Interpreting the New Testament (BN1701S)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit will introduce students to the literature and history of the New Testament writings. In particular, students will examine various genres and techniques employed in the text to testify to the good news of Jesus Christ and proclaim the fulfillment of Old Testament tradition. Students will also develop a working familiarity with a variety of aids and critical approaches used to interpret and engage the New Testament.

Unit code: BN1701S

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 1

Unit discipline: New Testament

Delivery Mode: Online

Proposing College: Stirling 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.

Demonstrate an awareness of the historical and social world of the New Testament era
3.

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.

Articulate the relationship of the New Testament to the texts and message of the Old Testament

Pedagogy

Online

Indicative Bibliography

  • Bockmuehl, M. Seeing the Word: Refocusing New Testament Study. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006.
  • Gary M. Burge, Lynn H. Cohick & Gene L. Green, The New Testament in Antiquity, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. (recommended for purchase)
  • Childs, BS Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments: Theological Reflection on the Christian Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.
  • Coggins, RJ and Houlden, JL. eds. A dictionary of biblical interpretation. London: SCM Press, 1990.
  • Cousar, CB. An Introduction to the New Testament: Witnesses to God’s New Work. Louisville & London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006. (recommended for purchase)
  • Elwell, W & Yarbrough R Encountering the New Testament (2nd edn, with CDs). Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998.
  • Green, JB (ed.) Hearing the New Testament: Strategies for interpretation. Grand Rapids, MI/Carlyle, UK: Eerdmans/Paternoster, 1995.
  • Johnson, LT. The writings of the New Testament. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999.
  • Smith, DE (ed.). Chalice Introduction to the New Testament. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2004.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

2000 word essay

 0 50.0
Book Review

1000 reading review

0 25.0
Essay

500 word document studies

 0 12.0
Essay

500 word document studies

 0 13.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 1 Nov, 2015

Unit record last updated: 2022-10-04 13:27:10 +1100