Hebrews, Revelation and the Jewish Scriptures (BN3251C)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit will explore two books of the New Testament from the late first century CE: the so-called Letter to the Hebrews and the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse). It will examine the context, structure and theology of these works from a historical-critical perspective, with some attention also to other ways in which they have been interpreted. There will be a particular focus on how these two texts engage with the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament); to this end, the unit will examine ways in which the Scriptures were interpreted and appropriated in Judaism and emerging Christianity during this period, as well as methods of identifying and studying such uses of the Scriptures. (This unit may be offered in online or blended mode.)

Unit code: BN3251C

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: New Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Discuss the overall contents, theology and historical context of the Letter to the Hebrews and the Book of Revelation.
2.

Analyse how Hebrews and Revelation make use of the Jewish Scriptures.
3.

Interpret passages from Hebrews and Revelation using mature exegetical skills.
4.

Research and write up a specific argument related to the unit content in a critically rigorous manner.

Unit sequence

Two Biblical Studies units at second level.

Prohibited combinations: any unit that is substantially on Hebrews or on Revelation.

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Bauckham, Richard. The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1993.
  • Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.
  • Beale, G. K. and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MN: Baker Academic, 2007.
  • Blount, Brian K. Revelation: A Commentary. NTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.
  • Gelardini, Gabriella, ed. Hebrews: Contemporary Methods—New Insights. Biblical Interpretation Series 75. Leiden: Brill, 2005.
  • Gelardini, Gabriella, and Harold W. Attridge, eds. Hebrews in Contexts. Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity. Leiden: Brill, 2015.
  • Howard-Brook, Wes, and Anthony Gwyther. Unveiling Empire. Reading Revelation Then and Now. The Bible and Liberation Series. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999.
  • Koester, Craig R. Hebrews: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Anchor (Yale) Bible 36. New York: Doubleday, 2001.
  • Kugel, James L., and Rowan A. Greer. Early Biblical Interpretation. Library of Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986.
  • Vanhoye, Albert. A Different Priest: The Epistle to the Hebrews. Translated by Leo Arnold. Rhetorica Semitica. Miami: Convivium, 2011.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

2500-word essay (on a topic or passage in Hebrews or Revelation, including how it engages with the Jewish Scriptures)

 2500 50.0
Essay

2500-word essay (on a topic or passage in Hebrews or Revelation [whichever book was not written about in the first essay], including how it engages with the Jewish Scriptures OR on a topic that substantially involves both Hebrews and Revelation, including how they engage with the Jewish Scriptures)

 2500 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 22 Jul, 2020

Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:49 +1000