Summer 2017/InterVarsity’s NISET

NT500

Hansen

NT500: NEW TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Bruce Hansen.

DESCRIPTION: New Testament Introduction orients students to the literature of the New Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to New Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated that they (1) have an introductory knowledge of the literature, history, and theology of the New Testament; (2) can identify a range of questions (e.g., historical, literary, canonical) that might be addressed to particular New Testament texts and to explore those questions in the process of interpreting particular New Testament texts; (3) are able to take into account the varied contexts of both the biblical materials and their contemporary interpreters; and (4) can read the New Testament in ways that foster faithful Christian practice.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be a 7-day intensive, with 30 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of directed online learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. Class time will be divided between lectures on content and method, and hands-on work with texts. Significant student participation is expected. Students will be responsible for having read assigned sections of Introducing the New Testament and for preparing assigned passages of the New Testament to discuss online and in class.

REQUIRED READING:±780pages required, plus reading the entire NT.

The entire NT in English (using the NRSV, TNIV, or CEB) [25 hours].

Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson.Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Message. Eerdmans, 2001. ISBN: 978-0802837172, Pub. Price $44.00 [608 pp.].

Powell, Mark Allan. What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap Between Pulpit and Pew. Abingdon, 2007. Pages 11-27. ISBN: 978-0687642052. Pub. Price $16.99 [16pp., available on the course page on the NISET website.]

Choose one of the following three books to review:

Bond, Helen K. The Historical Jesus: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2012. ISBN: 978-0567033178, Pub. Price $25.95 [174 pp.].

González, Justo L. The Story Luke Tells: Luke's Unique Witness to the Gospel. Eerdmans, 2015. ISBN: 978-0802872005, Pub. Price $14.00 [129 pp.].

Longenecker, Bruce W. The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story from the New Testament World. Baker, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801026072, Pub. Price $19.99 [182 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 640-690 total pages of required reading, plus reading the entire NT. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4]. [76 hours, including 25 hours of reading the entire NT].
  2. Participation in online forum and in-class discussions (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4]. [40 hours, including 8 hours of DLAs].
  3. Two interpretive exercises on assigned NT texts (750 words each) (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2 and 3]. [12 hours].
  4. Critical review of one book: Bond, The Historical Jesus, González, The Story Luke Tells, or Longenecker, The Lost Letters of Pergamum) (750 words) (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2 and 3]. [7 hours].
  5. A research essay on an assigned NT text (2,000 words) (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4]. [25 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO FULLER CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015) and the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (1/16)