Introducing the Bible (BS8602C)

Content

This unit offers an introduction to the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It introduces students to the principles of scriptural interpretation within the Catholic tradition and provides a foundation for understanding Scripture in the context of Religious Education and the life of the Church. Through the study of selected biblical passages, students engage with various methods of interpretation and learn about how the Bible is understood in the Catholic tradition.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

This is the first unit in CTC’s program of units for the Graduate Certificate in Teaching Religious Education. (It replaces BS8600C “Sacred Scripture: A Foundation for Teaching Religious Education”.)

Pedagogy

Interactive lectures, discussions, reading and analysing biblical texts. Face-to-face intensive: spread over the semester, as either four full-day sessions or eight 3-hour sessions.

Indicative Bibliography

• The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version, with the Apocrypha: An Ecumenical Study Bible. Edited by Michael D. Coogan et al. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018
• Barton, John, and John Muddiman, eds. The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
• Binz, Stephen J. Introduction to the Bible: A Catholic Guide to Studying Scripture. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2007.
• Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014
• Brueggemann, Walter, and Tod Linafelt. An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. 2nd ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012. (recommended for purchase)
• Collins, John J. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.
• Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
• Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Biblical Commission’s Document “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church”: Text and Commentary. Subsidia Biblica 18. Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1995.
• Frick, Frank S. A Journey Through the Hebrew Scriptures. 2nd ed. Belmont: Thomson/ Wadsworth, 2003.
• Moloney, Francis J. A Friendly Guide to the New Testament. Friendly Guides. Mulgrave: John Garratt Publishing, 2010.(recommended for purchase)
• Perkins, Pheme. Reading the New Testament: An Introduction. 3rd ed. New York: Paulist, 2012.
• Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. 1993.
• Senior, Donald, Paul J. Achtemeier, and Robert J. Karris. Invitation to the Gospels. Rev. ed. Mahwah: Paulist, 2002. (recommended for purchase)
• Sumney, Jerry L. The Bible: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.

Assessment