Interpreting the New Testament (BN1001W)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

BN1001W/1701W provides the foundational unit in New Testament studies and serves as a pre-requisite for all other BN units. The unit is based on inductive exegetical workshops that introduce a range of exegetical methods, together with readings and lectures on the genres, background and interpretation of the New Testament. The exegetical exercises sample the Synoptic Gospels, Fourth Gospel, Letters of Paul, and Revelation, in preparation for a final exegetical essay on a text in Matthew, taking into account any Synoptic parallels. Students who qualify to take the unit at second level will be expected to explore hermeneutics and exegetical methods more thoroughly, and in particular the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.

Unit code: BN1001W

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 1

Unit discipline: New Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Describe the contents of the New Testament: the types of literature, their particular interpretive demands, their place in the development of the canon, their theological outlook
2.

describe relevant aspects of the historical and social world of the New Testament era;
3.

Select and use appropriate interpretive approaches to the New Testament in the writing of an exegetical essay;
4.

Access and use the tools of New Testament interpretation: lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, primary sources, on-line resources, and others; and
5.

Make progress in making the transition from text to life, particularly in terms of theological reflection;

Pedagogy

Exegetical workshops and lectures

Indicative Bibliography

  • Achtemeier, P. C., J. B. Green and M. Meye Thompson, eds. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2001.
  • Elwell, W. and R. Yarbrough, eds. Encountering the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998; and Readings from the First-Century World: Primary Sources for New Testament Study. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998.
  • Fee, G. D. and D. K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
  • Gorman, M. J. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009.
  • Green, J. B., ed. Hearing the New Testament. Strategies for Interpretation. Grand Rapids, MI/Carlyle, UK: Eerdmans/Paternoster, 1995.
  • Green, Joel B. and Lee Martin McDonald, eds. The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
  • Hayes, J. H. and C. R. Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner’s Handbook. Atlanta: John Knox, 2007.
  • Johnson, L. The Writings of the New Testament. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999.
  • Via, D. O., ed. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. (Series of booklets on exegetical methods), Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971–2002.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Exegetical Essay

2000 word exegetical essay

 0 50.0
Workshop

1000 word workshop paper

 0 25.0
Workshop

1000 word workshop paper

 0 25.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 17 Oct, 2018

Unit record last updated: 2019-02-18 09:52:40 +1100