SOUTHERN EVANGELICAL SEMINARY 3000 TILLEY MORRIS RD MATTHEWS, NC 28105 Summer 2016, May 09-14 NT 501 3 credit hours Melton (Mel) B. Winstead, Ph.D. Tel: (704) 242-1944 E-mail: mwinstead@ses.edu I. DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE A survey of the life and teachings, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ as presented in the four Gospels and the spread of Christianity as recorded in the Book of Acts. Introductory material such as authorship, date, and the background of each book will be included. II. REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS Black, David Alan. Why Four Gospels? The Historical Origins of the Gospels, 2nd ed. Gonzalez, FL: Energion Publications, 2001, 2010. Bock, Darrell L. Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic Books, 2002. ISBN 0-8010-2370-X. Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, 5th ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2012. III. COURSE OBJECTIVES The objectives for this course are an attempt to strike a balance between three converging aims of study at SES: (a) the aims of the seminary itself for this course (see the SES Catalog); (b) the aims of the instructor for this course; and (c) the aims of the student for the course. Hopefully, through a cooperative venture of each of us and the help of the Holy Spirit, the course will come close to meeting this convergence of learning objectives. A. The Professor s personal aims for the course are as follows: 1. By the end of the course, the student will come to a greater understanding of and appreciation for the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who lives on the pages of the New Testament. 2. By the end of the course, the student will come to a greater understanding of and appreciation for God s glorious New Covenant Kingdom, especially as it is at work in our world today. 3. By the end of the course, the student will come to a greater understanding of and commitment to God s Great Commission, the primary calling of the Church of Christ today.
Page 2 B. Therefore, by the end of the course the following objectives will be attained: 1. The student will be able to defend the evangelical approach to the introductory material of the four Gospels and the Book of Acts, including such matters as authorship, date, theme, purpose, structure, background, etc. 2. The student will be able to interpret the historical narratives of the Bible, especially the New Testament historical narratives of the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. 3. The student will be able to articulate the arguments of each of the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. 4. The student will be able to articulate some of the subcategories of the New Testament historical narratives, such as discourse literature, parabolic literature, miracle narratives, genealogical lists, apostolic speeches, etc. 5. The student will be able to apply a biblical hermeneutic that accurately determines what is a historical precedent in the four Gospels and the Book of Acts (and, therefore, universally applicable) and what is not (that which is culturally bound). 6. The student will be able to do a biblical theology of select areas of study in the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. 7. The student will be able to integrate NT501 into the SES Mission Statement: The mission of Southern Evangelical Seminary is to train men and women, based on the inerrant and infallible written Word of God, for the evangelization of the world and defense of the historic Christian Faith. (Southern Evangelical Seminary Catalog, 2011-2012, p. 5). IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS *PLEASE NOTE: no late work is accepted in this course. In order to accomplish the above course objectives in a balanced way, the following course requirements will be adopted. All work must be typed or done a p.c. Further, all papers must use Turabian, 7th ed., when appropriate documentation is required. A. Reading and Class Participation. Each student must complete all assigned textbook readings and any additional assigned readings. B. Class Assignments and Projects. One 15-page research paper will be required, due by June 30, 2016. The paper is to be typed in Turabian style, 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and submitted in a Word doc. on Moodle. The paper will not be accepted via email; it must be submitted via the proper upload window on the Moodle site. The research paper will be on one of the following subjects: 1. The research paper must be research on an issue related to the Gospels or Acts. Examples of topics are: authorship, apologetics, prayer, the Holy Spirit, the historical Jesus, issues in the synoptic problem, etc. Please okay the topic with the professor by May 14 via Moodle message. All papers for this class are to be uploaded on the appropriate dropdown menu on Moodle. Emailed papers will NOT be accepted. *Important: The research paper shall not be a paper you ve already researched and/or written.
Page 3 2. The second paper is a book review (Black s book). The book review is a simple 2-page, double-spaced review in which you use the first two-thirds of the paper describing Black s point, and the final-third giving your assessment (did he make his case, argue his point well, etc.). This review should be uploaded to the Moodle page, and NOT emailed to me. Book review due May 17. 3. A Final Exam will be given. The exam will be comprehensive and will primarily consist of short answer and essay. It will be open books and notes, but there will be a time limitation. In summary then, the student s final grade will be comprised of the following assignments: 1. 50% for the research paper. 2. 35% for the exam. 3. 15% for the review. V. GRADING Grading Scale A = 97-100 B- = 86-87 D+ = 75-77 A- = 94-96 C+ = 83-85 D = 72-74 B+ = 91-93 C = 80-82 D- = 70-71 B = 88-90 C- = 78-79 F = 0-69 VI. ATTENDANCE AND PLAGIARISM A. Attendance. Since this is an online course for some, it is very important that you make every effort to keep up with your weekly assignments and reading. Each student should plan to put at least 9 hours a week into the course (135 total for a 3 credit hour course). Please see the breakdown in the grade percentages table above. B. Cheating and Plagiarism Policy. Plagiarism and cheating, regardless of the reason, are considered unethical and a violation of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College student code of conduct. The first offense will result in an automatic academic failure for the assignment and/or the course by a decision of the professor and approval by the Academic Dean. A statement will be added to the student s file concerning the offense and consequence. A student may appeal this decision to the Academic Committee. Subsequent offenses or those involving a thesis or dissertation may involve suspension from the Seminary or Bible College upon recommendation of the Academic Committee and decision by the faculty for dismissal from the Seminary and/or the revocation of a degree. Decision by the faculty is final.
Page 4 VII. COURSE SCHEDULE Abbreviations: DEH = D. Edmond Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament: Volume One JAS = Darrell L. Bock, Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels. RHG = Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament, 5th ed. DAB = David Alan Black, Why Four Gospels? Course Schedule Day Topics Assignments 1 2 Introduction to Course. Introductory Powerpoints, Political, Cultural, and Religious Antecedents Matthean Priority vs. Markan Priority (Synoptic Problem). Black s Why Four Gospels? Read RHG, chapters 1-6. Read JAS, chapter 1-3. Read Black s Why Four Gospels? Book Review Due May 17. 3 Gospel of Matthew Read RHG, chapters 7-8. 4 Gospel of Mark Read RHG, chapter 9. Read JAS, chapter 9-11. 5 Gospel of Luke Read RHG, chapter 10. 6 Gospel of John and Acts Read RHG, chapter 11. Read JAS, chapters 12-14.Choose Paper topic by May 14. Research paper due June 30. VIII. Bibliography Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006. Blomberg, Craig L. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. Downers Grove: Inter- Varsity Press, 1987. Blomberg, Craig L. Interpreting the Parables. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990. Bock, Darrell L. Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, A Division of Baker Book House, 2002.
Page 5 Bock, Darrell L. Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, A Division of Baker Book House, 2002., and Buist M. Fanning, eds. Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis. Wheaton: Crossway Books, A Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers, 2006. Bruce, F. F. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? rev ed. Leicester, Eng.: Inter-Varsity Press/Grand Rapids: Wi1liam B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1943, 1997.. New Testament History. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1969. Carson, D. A, Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 2 Vols., rev ed. New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906. Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. 3d ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981, 1993, 2003. Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994. Guthrie, Donald. The Apostles. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975.. Jesus the Messiah. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972. Habermas, Gary R. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ. Joplin: College Press Publishing Co., 1996. Hendricks, Howard G., and William D. Hendricks. Living By the Book. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991. Hoehner, Harold W. Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. Contemporary Evangelical Perspectives. Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1973, 1974, 1975. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977. Hurtado, Larry W. The Lord Jesus Christ. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003. McDowell, Josh. More Than A Carpenter. Living Books. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1977.
Page 6 McDowell, Josh, and Bill Wilson. He Walked Among Us: Evidence for the Historical Jesus. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988, 1993. McKnight, Scot. Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels. Guides to New Testament Exegesis. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988. Morris, Leon. New Testament Theology. Academie Books. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986. Schreiner, Thomas R. New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2008.