NT622: Exegesis of 1 Corinthians Purpose of the course Module 4: 9 am - 4:15 pm, Sep 29, Oct 27, Dec 1 Gerry Wheaton gwheaton@gcts.edu This course will introduce students to the content and theology of Paul s first epistle to the Corinthians in its historical and cultural setting. The approach taken will emphasize the refinement of the skills associated with the study of a New Testament text for teaching and preaching purposes. Special attention will be given to analysis of the Greek text, to allusions and citations from the Old Testament, to pertinent aspects of the contemporary cultural setting, and to the theological shape of Paul s message in each section of the epistle. Monthly meetings Class will meet during module 4 to work through the exegesis of most of 1 Corinthians. We will follow the schedule below (subject to change as needed). - Saturday, Sep 29 o Morning: chs 1-2 o Afternoon: chs 3-4 - Saturday, Oct 27 o Morning: chs 5-7 o Afternoon: chs 8-10 - Saturday, Dec 1 o Morning: chs 11-14 o Afternoon: chs 15 Preparation for monthly meetings In the weeks leading up to each Saturday meeting, students must work through the Greek text of 1 Corinthians in detail as well as the assigned reading and pre-recorded lectures.
Readiness assurance tests ensuring student preparedness must be completed no later than the night before these meetings. These tests will be available on canvas and will include translation and syntax analysis as well as multiple choice questions covering reading and lecture material. - Test at the end of 1 st month: o Translation and syntactical analysis of 1 Corinthians 1-4 o Furnish ch 2 and additional reading to be provided (plan on 100-150 pp total) o Recorded lecture - Test at the end of 2 nd month: o Translation and syntactical analysis of 1 Corinthians 5-6, 8-9 o Furnish chs 3-4 and additional reading to be provided (plan on 100-150 pp total) o Recorded lecture - Test at the end of 3 rd month: o Translation and syntactical analysis of 1 Corinthians 11, 15 o Wright; Middleton chs 2-3, 7-8 (available on Lindsell) o Recorded lecture Optional weekly meetings For those interested in reading 1 Corinthians together with other students, we will hold weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings from 8:30-9:30pm. These meetings are entirely optional and are intended simply to provide a forum for reading Scripture outloud and talking through any questions that have arisen in students own prior work on the chapter. We will cover chapters successively across the semester (1 chapter/week). Required texts - Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Eerdmans, 2000) OR Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner The First Letter to the Corinthians (Eerdmans, 2010). - N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (Zondervan, 2010).
Recommended texts - Valerie Warrior, Roman Religion (CUP, 2006). - Furnish, Theology of 1 Corinthians (CUP, 1999). - J. Richard Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology (Baker, 2014). Evaluations - 60% Readiness assurance tests - 40% Exegesis paper Exegesis paper - Passage selection. You may select a passage of your choice. - Exegesis paper length and quality. Exegesis papers must be between 12-15 pages in length (double spaced). The goal must be detailed, thoroughgoing analysis of a passage presented in concise and straightforward fashion. Grades are based on the quality of the work, measured in these terms, rather than on the length of the work. I will not read beyond 15 pages! - A word on style. The appropriate style of writing is formal/academic, not conversational. You will learn much in this regard by imitating the writing style in most top-tier journal articles. The quality of your writing will be greatly improved, even during the course, by making regular use of Strunk and White (recommended above). - Content and format. All analyses should include the following critical components (listed below). How one writes up the results of one s analysis (i.e., paper format) is up to the student. The two best options are running commentary style (i.e., verse-by-verse) or a compartmentalized format, as found in the Word Biblical Commentary series. Footnotes should be liberally used and conform to the SBL Handbook of Style. If, however, students have mastered different footnoting style for another discipline at the seminary, this will be acceptable, as well. DO NOT devote any space to matters of introduction to the epistle as a whole (authorship, date, outline, structure, etc.). Simply delve directly into exposition. o Greek text. Detailed analysis of every facet of the grammar, syntax and semantics of passage. Grammar: Do not parse (unless the parsing is in dispute)! Rather, pull
the passage apart. Discuss, explain, and analyze every facet of the grammar that is not obvious or may be interpreted in different ways. Words: Look up several words that seem to have potential significance in the passage: does usage outside the NT contribute anything (LXX, Apocrypha, Josephus, Philo, Papyri/Inscriptions [Milton and Milligan])? Does usage elsewhere in the NT add anything to your understanding of the word in the passage? This is to be a densely written section. Be concise, not wordy! Verbosity will lose points. o Old Testament. This aspect of your work will be devoted to identifying and drawing out citations, allusions and echoes of the Old Testament. Identify the most important instances, probe their background in the original context of the OT, and discuss the contribution they make in Paul s argument. Your discussion will benefit from interaction with multiple technical commentaries and relevant journal articles (on Old Testament as well as 1 Corinthians). o Cultural backgrounds: Second Temple Jewish, Greco-Roman. This aspect of your work will be devoted to elucidating the relevant themes, customs or ideas from the Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds that illuminate the passage. Be sure to utilize pertinent dictionary and journal articles treating this specific facet of your passage in more depth than the commentaries are able to do. o Theological significance. This section is NOT a summary of your findings in the above sections. It is rather the place to trace the author s thought in the pericope (what is the point(s) the author is making by means of his inclusion of this particular story, at this particular point in his narrative, in the shape in which he has crafted it?) and to ask how this idea contributes to the flow of thought across this section of the Gospel and/or to the thought of the Gospel as a whole. Does the passage ultimately speak to our understanding of who God is (theology proper)? Who Jesus is (Christology)? What he came to do (Redemption)? How Paul expects the Corinthians to live (discipleship, mission)? Other issues? You may draw upon commentaries and articles for this section, but the bulk of the work should be your own reflection growing out of all the work you have done on the passage. o Use of secondary literature. Throughout the exegetical process, make use of the best scholarly literature to scaffold your engagement with the text. Your paper must
display considerable and critical(!) interaction with this literature. Be sure to interact with at least 2 reference grammars 1, 3-4 technical commentaries 2, and 4-5 journal and dictionary articles. Syllabus Addendum Academic Standards Cheating and plagiarism are considered serious breaches of personal and academic integrity. Cheating involves, but is not necessarily limited to, the use of unauthorized sources of information during an examination or the submission of the same (or substantially same) work for credit in two or more courses without the knowledge and consent of the instructors. Plagiarism involves the use of another person s distinctive ideas or words, whether published or unpublished, and representing them as one s own instead of giving proper credit to the source. Plagiarism can also involve over-dependence on other source material for the scope and substance of one s writing. Such breaches in academic standards often result in a failing grade as well as other corrective measures. For more information, please consult the Student Handbook. ADA Policy The seminary complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A student with a qualifying and authenticated disability who is in need of accommodations should petition the seminary in accordance with the stated guidelines in the Student Handbook. Cancellation of Class In the event the seminary has to cancel a class meeting (due to an impending storm, professor illness, etc.), the Registration Office will send out an email notification (via the GCTS email account) to all students registered in the affected course. If the cancellation occurs the day of the scheduled meeting, the Registration Office will also attempt to contact students via their primary phone contact on record. The professor will contact the students (via GCTS account) regarding make-up. If a weekend class is cancelled, the class will be made up during the scheduled Make- Up weekend (see the Academic Calendar for the designated dates). For more info, consult your Student Handbook. 1 Robertson; Zerwick; Moulton and Turner; Blass, Debrunner, Funk; Wallace. Kostenberger is an introductory grammar, not a reference grammar. 2 You must interact with 3-4 technical commentaries from the following series: Word, Anchor, Hermeneia, ICC, NIGTC. Also acceptable are Sacra Pagina, Pillar and BECNT.
Extension Policy Arrangements for submission of late work at a date on or before the end date for the semester or term (as noted in the seminary s Academic Calendar) are made between the student and professor. Formal petition to the Registration Office is not required in these cases. This includes arrangements for the rescheduling of final exams. However, course work (reading and written) to be submitted after the publicized end date for the semester or term must be approved by the Registration Office. An extension form, available online, must be submitted to the Registration Office prior to the stated date. Requests received after this date will either be denied or incur additional penalty. For a full discussion of this policy, please consult the Student Handbook. Grades Faculty are expected to turn in final grades by January 15 for fall-semester courses, by June 15 for spring-semester courses, and by September 15 for summer-term courses. Grades are posted on-line within twenty-four hours of receipt from the professor. Students are expected to check their CAMS student portal in order to access posted grades (unless instructed otherwise). Those individuals who need an official grade report issued to a third party should put their request in writing to the Registration Office.