NT 401 Orientation to New Testament Studies MA in New Testament Cohort 2016 August 29-September 2, 2016 Scot McKnight smcknight@faculty.seminary.edu Note: There are readings and assignments due prior to the first day of class. Description of Course: An introduction to New Testament studies as practiced in the history of the Western theological tradition by New Testament specialists. Students will have the opportunity to encounter the most important voices in New Testament studies. As such, this course will be both exposure to names and methods many will not have known but will be foundational in that each class in the degree will make use of the names and methods studied. Objectives/Outcomes: Students Will: 1. Encounter the major figures in the history of New Testament studies. 2. Learn about the major methods in the history of New Testament studies 3. Practice the major methods in the history of New Testament studies. 4. Practice writing prose that is both informed and accessible to folks in churches. 5. Write one 7500 word essay on one major New Testament scholar, sketching his biography and his or her major contributions to New Testament scholarship. 6. Experience study in the collaborative context of a cohort. 7. Acclimate to the use of Zotero for all footnotes and bibliography. Required Textbook: There is only one common, required textbook for this class, but you will want to lock down on the scholar you want to choose and purchase what you need to know that scholar s work well. Total reading should be approximately 1,000 pages. P. Lopate, ed., The Art of the Personal Essay (New York: Doubleday, 1994) 777 pgs., ISBN: 038542339X, $15.05 Neill, Stephen, and Wright, Tom, The Interpretation of the New Testament: 1861-1986 (2d edition; New York: Oxford University Press, 1988). 480 pgs. ISBN: 0192830570, $56.00
In addition to this book, for the writing of the five essays (and over their career at Northern) I urge students to purchase the IVP dictionaries, beginning with The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (2d edition), The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, etc.. These dictionaries are up to date, provide bibliography, and are written by outstanding authors. There are other good dictionaries (The Anchor Bible Dictionary) but as the program develops you will want to acquire a good Bible dictionary. Alongside the essays in the above dictionaries, or The Anchor Bible Dictionary, I recommend the three-volume set by J. Arthur Baird, History of New Testament Research (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992, 2002, 2013). Course Requirements: 1. Prior to class the student is to submit 100 word summaries of each chapter in Neill-Wright (900 words total, all submitted at the same time, on Moodle). The purpose here is to show to the professor that you have read the material. I do not expect any student in the class to understand all that is in this book, or to remember all the names, or even to comprehend all that is going on this will be fire hose reading first exposure is good to get but it s a first. It will take four to five years to absorb the major names, recognize them, and know their major contributions. The class sessions will seek to get the big picture in mind. If you don t understand a page, read the next one and don t worry about it. We ll figure this stuff out. At times, then, you will feel like the book is exceeding your categories for understanding. (25% of total grade) Due date: August 26 2. Write a 7500 word essay on one major New Testament scholar, choosing one of the following: G. Bornkamm, Jesus of Nazareth R. Bultmann, NT Theology G.B. Caird, New Testament Theology D. Campbell, The Deliverance of God W.D. Davies, Paul and Rabbinic Judaism C.H. Dodd, According to the Scriptures J.D.G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity of the New Testament
Beverly Gaventa, The Apocalyptic Paul R. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament Morna Hooker, From Adam to Christ E. Käsemann, Perspectives on Paul Seyoon Kim, The Origin of Paul's Gospel G.E. Ladd, The Presence of the Future R.P. Martin, Reconciliation C.F.D. Moule, The Birth of the New Testament E.P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism A. Schweitzer, The Quest of the Historical Jesus N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God African Bible Commentary South Asia Bible Commentary IVP Women's Bible Commentary True to Our Native Land (African American commentary on the NT) Grading: On the basis of having read Neill-Wright you will have both some description and evaluation and on top of that do some research into that scholar s life, his or her major books and ideas. I recommend you read (or work with) that scholar s principal book; you are welcome to read more about and by that scholar. I have provided an abbreviated title of one such book for each author. Further details on the assignment will be given during the class. Each of your papers will be made available on Moodle to the other students. (75% of total grade) Due Date: 15 October Scale: A: 100-96%; A-: 95-93 B+: 92-90 B: 89-87 B-: 86-84 C+: 83-80 C: 79-75
C-: 74-70 D: 69-65 F: 64 or below Course Outline: First line is morning, second line is afternoon and will focus on the practice of methods. Monday Neill-Wright, 1-111 Criticism and Orthodoxy Textual Criticism and Translations Tuesday Neill-Wright, 112-146 Synoptic Problem, Historical Jesus Source and Redaction Criticism Wednesday Neill-Wright, 147-204, 313-59 Historical Context Sampling the Historical Sources Thursday Neill-Wright, 205-312* NT as Theology; Behind the Gospel Paul in Recent Discussions Friday Neill-Wright, 360-449 History and Theology * Focus on pp. 205-251 POLICIES FOR ALL MASTERS CLASSES NOTE: All communications from the seminary will go to your seminary email account. Contact ithelpdesk@seminary.edu if you need help forwarding your seminary email address to your personal email address. As a seminary community we hold integrity/hospitality as core values. Individuals are able to do their best work and thinking when their peers are fully present and engaged. We expect each person to both participate in class and carefully listen to others with the belief that everyone s contribution is equally important. Therefore, the following policies have been established in order to provide clarity in regard to attendance expectations and relationships in the classroom. Class Attendance Policy It is expected that students will attend and participate in all class sessions. Failure to attend at least 80% of class sessions is grounds for automatic failure. A professor may set other attendance expectations. Students are always expected to communicate with a professor in advance if they will be absent. Expectations are higher for online and intensive courses (see syllabus for specific requirements). Class Tardiness Policy The third time a student is late to the start of class, it will be counted as a class absence. It is also expected that students will return from a break by the time specified by the professor. Late Work Policy
If a student cannot complete the work for a course by the due date listed on the syllabus, they must submit a Request for a Grade of Incomplete form to the Registrar by 4:30 of the last day of the term. The form must be signed by the instructor and Dean of Students. The professor may set stipulations and grade reductions. In the absence of a formal request form, the student will receive a grade based upon work completed by the last day of the term. Turabian Format All papers, including footnotes and Reading for Further Study, must be submitted in the correct format according to Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7 th ed., 2007. Plagiarism Plagiarism is the act of passing off as one s own the words or ideas of someone else without providing proper acknowledgement or documentation. See the Academic Honesty Policy in the Seminary Catalog for more information on plagiarism and how to avoid it. Electronic Format All work submitted electronically must be in a Word document format (.doc,.docx). Technology Use in the Classroom Unless it is directly tied to note-taking or research for the class, students are expected to refrain from using cell phones, laptops, or other electronic devices during class. Course Evaluation in Moodle Students must complete an online course evaluation using the seminary Moodle system at http://moodle.edu in order to receive a final grade for the course. The evaluation will be open for one week starting the last day of the term. If you need assistance connecting to Moodle or accessing the evaluation, please send an email to ithelpdesk@seminary.edu.