Galatians and James: Traditions in Conflict? (BN9200P)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit sets Paul's letter to the Galatians in dialogue with the letter of James, examining whether these two voices represent a genuine theological conflict or a complementary diversity within earliest Christianity. These two texts address one of the most contested theological fault lines of the early Christian movement: to what extent are Christ-followers bound by the obligations of Torah and covenant? How do faith and Law relate? The unit traces how early believers navigated competing allegiances — to Torah, to tradition, and to a new community formed around the risen Christ — and the significance of those ancient debates for contemporary constructions of Christian identity.

Unit code: BN9200P

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: New Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explicate an awareness of the dating, authorship, social setting, key themes, and literary genres of Galatians and James.
2.

Critically interpret passages from Galatians and James in conversation with secondary scholarship, demonstrating competency with chosen methodology
3.

Critically articulate the issues relating to identity and inclusion in the first century setting of Galatians and James
4.

Demonstrate an understanding of the key hermeneutical approaches to Galatians and James and their relationship to issues of contemporary contextual relevance

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: Introductory unit (24 points, or equivalent) in New Testament studies

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, tutorial groups.

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.
  • Rollens, et. al. (eds) Judeophobia and the New Testament. Eerdmans, 2025.
  • Webb and Kloppenborg (eds) Reading James with New Eyes. T&T Clark, 2007.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Forum - Forum

1500 words across 6 discussion forums

 1500 20.0
Essay - Exegetical

3,000 word exegetical essay

3000 40.0
Essay - Thematic

3000 word thematic essay

 3000 40.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 25 Jun, 2026

Unit record last updated: 2026-06-25 09:27:01 +1000