GOT 720 MESSIANIC PROPHECY COURSE SYLLABUS Maranatha Baptist Seminary, Watertown, WI Fall 2017 Dr. Fred Moritz Cell: 256-318-0897 FMoritz@mbu.edu Office Hours: Tuesday Friday 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. COURSE DESCRIPTION: GOT 720 will examine the Messianic prophecies in light of the chronology of God s progressive revelation. This course includes the exegesis of key Old Testament passages and the examination of the New Testament fulfillment of these prophecies. (3 credit hours) The Old Testament, the first three quarters of the Bible, is the gospel of Messiah. The most important feature of the Old Testament is the way it depicts the nature of our relationship with God and His promised Messiah. This class provides a whole new set of lenses for seeing the Messiah throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, learning to read it as they were meant to be read. 1 COURSE TEXTBOOK: Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ha-Mashiach: The Messiah of the Hebrew Scripture (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries; Revised Edition, 2014), 200 pages; ISBN-13:978-1935174332. SCHEDULED CLASSROOM HOURS: Tuesday & Thursday, 7:50 a.m. 9:05 a.m. COURSE GOALS: A. To explain something of the unique purpose and grace of God in planning salvation for mankind in eternity past B. To gain an understanding of the overall plot line of Scripture C. To comprehend how the purpose of God is specifically revealed in the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah D. To further understand how the Old Testament Messianic prophecies are fulfilled in Christ in the New Testament 1 John H. Sailhammer, Messiah in the Old Testament course syllabus, Western Seminary, Portland, OR, n.d. 1
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able: A. To explain the use of the Messiah motif in the Old and New Testaments B. To comprehend God s purpose from eternity past as revealed in Scripture C. To explain how God has worked out His eternal purpose and is working it out through the plot line revealed in Scripture D. To correctly interpret passages that reveal the Messiah E. To explain the theological importance of the term the Christ in the New Testament F. To study and interpret Messianic passages that are not studied in this course G. To prepare messages or teaching material on the Messianic theme for use in local church ministry H. To make proper relevant application from Messianic passages in presenting the Gospel and in preaching the whole counsel of God to believers I. To increase our love for God and His Messiah READING ASSIGNMENTS: A. Read 1200 pages (including the course text) in the sources listed in the Course Bibliography and other sources. You will easily accomplish this as you study for your projects and research paper. Use any of the books listed in the Course Bibliography, plus commentaries and journal articles. B. Complete the required reading. Submit a summary of all reading completed, including reading for the research paper. Report the author, title, (for a journal, title of article, and title of journal, volume number and date), beginning page, ending page, and total number of pages read. Include a final total. Report due December 4 RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS: A. Write a research paper 20-25 pages in length on a Messianic prophecy contained in the Old Testament. This must be new work for you. You may not write on any subject on which you have written for another course (e.g. Isaiah). Do an exegetical or expositional study of the passage. Deal with any current issues that may relate to the passage such as alternative interpretations. If the passage contributes to further revelation from God in the Old Testament, demonstrate that. (An example of this would be how one covenant prepares the way for the revelation in a future one; how Psalms develop ideas from previous prophetic utterances; or how themes such as king or branch progressively develop.) Be sure to document and explain the New Testament fulfillment of the prophecy in Christ. You must use standard Turabian format. Include a bibliography of at least 12 sources. Journal research is expected. Paper due December 4 B. Write four outlines of other Old Testament Messianic prophecies of your choosing. These outlines must also be new work for you. You have considerable freedom in choosing the form of the outline. Men may choose to do sermon outlines, Bible study outlines, analytical outlines, or class lectures. Women may choose to do outlines for class lectures, devotions at a ladies meeting, analytical outlines, or even Sunday school lessons for children. Each outline should be no more than four pages. Include a bibliography of sources consulted in your work. Outlines due October 19 2
C. Devotional Articles: Write two one-page devotionals on some aspect of Messianic prophecy. You will be assigned a subject on which to write after the November 7 exam. These devotional articles are not academic, but devotional. They are not to exceed one page in length. A template for these devotional articles is posted in the course page. Due Date: November 30 TESTING: A. An exam will be given November 7. This exam will cover material in the first two sections of the class notes. You will be asked one question that will reveal your comprehension of a major concept in the notes. The class notes themselves are the study questions for this exam. B. A final exam will be given during the week of final exams, December 11-12. This exam will cover the section on selected Messianic prophecies. The class notes themselves are the study questions for this exam. You will be asked to write on prophetic passages of the professor s choosing. GRADE COMPOSTION Research Paper 20% Outlines 20% November 7 Exam 20% Final Exam 20% Reading 10% Participation 5% Devotionals 5% GRADING SCALE 100-94 A 82-81 C+ 93-92 A- 80-75 C 91-90 B+ 74-73 C- 89-85 B 72-64 D 84-83 B- 63-0 F COURSE CALENDAR Outlines on OT Prophecies October 19 Exam November 7 Devotional Articles November 30 Reading Report December 4 Research Paper Final Exam December 11-12 3
SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS Reading Report: There is an Excel form on the course page which should be completed and submitted in eracer. All Other Assignments: Submit the rest of your assignments in the appropriate place on eracer. Please submit them in Microsoft Word format. Assignments submitted in PDF format will be returned for you to submit in Word. WEB BROWSERS Do not use Google Chrome or the newest version of Internet Explorer. We have experienced compatibility issues between these browsers and eracer. CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE Come to class prepared to ask questions and participate in the discussions that develop. Please do bring your notebook computer or other electronic device. Use it to take notes and feel free to connect to the Internet. We will likely consult Hebrew and Greek resources. It is also highly likely that we will engage in some impromptu research on issues that arise. Please do not use your computer, mobile phone, or other device to engage in personal interaction while class is in session. We will make a roll call at the beginning of each class session. The professor will report attendance and tardy arrival to class for each session. SEMINARY LATE ACADEMIC WORK POLICY You are now studying at a graduate level; expectations are, therefore, high. The Seminary expects you to perform your academic work in a timely fashion. The development of time- management skills while in Seminary will greatly benefit you in the future, both in your personal life and in your ministry. Ministry involves managing numerous activities at one time. You are preparing for a life ministry which will focus primarily on serving people. This demands a serious consideration of your own schedule and the schedules of those whom you serve. To encourage you in the development and strengthening of your time-management skills, the Seminary has established a Late Academic Work Policy. This policy is the minimum penalty for work not turned in on time. The professor may impose a greater penalty, but not a lesser. Work not turned in on the day it is due will have its grade reduced 4% for each calendar day it is late. The Seminary realizes that serious extenuating circumstances, such as a lengthy illness or a death in the family, may prevent some students from completing class projects on time. Requests for appropriate extensions for these types of serious circumstances may be made to the Seminary Academic Senate, via a written petition submitted to the seminary office. ADA The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, the law requires that all students with disabilities be given a learning environment that provides for 4
reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Learning Assistance Program Director in Old Main Room 207 (ph. 920/206-2340) or email learningassistance@mbbc.edu. 5