Galatians and James: Mission and Identity in Early Christianity (BN3200T)

Content

This unit provides an in-depth exegetical study of the New Testament epistles known as Galatians and James, with a particular focus on the themes of mission and identity. The study of these letters will begin with an examination of the social setting from which they emerged, examining them as literary arguments for a particular theological understanding of emerging Christian identity and early Christian mission. This unit will also consider how these letters continue to offer a model for the contemporary church when it comes to understanding mission and identity through comparison with modern scholarship on mission.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Prerequisites: an Introductory unit (18 points, or equivalent) in New Testament studies

Pedagogy

Lectures (pre-recorded online, or on campus), and seminars, or similar.

Indicative Bibliography

• Betz, Hans Dieter. Galatians (Hermeneia). Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979
• Boer, Martinus de. Galatians: A Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011.
• Davids, Peter H. The Epistle of James: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
• Dibelius, Martin. James : A Commentary on the Epistle of James. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976.
• Guder, Darrell. Called to Witness: Doing Missional Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015
• Martyn, J. Louis. Galatians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
• Moo, Yarbrough and Stein. Galatians. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
• Nissen, Johannes. New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 2006.
• Schnabel, Eckhard J. Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods. Nottingham: Apollos, 2008.
• Tickle, Phyllis. The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012.

Assessment