NTS 5511 DL Introduction to the New Testament ASHLAND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Spring Semester January 8-May 3, 2018 Online Course David A. desilva, Ph.D. Trustees Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek ddesilva@ashland.edu 1 I. Course Description This course introduces students to the critical study and interpretation of the New Testament. The course focuses students on hearing the New Testament writings as pastoral responses shaped by and addressing first-century socio-historical settings. It includes exploration of their theological and narrative content, exposure to diverse interpretive approaches, and examination of literary, historical, and cultural issues relevant to their interpretation. II. Student Learning Outcomes This course format consistently meets the same quality, assessment, learning outcomes and requirements of the traditional semester course format. As a result of this course, students will be able to: 1a. Articulate the content of the New Testament and major critical issues associated with New Testament interpretation. 1b. Demonstrate proficiency in the exegesis of, and theological and ethical reflection upon, the New Testament. [2. Not assessed in this course.] 1 Note regarding contacting the professor: I am more than happy to arrange for conversations by telephone or videoconferencing. My preference would be for you first to contact me by e-mail to set this up. I do understand that there are urgent situations, in which case you may of course contact me straightaway at 941-764-6047. Page 1
3. Identify (a.) the limits of their own cultural and social location upon their reading and interpreting the New Testament and (b.) strategies to compensate for the same for the sake of a richer engagement with the New Testament and its formational challenges. [4.-6. Not assessed in this course.] These learning outcomes reflect the primary goals that have guided the design of this course and to which each and every component has been selected or shaped to contribute, namely to provide: 1. Exposure to the historical, social, cultural, and religious contexts of these twentyseven texts, the contexts that constitute the larger matrix from which these texts emerge, upon which they drew meaning, and into which they spoke; 2. Immersion into the texts as pastoral words to (largely) particular pastoral challenges within particular situations, in the context of the critical and thoughtful examination of these texts over the course of the past two centuries; 3. Reflection on the texts, on the basis of and informed by the fruits of 1. and 2. above, for their formational word to us as disciples and as communities of disciples, and to hear the range of its formational word to a range of conditions and challenges. III. Course Requirements A. Textbooks and Other Materials 1. D. A. desilva, An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004). ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-2746-6. 2a. Brian K. Blount, gen. ed., True to Our Native Land: An African-American New Testament Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007). ISBN-13: 978-0800634216. OR 2b. Daniel Patte, gen. ed., Global Bible Commentary (Nashville: Abingdon, 2004). ISBN- 13: 978-0687064038. Page 2
3. A modern English translation of the New Testament, preferably the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), New International Version (NIV 2011), or English Standard Version (ESV). B. Attendance According to the Student Handbook, attendance at all class sessions is expected, unless the professor has been notified in advance and has approved the absence. Students should be on time and should stay through the duration of all classes. Any student missing more than six class hours (2 weeks) will be required to do additional work, receive a lower grade, audit or withdraw from the class, or be penalized otherwise at the discretion of the professor. In an online course, attendance translates into diligent engagement of the week s lectures, group work, discussion forums, and other venues for attaining the learning outcomes each week. One of the benefits of an online format is that, generally, such engagement can be worked in around the other facets of life, even the smaller emergencies that life throws our way. C. Assignments/Assessment of Student Learning 1. Online Engagement Online courses require that students take a more active stance in regard to attaining the learning outcomes for the course as well as contribute to one another s attainment of the same. Pay close attention throughout the course to the various facets of each week s venues for engagement of the material, both passive (e.g., viewing lectures) and active (e.g., engaging in the various discussion forums), and invest yourself fully not only for the sake of your own learning and processing, but also for the sake of your peers learning and processing. Each week, students should engage in reflection upon, and write brief but thoughtful responses to, the following questions. Keep these in a single, growing document. Students will ALSO post these responses in discussion forums laid out for this purpose each week: a. What new perspectives on the interpretation of the text did you encounter in the reading? In what ways could these perspectives be useful to you in your own attempts to understand Scripture? Page 3
These are simply essential questions students ought to ask of themselves every week in every class, so as to clearly and intentionally process their ongoing learning experiences and identify their own take-aways that make the experience of lasting value and impact. b. What questions arise for you out of the readings, whether pertinent to the New Testament text itself, or to the orientation/location of the interpreter whom you are reading, or pertinent to your own social location and ministry context? In other words, what could we profitably discuss in our forums in order to advance your own engagement with these New Testament documents and your own processing of the perspectives and approaches represented in the readings? This is important. You need to keep track of what you are getting and what you are not getting, so that your peers and, especially, I can help you in the latter area. c. What are the most salient or striking insights or challenges that you take out of the reading of, e.g., Matthew and the secondary readings about Matthew pertinent to the refinement of your sense of identity in Christ, your calling, and your ongoing journey toward Christ-likeness in a community of faith that is likewise on such a journey? Your responses here will contribute to your own and your peers reflection on the other dimensions of the curricular model embraced by ATS but not specifically assessed in the written assignments (the exams and exegetical paper). Students will submit, along with their final exams and exegesis papers, a complete electronic file of this informal journal to the professor as part of their online engagement component. A word about how online discussion forums will work: these will be largely retrospective. By the end of Week One (for example), you will post your own responses to the above, but in Week Two while we are also pursuing our largely individual grasp of the new material for that week (doing the new readings, viewing the new videos) we will discuss the posted materials from Week One. That is, the early part of Week Two will be the time to respond to what your peers have posted by way of questions and discussion topics and to review what your peers have posted in response to your posts, etc. Historically, it just hasn t been possible to cram this component into Page 4
the work of the previous week, since we re all typically only in a position to make our initial posts on day six or seven of that week, after we ve processed the material ourselves. You are, of course, free to post concerns and questions as early in the week as you wish, and I will myself try to dip in throughout the week to respond. Plan to respond thoughtfully and constructively (not Good thoughts! I agree! ) to at least two of your peers primary posts each week. 2. Midterm and Final Essay Examinations These instruments will determine to what extent the student has digested the course material and internalized the more essential content matter of the course. A successful examination will reflect close engagement with the course textbooks and the New Testament texts themselves, and will address all points of each exam question in an organized fashion. I like success more than surprises, so these exams will be distributed early (I will aim for weeks two and eight) so that you can use them as filters for study and gathering notes and thus work on them, in a sense, as you go through the whole course. Please note: students who have followed these directions have most frequently been happiest with my evaluations of their exams. 3. Exegetical Paper In order to practice and demonstrate his or her growing facility in the process of exegesis, each student will write an exegesis paper on a discrete unit of the text. In preparation for writing this paper, students will engage the broader range of exegetical skills contained in the ATS Model of Exegesis, available from the seminary web site. 2 This is a model for investigation, not an outline for presentation. Students will need to think through their discoveries and present them in a well-integrated explication of the passage. The paper should fall between 12 and 15 double-spaced pages (at 12-point type) and use a standard method of referencing (in-text references with works cited list 2 The many sections in the primary textbook, An Introduction to the New Testament, entitled Exegetical Skills provide another resource for thinking about these investigative lenses, typically offering models of their application that can guide you as you bring these questions to your own passage. I would urge students to choose a passage to study early in the semester, by the start of week 4, and then to use these Exegetical Skills sections to explore/investigate your passage week-by-week through the various lenses and approaches described. Begin, thus, to work on your paper in week four so that you have a rich product by week sixteen! Page 5
or standard footnotes). The paper will be evaluated on the basis of how well the student: a. shows evidence of having worked through the discrete questions and skills articulated in the ATS Model of Exegesis, as called for by the passage chosen; b. engages appropriate primary and secondary literature in the process of discovery and synthesis of those questions and approaches; c. presents his or her reading of the passage in clearly written, logically coherent prose; and d. discovers an organic connection between the work done in the exegesis of the passage and the application of the text to Christian discipleship and ministry and develops the latter. Your exegesis paper must show evidence of close interaction with at least three critical commentaries (such as are listed below) and three other academic sources (journal articles, scholarly books and monographs, entries from substantial bible dictionaries like the Anchor Bible Dictionary, the New Interpreter s Dictionary of the Bible, or the IVP Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and Dictionary of New Testament Background). A critical commentary is one that seeks to lead out the meaning of the text under investigation fully in the light of linguistic/lexical, literary, historical, philosophical, tradition-historical, and cultural contexts. They are therefore valuable resources for answering many of the questions found in the ATS Model of Exegesis. The following series provide excellent examples of what I have in mind: Word Biblical Commentary (WBC), New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC), New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), Anchor Bible Commentary (AB), Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT). Many other commentaries would fit the bill (e.g., Robert Gundry s on Mark and Matthew, Craig Keener s on Matthew and John). The course textbook, An Introduction to the New Testament, provides a fairly up-to-date (2004) starting place for additional sources. Recent critical commentaries are also excellent places to look for bibliographic information. I am available for consultation on resources as well. D. Calculation of Grade and Connection of Learning Outcomes Assignments Learning Outcomes Percent of Final Grade Page 6
Online Engagement 1a, 3 25 Midterm Exam 1a 25 Final Exam 1a 25 Exegesis Paper 1b, 3 25 IV. Course Schedule The following table lays out our tentative schedule. Reading the actual text of the New Testament is an essential part of this course, even if you consider yourself to be highly familiar with its contents. In the best-case scenario, you would read the text once in one translation prior to reading the textbook, and a second time in a second translation after reading the textbook. I recognize that two readings will not always be possible, especially with the longer NT books but never omit a first fresh, thoughtful reading through of the NT book before digging into the textbook and other materials. Week Dates Lecture/Topic Readings/Assignments 1 1/8-1/14 The World Between the Testaments INT, 19-110; TONL, 1-7, 11-30 or GBC, xxi-xxxii; Videos on history from Alexander to Hadrian; Video on the Apocrypha (general introduction); 2 1/15-1/21 The Social and Cultural World of the New Testament Optional resources: lectures 2-8 on the Apocrypha INT, 111-144; desilva, We Are Debtors (.pdf); desilva, Jews in the Diaspora (.pdf) Video on Roman Imperial Ideology; Optional resources: Videos on Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity Page 7
3 1/22-1/28 Four Gospels, One Jesus Online Exercise on Gospels and History INT, 145-193; GBC, 329-349 desilva, Sample Assessments of Jesus Traditions (.pdf) ; Optional resources: desilva, Jewish Teachers of Jesus, 14-30 (.pdf) 4 1/29-2/4 Mark s Gospel The Gospel of Mark; INT, 194-233; TONL, 121-157 or GBC, 367-384; desilva, Jewish Teachers of Jesus, 158-174 (.pdf); Videos: Capernaum; The Gospel of Mark in the Shadow of Rome; 5 2/5-2/11 Matthew s Gospel The Gospel of Matthew; INT, 234-297; TONL, 85-120 or GBC, 350-366; Video: Jesus and Ben Sira; 6 2/12-2/18 Luke s Gospel The Gospel of Luke; INT, 298-348; TONL, 158-185 or GBC, 385-400; Videos: Luke s Infancy Narrative and Imperial Ideology ; When You See Jerusalem Surrounded By Armies ; 7 2/19-2/25 John s Gospel and Communities 8 2/26-3/4 Introduction to Paul; Acts MIDTERM EXAM DUE The Gospel of John; 1-3 John; INT, 391-474; (con t.) TONL, 186-212, 496-517 or GBC, 401-411, 553-558; The Acts of the Apostles; INT, 475-492, 348-390; TONL, 31-42, 213-248 or GBC, 419-428; Optional: Video on Athens and Paul s Visit; Page 8
desilva on Paul and his Encounter with Christ (from forthcoming Galatians Commentary;.pdf) 3/5-3/11 Breathe. Just breathe. (BREAK ) 9 3/12-3/18 Galatians and Romans 10 3/19-3/25 1 & 2 Thessalonians; 1 & 2 Corinthians Paul s Letters to Galatia and Rome; INT, 493-526, 598-639 TONL, 333-347, 249-275 or GBC, 429-443, 463-472 Videos: Transformation as the Heart of Paul s Gospel (all parts); Rome; Pisidian Antioch; Paul s Letters to Thessalonica and Corinth; INT, 527-597; TONL, 276-332, 389-408 or GBC, 444-462, 500-507; Video: Paul s Corinth; 11 3/26-4/1 HOLY WEEK In honor of Holy Week, I m giving you this time to make sure you re all caught up and also to get a head start on your exegetical paper (alongside your church duties). 12 4/2-4/8 Paul s Prison Paul s Letters to Philippi, Philemon, Ephesus, Epistles and Colossae; INT, 640-732; TONL, 43-62, 348-388, 437-443 or GBC, 473-499, 522-526; Video: Wisdom s New Face; 13 4/9-4/15 The Pastorals; Paul s Letters to Timothy and Titus; The Letter Letter to the to the Hebrews; Hebrews INT, 776-813; TONL, 409-436, 444-460 or GBC, 508-521, 527-538; Videos on Hebrews and Patronage; Hebrews and Purity; 14 4/16-4/22 James, Peter, James, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude; Jude INT, 814-884; TONL, 461-495, 518-522 or GBC, 539-552 Page 9
Videos on 1 Peter and Honor; 1 Peter and Kinship; James and Ben Sira; 15 4/23-4/29 Revelation; Work on final exams and exegetical papers! The Revelation of John; INT, 885-932; TONL, 523-558 or GBC, 559-570; Videos: Revelation and Roman Imperial Ideology (parts 1-3); (focus on REVELATION for these); Formation of the New Testament Patzia, Making of the New Testament, 166-191 (.pdf); Work on final exams and exegetical papers! 16 4/30-5/4 EXAM WEEK EXAMS, PAPERS, and JOURNALS are due by 5pm on Friday, May 4. NO late work will be accepted without prior, successful appeal for an incomplete or, in extreme circumstances, extension. V. Recommendations for Lifelong Learning 1. Select a second introduction to the New Testament, particularly one written from a different theological location, and put it into critical dialogue with my own. Suggestions would include: R. E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (New York: Doubleday, and New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997); M. E. Boring, An Introduction to the New Testament: History, Literature, Theology (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012); B. D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings (5th ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011); C. R. Holladay, A Critical Introduction to the New Testament (Nashville: Abingdon, 2005). What arguments/positions seem stronger? Where will you finally come down on points of historical setting, composition, and meaning? Page 10
2. Pursue more in-depth study of particular New Testament books in their historical, cultural, and theological contexts by taking upper-level courses, e.g., on Luke, Romans, or Revelation. 3. Create a reading plan for working through the most salient Jewish and Greco-Roman literature of the Hellenistic and Roman periods to enrich your understanding of the socio-political and cultural world within which the early Christian movement took shape and by which it was deeply formed. The suggestions for further reading at the end of INT, chapter 2, will help you in this endeavor. 4. Read more in-depth studies on individual New Testament books and figures (e.g., Jesus, Paul, James) to take your knowledge to the next level beyond this brief introduction. 5. Teach or preach through several books of the New Testament, interacting in your preparation with what you have learned in this course as well as several of the suggestions for further reading at the end of the appropriate chapters in INT. VI. Seminary Guidelines A. ATS Academic Integrity Policy Ashland Theological Seminary expects each student to uphold the Seminary s core value of academic excellence by contributing to an environment that is both challenging and supportive. In such an environment a student will neither seek nor offer improper assistance. All students have an obligation to be forthright in their academic endeavors and to respect ethical standards. The work that one submits for academic evaluation must be one s own, unless an instructor expressly permits certain types of collaboration. Academic integrity requires that each student will use one s own capabilities to achieve one s fullest potential and will neither offer nor accept aid that is not in keeping with regularly accepted standards of academic integrity. Failure to conform to this conduct shall constitute academic dishonesty. The full Academic Integrity Policy statement may be found in the Student Handbook. B. Seminary Writing Consultation Service Service The Seminary Writing Consultation Service can help you brainstorm, draft, and revise your writing assignments in your graduate Seminary classes. Masters-qualified Page 11
Consultants can advise you online or in person. E-mail your request for assistance to swc_group@ashland.edu Include the following information: Your name, the course # & professor s name, a brief description of the assignment, and your timeline. For more information, visit: http://seminary.ashland.edu/services/studentservices/seminarywriting-consultation-services C. Accessibility Resources and Accommodations It is Ashland University s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on a disability, please contact the Student Accessibility Center at 419-289-5904, or send an email to dservices@ashland.edu. The Student Accessibility Center office and the course instructor will work together in order to establish accommodations and to meet your learning needs. D. ATS Grading Scale Grad Percent Description e A 97-100 Superior achievement of course objectives, diligence and originality, high degree of freedom from error, outstanding evidence of ability to utilize course knowledge, initiative expressed in preparing and completing assignments, positive contributions verbalized in class. A- 92-96 B+ 89-91 B 86-88 Good work submitted, commendable achievement of course objectives, some aspects of the course met with excellence, substantial evidence of ability to utilize course material, positive contributions verbalized in class, consistency and thoroughness of work completed. B- 83-85 C+ 80-82 C 77-79 Acceptable work completed, satisfactory achievement of course objectives, demonstrating at least some ability to utilize course knowledge, satisfactory class contribution. C- 74-76 D+ 71-73 Page 12
D 68-70 Passing but minimal work, marginal achievement of course objectives, poor performance in comprehension of work submitted, inadequate class contributions. D- 65-67 F Below 65 Unacceptable work resulting in failure to receive class credit, inadequacy of work submitted or of performance and attendance in class. VII. Selected Bibliography or References Suggestions for further reading/bibliography can be found at the end of every chapter in INT. Other important bibliographic resources would include the main bibliographies and sectional bibliographies in the individual volumes of the Word Biblical Commentary as well as the main bibliographies in the individual volumes of the New International Commentary on the New Testament and New International Greek Testament Commentary. Page 13