Seminary I. COURSE DESCRIPTION EXEGESIS OF EXODUS SYLLABUS An exegetical study of Exodus in its cultural and historical setting, with attention to its literary features and contributions to theology. Attention will also be given to preparation for preaching and teaching and to enhancing facility in reading Hebrew. II. COURSE OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALE One of the challenges of doctoral work and many professional and ministry positions is that those engaged in them need to choose areas of research, devise projects, pace themselves, shore up personal weaknesses, develop personal strengths, work independently and in groups, and the like. With those realities in view, this course gives advanced students the opportunity to select much of what they wish to investigate related to the study of Exodus, many specifics about the projects that they do, and to some extent the schedule that they will follow for turning in work. The course requirements should be considered guidelines, so that students are free to propose other options. III. COURSE TEXTBOOKS A. Required. Elliger, Karl, and Walter Rudolph, eds. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1984 and later. (=BHS) Available in Logos. B. Suggested. Selected Bibliography for Exodus All of these and others are valuable in different ways. Your use of them during the semester should help you decide which you may prefer to purchase for future use. Cassuto, U. A Commentary on the Book of Exodus. Translated by Israel Abrahams. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1967. Childs, Brevard S. The Book of Exodus: A Critical, Theological Commentary. The Old Testament Library, ed. Peter Ackroyd et. al. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1974. Dozeman, Thomas B. Commentary on Exodus. Eerdmans Critical Commentary, ed. David Noel Freedman. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009. Durham, John I. Exodus. Word Biblical Commentary, ed. David A. Hubbard and John D. W. Watts. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987.
Fretheim, Terence E. Exodus. Interpretation, ed. James Luther Mays et al. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1991. Garrett, Duane A. A Commentary on Exodus. Kregel Exegetical Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2014. Hamilton, Victor P. Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011. Houtman, Cornelis. Exodus. Historical Commentary on the Old Testament, ed. Cornelis Houtman et al., 3 vols. Kampen: Kok Publishing House, 1993, 1996; Leuven: Peeters, 2000. Jacob, Benno. The Second Book of the Bible: Exodus. Trans. Walter Jacob. Hoboken, NJ: KTAV, 1992. Propp, William H. C. Exodus 1 18: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Bible, ed. David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Propp, William H. C. Exodus 19 40: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Bible, ed. David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 2006. Ryken, Philip Graham. Exodus: Saved for God s Glory. Preaching the Word, ed. R. Kent Hughes. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005. Sarna, Nahum M. Exodus: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1991. Stuart, Douglas K. Exodus: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. New American Commentary, ed. E. Ray Clendenen. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006. IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Please think of the course requirements in terms of creating a collection of items, a portfolio, in other words, that may be useful to you now and in the future, particularly when you need to produce a writing sample for a job interview or an application to an academic program or when you are preaching or teaching and questions come your way. The goal is quality over quantity of pages produced. A. Reading Assignments Please read Exodus in the language of your choice, preferably in a translation that is somewhat or entirely new to you. As you read, allow yourself to stop now and then to check what you are reading in Hebrew. Please read also items distributed in class or posted as class documents, and of course, be reading selectively in the process of exploring questions that come to mind when reading Exodus, when preparing for class discussions, and while doing written assignments. Reading Exodus in Hebrew. You may want to suggest a project designed to enhance and demonstrate Hebrew reading skill. If this project is significant, you could proportionately lower your total pages for the written assignments.
B. Written Assignments Written assignments are of three main kinds, and you are free to propose a different kind to substitute or add, with a rough goal of twenty to thirty pages total; again, quality matters more than quantity. Please talk with me about your selections and your due dates, which you may request. 1. Commentaries. Please select a commentary about which to write a short review (half a page/150 words or less) for your own benefit and the benefit of the class. No more than two people per book, so that several books will receive attention and discussion. 2. Exegetical exposition. Please select a preaching/teaching passage and write an exegetical exposition of it. No more than two people per passage. 3. Topical studies, to be presented in writing and to the class as a whole. Select two or more topics of interest related to the Book of Exodus, about which you would like to enhance your knowledge. Your topics may or may not be related to the passage that you select for your exegetical paper. Some suggestions include the hardening of Pharaoh s heart; the plagues; large numbers; Egyptian chronology; features of the tabernacle; the relationship of Moses and Aaron; exploration of any of the following and their bearing on understanding Exodus: ANE covenants, laws, worship, structures; archaeology and Exodus; instructional material or preaching plans for a particular audience; Exodus and text criticism; Exodus and source criticism. Feel free to suggest others relevant to understanding and explicating Exodus. The following instructions are adopted and adapted courtesy of Dr. Toussaint. Length two pages, concisely written. Examined with interest in the following: 1. Clarity of understanding and presentation of the topic or problem. What s this about? Why does it matter? 2. Range of solutions, views, options regarding the topic or problem. 3. Bibliography. Have you consulted relevant and appropriate sources? Do you demonstrate that you understand what you read? 4. Overall clarity. Have you chosen a suitable order and spotted opportunities to omit unneeded words? 5. Persuasiveness. Where taking a position is expected and needed, even if tentatively, have you provided convincing reasons, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of your preferred position and of others? 6. Neatness and spelling. Ways to find mistakes: Run spell check. Read your work aloud. Use a bookmark to help you focus on one line at a time. C. Quizzes Announced quizzes will look at assigned vocabulary from Exodus. D. Word Study The Hebrew words for "heart" appear 840 times, and you will each have 60 of theses uses to examine and report on. V. COURSE POLICIES A. Weight Given to Course Requirements for Grading Written assignments will be weighted according to their proportion of the total. For example, someone might choose the following configuration: Topics 6 pages; Exegetical Paper 15 pages, making a total of about 22 pages, so that the paper would be 50%, and the editing and topics would total 30%, with 20% left for quizzes and the word study. Other
arrangements are possible. Please take advantage of the opportunity to turn in partial assignments ahead of your planned deadlines in order to take advantage of suggestions for improvement. B. Class Participation and Absences Regular class attendance is essential for attaining the goals of the course. For each absence in excess of the allotted number, the final grade may be reduced (see the DTS student handbook). Please do not miss class, even if you do not feel well prepared. Arrange to be on time and ready to work. (In other words, please do not create a need for either of us to become experienced in the enforcement of institutional policies about attendance, tardiness, late assignments, and so forth.) Because time is short, class presentations will be selective. Students are urged to ask questions in an effort to aid the progress of the class as a whole. Besides regularly being on time and mentally present, please let me know if you must be late or leave early. Beware of engaging in conversation with your neighbor during class. Please turn off cellular phones and do not even look at them during class. Do not leave class to take calls; let people know that you will be unavailable during class time. Talk with me if you have cause for an exception to this policy. Talking with you is one of my favorite activities. So do help me become acquainted with you. Feel free to ask questions and to schedule appointments with me for individuals and small groups. These appointments may be at times other than the hours listed with Jane Corey in the OT office. Sometimes a few minutes of talking in person or over the phone can save you hours of time and trouble. Look for ways to assist each other as class members. Note also the names of department tutors posted outside the OT office. C. Late Assignments Hmmmmmm. D. Plagiarism Big Idea: Avoid plagiarism. How tos: If you find words on someone else s page and put them on yours, place quotation marks around the words and give credit to the source. The minute you highlight anything and begin to use the copy and paste commands, you need to think about where the quotation marks will go. Likewise, if you find an idea to use, give credit. This applies to anything that you write any exegetical paper, essay, journal entry, question and answer assignment, exam, blog posting, grocery list, or email to your mom or best friend. If you are in a bind uncertain about how to do an assignment, running out of time, feeling inadequate in any way say so. Give God and yourself the opportunity to see what it looks like when you trust him to provide godly ways of escape and ways for you to learn and to develop your skills and voice. E. Letter/Numerical Grade Scale A+ 99 100 B+ 91 93 C+ 83 85 D+ 75 77 F 0 69 A 96 98 B 88 90 C 80 82 D 72 74 A- 94 95 B- 86 87 C- 78 79 D- 70 71 A = Work of excellent quality B = Work of commendable quality C = Work of acceptable quality
D = Work of minimal but passing quality VI. COURSE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION From the Administration: DTS does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the operation of any of its programs and activities. To avoid discrimination, the student is responsible for informing the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities and the course instructor of any disabling condition that will require modifications. Receive Weather and Emergency Alerts by Text Message DTS wants you to be aware of our emergency texting service. We strongly urge you to go to https://www.dts.edu/account/alerts/ and sign up to receive emergency texts related to weather or disaster school closing. VII COURSE LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE No. Date Class Description 1 Jan 18 2 Jan 25 3 Feb 1 4 Feb 8 5 Feb 15 6 Feb 22 7 Mar 1 Mar 6-10 Mar 13-17 World Evangelization Conference - No Classes Spring Break No Classes 8 Mar 22 9 Mar 29 10 Apr 5 11 Apr 12 12 Apr 19 13 Apr 26 14 May 3
May 8-11 Final Exam Week (No final exam for OT407) Syllabus revised 1.08.17