Engaging with the New Testament (BS0142W)

Content

This unit is part of the TransFormation program, for students whose first language is not English.

This unit introduces students to the key figures, events, and contexts of the New Testament, as well as basic skills of exegesis. This unit exposes students to the different contexts of the biblical text, including the world of its writers, and its communities. When studying the text itself, students will learn to recognise different genres and utilise relevant exegetical tools and methods for interpretation. Students will also consider how their own context can bear upon biblical interpretation by offering a reading of a biblical text for church and faith contexts today.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

This unit is part of the TransFormation Program, and does not replace foundational BS units.

Pedagogy

Lectures, Workshops, Tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

• Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. 2nd edition. William B. Eerdmans, 2017.
• Boring, M. Eugene. An Introduction to the New Testament: History, Literature, Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012.
• Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament: The Abridged Edition. Edited by Marion L. Soards. Yale University Press, 2016.
• Burge, Gary M, Gene L Green and Lynn H Cohick. The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament Within its Cultural Context. Zondervan, 2010.
• Capes, David B, E Randolph Richards, and Rodney Reeves. Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters, and Theology. InterVarsity Press, 2017.
• Fee, Gordon D and Douglas K Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Fourth edition. Zondervan, 2014.
• Gaventa, Beverly Roberts. When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel according to Paul. Baker Academic, 2016.
• Gorman, Michael J. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. Third edition. Baker Academic, 2020.
• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. 2nd edition. InterVarsity Press, 2014.
• Lawrence, Louise J. The Word in Place: Reading the New Testament in Contemporary Contexts. London: SPCK. 2009.
• Schneiders, Sandra M. The Revelatory Text: Interpreting the New Testament as Sacred Scripture. 2nd edition. Liturgical Press, 2016.

Assessment