NT 506: Greek ExegesisCourse Syllabus

NT 506: GREEK EXEGESIS (2 Credits)

Reformed Theological Seminary

Instructor: Mark A. House, Ph.D.

I.Purpose

Learning to read the Scriptures in their original languages is similar to watching a sports game on a high-definition screen. A standard television screen will enable you to follow the game adequately, but "hi-def” is so much more detailed and life-like. In the same way, English translations of the New Testament do an admirable job of bringing God’s word to contemporary readers, but reading the New Testament in its original Greek language can give the text a greater sharpness and clarity that can add richness and color to your preaching or teaching ministry.

Building on a complete course in the basics of biblical Greek grammar, Greek Exegesis course takes you to the next level by putting you more directly in touch with the Greek text of the New Testament and giving you the tools necessary to “bring out” (the original meaning of “exegesis”) its meaning and communicate its message effectively to others. As you review the basic grammatical categories of first-year Greek, you will also study more advanced concepts of Greek grammar and syntax as well as expand your grasp of Greek vocabulary as you work your way through the original texts from the Greek New Testament. The course will also introduce you to some important concepts of hermeneutics and textual criticism.

II.Educational and Personal Objectives

  • To review and solidify the fundamentals of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax covered in first-year Greek;
  • To expand your knowledge of Greek vocabulary to include the 500 most frequently-used words in the NT;
  • To introduce you to more advanced concepts of Greek syntax and sentence diagramming as a way of doing syntactical analysis;
  • To become more familiar with the original Greek text of the New Testament through guided translation and exegetical analysis of various passages;
  • To gain skills in developing expositional sermon and teaching outlines that reflect the structure of the biblical text;
  • To be enriched and strengthened in your walk with God through the study of the Scriptures in their original language.

III.Course Description and Structure

This course meets oneFriday evening (6:30 to 9:30 pm) and Saturday (8 am - 3 pm) of each of three consecutive months—September 4-5, October 9-10, and November 6-7. Generally speaking, class sessions will alternate between lectures and practical application of the principles learned. By studying the text of selected passages, you will learn to do grammatical analysis, apply hermeneutical principles, and develop exegetical skills. Because of the modular nature of the course, students are expected to prepare for each intensive session in advance by completing the reading of the materials described in the “Advanced Preparation” sections of the detailed schedule below.

Twenty workbook and syntactical assignments will sharpen your skills as an exegete of the Greek text. Three exams will assess your mastery of course contents. An exegetical paper, due two weeks after the end of the course, will give you the opportunity to apply the contents of the entire course to the practical work of exegeting a passage from the New Testament.

IV. Examinations

Three examinations will be given during the semester, one at the end of each weekend module. Each exam will contain fifty questions covering the contents of the review material (20 questions) and the Wallace reading (30 questions) for the week in question. Exams will not be retroactive to previous modules. The exam questions will contain a mixture of true/false, multiple choice, and single-word fill-in questions.

V.Exegetical Presentation

Each student will present to the class a twenty-minute exegetical analysis of the New Testament passage chosen for the exegetical paper (see below). The focus of the presentation should be on how an understanding of the vocabulary and language of the Greek text sheds light on the meaning of the passage, and how these insights can be used in preaching and teaching. You should provide your fellow students with an outline of the presentation, including a Greek parsing table and syntactical outline.The use of PowerPoint is encouraged but not required. Presentations will be made during the final Saturday of the course.

VI.Exegetical Paper

Each student will be responsible to submit a 2,500-word exegetical paper that includes an exegetical analysis of a brief (3-5 verse) passage of your choosing from the Greek New Testament. The focus of the presentation will be on how an understanding of the vocabulary, language, and background of the Greek text sheds light on the meaning of the passage, and how theseinsights can be used in preaching and teaching. Your analysis should include 1) a parsingtable of the passage using the standard form provided in class; 2) a literal translation; 3) a clause and phrase analysis in English; and 4) brief discussions of significant grammatical, lexical, historical/cultural, and textual issues that shed light on the meaning of the passage. Your paper should conclude with a sermon or teaching outline of the passage that strongly reflects the structure of the passage. Your paper should draw insights from at least threescholarly exegetical resources (books or articles) beside the course texts. Footnotes and bibliography should follow Turabian format.Your paper should be submitted via the Canvas LMS by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 21.

VII. Attendance and Grading

Attendance at all portions of each of the course modules is expected and will be monitored on an hourly basis. Students will be allowed two hours of unexcused absence without penalty. Unexcused absence beyond the two hours will result in a diminishment of the overall grade by 5% per hour missed. Excused absences will be granted only for family emergencies or grave illness. Work-related scheduling conflicts are not grounds for excused absence.

Your final grade for this course will be weighted as follows:

  1. Exegetical and Syntactical Assignments: 40%
  2. Examinations:30%
  3. Exegetical Paper: 20%
  4. Class Participation and Exegetical Presentation: 10%

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NT 506: Greek ExegesisCourse Syllabus

RTS uses the following grade scale:

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NT 506: Greek ExegesisCourse Syllabus

Percentage / Letter
Grade / Grade
Points
97-100% / A / 4.00
94-96% / A- / 3.66
91-93% / B+ / 3.33
88-90% / B / 3.00
86-87% / B- / 2.66
83-85% / C+ / 2.33
80-82% / C / 2.00
78-79% / C- / 1.66
75-77% / D+ / 1.33
72-74% / D / 1.00
70-71% / D- / 0.66
below 70% / F / 0

VIII. Resources

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NT 506: Greek ExegesisCourse Syllabus

The course will employ two primary textbook resources: Basics of New Testament Syntax by Daniel Wallace and the Analytical Lexicon of New Testament Greek, edited by Dr. Mark House and Dr. Maurice Robinson (see textbook list below). In addition, students will work from the Workbook for New Testament Syntax by Daniel Wallace and Grant Edwards, the companion volume to the Wallace text.The Wallace text will provide you with an ordered and comprehensive overview of Greek syntactical structures and concepts. The Robinson/House lexicon will help bring into focus the contents of the review of first-year Greek and will provide a helpful resource for identifying and parsing difficult Greek word forms.The workbook will guide you through syntactical analyses of a variety of New Testament passages that illustrate the principles learned in the text. Each workbook lesson will be supplemented by a detailed syntactical analysis of the Greek words and a syntactical outline of on verse of each of the passages covered. Workbook answers and syntactical analyses should be included in a single Word document and submitted via the Canvas LMS. Please do not submit scanned documents.

Required Texts:

  1. Wallace, Daniel B. The Basics of New Testament Syntax. Zondervan, 2000. ISBN 9780310232292.
  2. Wallace provides the “meat and potatoes” of advanced grammatical and syntactical concepts, all well illustrated using New Testament passages.
  3. Wallace, Daniel B. and Grant Edwards. A Workbook for New Testament Syntax. Zondervan, 2007. ISBN 9780310273899.
  4. The Wallace workbook is the primary source for the weekly homework assignments for the course. It is closely tied to the syntax textbook and is designed to link the grammatical features learned with exegetical exercises taken directly from the New Testament.
  5. Robinson, Maurice A. and Mark A. House, eds., Analytical Lexicon of New Testament Greek.Hendrickson, 2012. ISBN 9781598567014.
  6. Besides providing an important reference tool for students doing exegetical work, the Analytical Lexiconalso has an extensive appendix of the major word forms of the biblical Greek grammatical system and a detailed glossary of Greek grammatical terms. This material will provide the basis for a systematic review of basic Greek grammar that will be carried on throughout the course.

Recommended Resources:

  1. Aland, Barbara et al., eds. The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader's Edition. Hendrickson, 2008. ISBN 9781598566345.

Although most students taking the course will already have a Greek text of the New Testament, the Reader’s edition includes vocabulary and parsing helps at the bottom of each page that facilitate reading of the Greek text without having to resort to outside grammars and lexicons.

  1. Rogers, Cleon L., Jr., and Cleon L. Rogers III. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. ISBN 9780310201755.

This work provides a verse-by-verse exegetical commentary on the New Testament, discussing key grammatical features of the text.

Other Resources:

All work for the class, including Greek, will be completed electronically and submitted via the Canvas Learning Management System using Unicode Greek. A system for Unicode Greek keyboarding will be taught in class. Also, electronic access to a morphologically analyzed (parsed) Greek New Testament will greatly facilitate the completion of class assignments and exams. (In addition to Bible software packages such as BibleWorks, Logos, and Accordance, several free versions, such as Bible Hub and Blue Letter Bible,include a parsed Greek NT and are available for online use.)

IX.Instructor

Dr. Mark House received thePh.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary in New Testament Studies (2002). His dissertation dealt with the correlation between linguistic style and authorship as related to the epistle of 2 Peter. He also hasan M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (1980), and a B.A. in Humanities from Biola University (1976). Dr. House’s work with RTS includes teaching Greek and New Testament Exegesis for the Distance Education departmentas well as doing thesis advising. He has previously taught seminary courses as an adjunct professor at Talbot School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Reformed Theological Seminary.Dr. House currently serves as Professor of Biblical Studies and Registrar at New Geneva Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs, CO.

In addition, Dr. House has twenty-five years of pastoral experience, having pastored two PCA churches in Southern California. He has also worked as an academic books editor for Hendrickson Publishers in Peabody, MA, and continues to do freelance editing. While at Hendrickson, Dr. House edited an edition of the Greek New Testamentand the Compact Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, and co-edited the Analytical Lexicon of New Testament Greek.

Dr. House currently resides with his wife Sharon (married 1975) in the beautiful Rocky Mountains just west of Colorado Springs, CO. Dr. and Mrs. House have four adult children.

Detailed Course Schedule

Module 1: September 4-5

  • Advance Preparation
  • Review of Vocabulary (from word list):Words 1-200
  • Review of Grammar (from Robinson/House Glossary): Article, Noun, Proper Noun, Declension, Case, Nominative Case, Genitive Case, Dative Case, Accusative Case, Vocative Case, Gender, Number,Direct Object, Indirect Object, Adjective, Substantive, Pronoun, Personal Pronoun, Possessive Pronoun, Relative Pronoun, Demonstrative Pronoun, Intensive Pronoun, Interrogative Pronoun, Reflexive Pronoun, Reciprocal Pronoun,Conjunction, Preposition,Adverb, Particle, Negative Particle,Conditional Particle,Interjection
  • Review of Word Forms (Paradigms) (from Robinson/House Word Tables, pages 401-416): Article, Nouns (First, Second, and Third Declensions), Adjectives, Pronouns (Personal, Demonstrative, Relative, Indefinite, Reflexive, Possessive)
  • Wallace Text:Part I: Syntax of Nouns and Nominals, pages 17-173 in Basics of NT Syntax.
  • Wallace Workbook: Complete assigned portions of lessons 1-8 in the Wallace workbook (see specific assignments below).
  • Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.:Lecture 1: Overview of the Course; Using the Unicode Greek Keyboard;Lecture 2: What is Exegesis?
  • Friday, 8:30-9:30 p.m.:Exegetical Practicum 1
  • Wallace Workbook lessons 1-4 and syntactical analyses (specific assignments below):

Lesson 1: John 1:6-14 (pp. 16-20); syntactical analysis of John 1:7

Lesson 2: Eph. 1:13-18 (pp. 31-34); syntactical analysis of Eph. 1:13

Lesson 3: John 18:15-17, 19-22 (pp. 36-39); syntactical analysis of John 18:15

Lesson 4: Phil. 1:9-13 (pp. 49-51); syntactical analysis of Phil. 1:9

  • Saturday, 8-10 a.m.:Lecture 3: Analyzing the Language: Biblical Words;Lecture 4: Analyzing the Language: Grammar
  • Saturday, 10-11 a.m.:Exegetical Practicum 2
  • Wallace Workbook lessons 5-8 and syntactical analyses (specific assignments below):

Lesson 5: Eph. 3:1-10 (pp. 53-59); syntactical analysis of Eph. 3:10

Lesson 6: John 4:43-54 (pp. 62-66); syntactical analysis of John 4:53

Lesson 7: Matt. 5:17-20 (pp. 75-77); syntactical analysis of Matt. 5:18

Lesson 8: Phil. 2:6-11 (pp. 84-87); syntactical analysis of Phil. 2:6

  • Saturday, 11a.m.-12 p.m.:Lecture 5: Analyzing the Language: Clauses and Sentences
  • Saturday, 12-1 p.m.: Lunch Break
  • Saturday, 1-2 p.m.:Lecture 6: Analyzing Historical and Cultural Backgrounds
  • Saturday, 2-3 p.m.: First Test (50 questions: 20 review; 30 new)

Module 2: October 9-10

  • Advance Preparation
  • Review of Vocabulary (from word list): Words 201-400
  • Review of Grammar (from Robinson/House Glossary): Verb, Compound Verb, Tense, Present Tense, Imperfect Tense, Future Tense, Aorist Tense, Perfect Tense, Reduplication, Voice, Active Voice, Middle Voice, Passive Voice, Mood, Deponent Verb, Indicative Mood, Primary Tense Suffixes, Secondary Tense Suffixes, Contraction
  • Review of Word Forms (Paradigms) (from Robinson/House Word Tables, pages 416-426): Indicative Verbs (Indicative Mood: Omega,Contract, and Μι Conjugations)
  • Wallace Text: Part II: Syntax of Verbs and Verbals, pages 174-285 in Basics of NT Syntax.
  • Wallace Workbook: Complete assigned portions of lessons 9-16 in the Wallace workbook (see specific assignments below).
  • Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Lecture 7: Analyzing the New Testament Text; Lecture 8: Exegeting Biblical Narratives
  • Friday, 8:30-9:30 p.m.: Exegetical Practicum 3
  • Wallace Workbook lessons 9-12 and syntactical analyses (specific assignments below)

Lesson 9: Phil. 1:15-26 (pp. 93-98); syntactical analysis of Phil. 1:21-22

Lesson 10: 1 John 4:8-15 (pp. 102-104); syntactical analysis of 1 John 4:9

Lesson 11: Matt. 5:13-19 (pp. 112-115); syntactical analysis of Matt. 5:13

Lesson 12: Rom. 11:9-12 (pp. 122-124); syntactical analysis of Rom. 11:11

  • Saturday, 8-10 a.m.: Lecture 9: Exegeting the Synoptic Gospels: Analyzing Sources; Lecture 10: Exegeting the Synoptic Gospels: Analyzing Forms
  • Saturday, 10-11 a.m.: Exegetical Practicum 4
  • Wallace Workbook lessons 13-16 and syntactical analyses (specific assignments below):

Lesson 13: Mark 2:16-18 (pp. 134-136); syntactical analysis of Mark 2:17

Lesson 14: Acts 3:1-10 (pp. 139-142); syntactical analysis of Acts 3:3

Lesson 15: Luke 19:41-43 (pp. 144-146); syntactical analysis of Luke 19:41

Lesson 16: John 11:32-44 (pp. 155-156); syntactical analysis of John 11:39

  • Saturday, 11a.m.-12 p.m.: Lecture 11: Using Bible Translations in Exegesis
  • Saturday, 12-1 p.m.: Lunch Break
  • Saturday, 1-2 p.m.: Lecture 12: Using Commentaries and other Exegetical Tools
  • Saturday, 2-3 p.m.:Second Test (50 questions; 20 review; 30 new)

Module 3: November 6-7

  • Advance Preparation
  • Review of Vocabulary (from word list): Words401-500
  • Review of Grammar (from Robinson/House Glossary): Clause, Lexical Form, Principal Parts, Aspect, Continuous Aspect, Simple Aspect, Stative Aspect,Subjunctive Mood, Optative Mood, Imperative Mood, Participle, Gerund, Genitive Absolute, Periphrastic, Infinitive
  • Review of Word Forms (Paradigms) (from Robinson/House Word Tables, pages 416-445): Other Moods (Subjunctive, Optative, Imperative, Participles, Infinitives), Εἰμί-all forms.
  • Wallace Text: Part III: Syntax of Clauses, pages 286-321 in Basics of NT Syntax.
  • Wallace Workbook: Complete assigned portions of lessons 17-20 in the Wallace workbook (see specific assignments below).
  • Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Lecture 13: From Exegesis to Exposition; Lecture 14: An Exegetical Example
  • Friday, 8:30-9:30 p.m.: Exegetical Practicum 3
  • Wallace Workbook lessons 9-12 and syntactical analyses (specific assignments below)

Lesson 17: 1 Thess. 4:1-9 (pp. 161-164); syntactical analysis of 1 Thess.4:1

Lesson 18: Eph. 2:1-10 (pp. 168-171); syntactical analysis of Eph. 2:8-9

Lesson 19: Acts 13:26-31 (pp. 173-176); syntactical analysis of Acts 13:28

Lesson 20: Luke 17:1-6 (pp. 182-184); syntactical analysis of Luke 17:3

  • Saturday, 8-12 a.m.:Exegetical Presentations 1-8
  • Saturday, 12-1 p.m.: Lunch Break
  • Saturday, 1-2 p.m.:Exegetical Presentations 9-10
  • Saturday, 2-3 p.m.:Third Test (50 questions, 20 review, 30 new)

Exegetical Paper due Nov. 21 by 11:59 p.m.

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