Introduction to Youth Ministry

OT 1231-011P. Conway

BACKGROUNDS TO THE BIBLE

(ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN HISTORY AND LITTERATURE)

COURSE SYLLABUS

Zion Bible College

OT 1231-01, 2 credits

Spring 2011

Wednesdays, 3:45-4:35 & 4:45-5:35 PM

Classroom Bld. 108

Rev. Paul Conway, Associate Professor MDiv.

Office: ClassroomBuilding 110

Office phone: (978) 478-3457

E-mail:

Office Hours

Tuesdays, 1:45PM – 2:35 PM

Thursdays 1:45 PM – 2:25 PM

The mission of Zion Bible College is to teach and train students for Spirit filledexcellence in ministry, in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course examines the context of the biblical world. Emphasis is placed on the historical, literary and archaeological settings in which biblical history and thinking transpired. Where relevant, the civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and Israel are examined. The course is enhanced with a field trip to the Harvard Semitic Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Summarize the periods of ancient history for Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome relevant to biblical studies.
2. Identify the key figures of history in the Ancient world relevant to biblical history.
3. Demonstrate a general knowledge of primary source material from the ancient world.
4. Interpret the context of scripture through the nuance of cultural context.
5. Develop a familiarization with tools for finding the context of scripture in the ancient world.
6. Dialog and comprehend the structure and context of law codes in the ancient near east.
7. Identify the material culture of the ancient civilizations housed in the Harvard Semitic Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
8. To prepare undergraduate students for graduate level studies in primary source material by giving them initial exposure.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:

Arnold, Bill T & Beyer, Bryan E.Readings from the Ancient Near East Grand Rapids, MI: Backer Academic, 2002.

KJVApocrypha, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishing, 1998.

Whiston,William The Works of Josephus Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Pub. Co., 1987.

RECCOMENDED TEXTS

Kaiser, Walter Jr. ad. et. The Archaeological Study Bible Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2006.

Vermes, Geza The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in EnglishNY, NY: Penguin Classics, 2004.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Option A)

1. Mid Term and Final: There will be a mid-term and final examination to measure the students grasp and comprehension of the material being taught.

1. Quizzes: There will four quizzes throughout the semester.

1. Field Trip, Journal and Summary Essays: A mandatory trip to the Harvard Semitic Museum and Boston Museum of Fine arts will take place on Wed. April 23rd. A field guide for notes is provided and submitted for grading the following week. Two summary essays for each museum will be typed in truabian format one week later. Handwriting in the field guide must be legible.

1. Reading: Students should pre-read assigned reading from the two texts and student packet as disclosed in the suggested reading schedule below. In summary the following material is required
2. Readings from the Ancient Near East:
3. Part 1:1-12
4. Part 1:1
5. Part 4:17
6. Part 5:21, 23
7. Part 6:27, 30
8. Part 8:39-44
9. Part 9:45, 48, 49
10. Part 10:50-54
11. Part 11:55-57
12. Part 12:59-61

• Apocrypha
• 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees.
• Josephus
• Selected passages assigned in class and completed outside.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Option B)

1. Four Short Research Papers:Students shall do four short research papers one on a historical period, One on a people group and two historical figures To grow historically the student will pick the period of history that interests them. From there all historical figures and literature will come from that period. Samples of selection are provided below. These are merely suggestions. Students must pick all topics by the second week of class. This will require you to read and cite primary source material. A sample of one historical anatomy is attached to this syllabus. All work must be in Turabian format. Each paper shall be no less than three pages with foot notes. Historical overview and anatomy #1 is due the week of the mid-term and the two remaining anatomies are due the week of the final.

1. Quizzes: There will four quizzes throughout the semester.

1. Field Trip, Journal and Summary Essays: A mandatory trip to the Harvard Semitic Museum and Boston Museum of Fine arts will take place on Wed. April 23rd. A field guide for notes is provided and submitted for grading the following week. Two summary essays for each museum will be typed in Turabian format one week later. Handwriting in the field guide must be legible.

1. Reading: Students should pre-read assigned reading from the two texts and student packet as disclosed in the suggested reading schedule below. In summary the following material is required
2. Readings from the Ancient Near East:
3. Part 1:1-12
4. Part 1:1
5. Part 4:17
6. Part 5:21, 23
7. Part 6:27, 30
8. Part 8:39-44
9. Part 9:45, 48, 49
10. Part 10:50-54
11. Part 11:55-57
12. Part 12:59-61

POLICIES

1. Attendance: Attendance, a “leaning towards” speaks of not merely one’s physical presence but of an engagement of one’s mind and body in the class. Students found sleeping in class, studying for another class, etc. will be marked absent!

Students are expected to attend all class periods. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each day, as well as after each break. Three "lates" equal one absence. Every hour absent from class is one cut.

1. Plagiarism Policy
2. Any material, whether published or unpublished, copied from another writer, must be identified by use of quotation marks, block quotations, and documentation with specific citation of the source. Paraphrased material must likewise be attributed to the original author. As a school, intent on training men and women of integrity for the ministry Zion takes plagiarism seriously. Plagiarism consists of the following categories:
3. Use of another’s ideas without giving credit;
4. Quoting material from published or unpublished works, or oral presentation, without giving proper citation;
5. Paraphrasing material, whether published or unpublished, written or oral, without proper citation;
6. Copying another student’s paper, without that student’s permission.

3.Cheating

Cheating consists of but is not necessarily limited to the following:

1. Using unauthorized notes or material when taking an examination;
2. Copying answers to examination questions, obtaining, or helping others to obtain, unauthorized copies of examination questions;
3. Copying another person’s class work/assignments and/or homework and submitting it as one’s own;
4. Having another student do one’s paper, or any other assignment, in whole or in part and submitting the assignment as one’s own work;
5. Allowing another student to copy one’s paper;
6. Copying another student’s paper with that student’s permission;

Penalties for plagiarism and cheating include but are not limited to an F for the assignment and/or an F for the course.

4. Academic Policies: Student should carefully read pages 110-113 of their Student Handbook for precise policies concerning late work, extensions, make-up exam policy, attendance policy, add-drop, etc.

5. Late work Policies:All work will be due on the first period of class as disclosed in the syllabus. Any work not on the teacher’s desk at the opening of class will be considered late and subject to a 5% penalty each day for five days. No work will be accepted after the 5th day (weekends and breaks included). All work will after this deadline will receive a 0%. The only exception to this will be based on extensions permitted by dean’s officeaccording to the student handbook.

6. Missed Tests and Quiz’s: No test or quiz will be rescheduled for make up without written permission from the dean’s office. All students late to class more than 10 min. will not be permitted to take the test and will be redirected to the dean’s. All notes with excuses from the resident director are forwarded to the academic dean and followed up with a note to the teacher from that office. Student’s who miss a test, quiz or course requirement and fail to produce written excuse from the dean’s office shall receive a 0% and will not be allowed to make up the missed work.

Grading Scale (Option A)

40%...... Mid-Term & Final Examination (20% each)

25%...... Quiz’s

25%...... Field Trip and Journal (Wed. April 13th)

10%...... Reading

Grading Scale (Option B)

40%...... Historical Overview & 3 Anatomy’s of Historical Figures 10% each.

20%...... Quiz’s

20%...... Field Trip and Journal (Wed. April 13th)

10%...... Reading

DISCLAIMER:

Any aspect of this syllabus is subject to change at the professor’s discretion. However, this syllabus offers an aim and desired goal but is by no means meant to lock the subjects or format.

COURSE SCHEDULE:

SUGGESTED READING SCHEDULE FOR SUBJECTS:

Week 1

Topic:

Introduction to the course and assignments

The Historical Method 1a and 1b

Literary Criticism vs. Text Criticism

Week 2

Topic: Periods of the Periods of History

Carry over lectures from previous week

Reading: (Recommended but not required) On reserve in the Library

Sasson, Jack Civilizations of the Ancient Near East Vol. I- IV; The History of Ancient Egypt: An Overview, Vol. I & II, pg.. 807-869.

Topic: Egyptian Historical Overview

Reading: (Recommended but not required) On reserve in the Library

Sasson, Jack Civilizations of the Ancient Near Eas Vol. I-IV; The History of Ancient Egypt:Vol. I & II, pg 691-717.

Week 3

Topic: Egypt and the Bible.

• Historical Overview
• Hyksos
• Sargon the Great and Moses
• Serpent Confrontation (Highlight)
• The Plagues (Highlight)

Reading:

• The Hyksos:
• Bible:
• Genesis 41:1-57
• Student Packet:
• The Hyksos and the Middle Kingdom: “Who are the Hyksos”?

Pg. 8-12

• Readings from the Ancient Near East:
• None relevant in textbook for this discussion.

• Sargon the Great
• Exodus 2:1-10
• Readings from the Ancient Near East
• Autobiography of Sargon the Great, pg. 75.
• Serpent Confrontation: Genesis 7:9-13

Topic: Egypt and the Bible Continued

• The Plagues
• The Dating of the Exodus

Reading:

• Dating of the Exodus Article
• 1 Kings 6:1
• Student Packet:
• Read “Dating of the Exodus” pg. 13-16.
• The Plagues:
• Exodus 7:14-12:31
• Article
• “Three ways of viewing the Plagues”given in class

Week 4-5

Topics: Mesopotamia and the Bible

• The Tower of Babel
• Creation Accounts
• Law Codes and Covenants
• Assyria and the O.T.
• Historical Analysis of Sennacherib and the siege of Jerusalem

Reading

• Tower of Babel
• Genesis 11:1-9
• Readings from the Ancient Near East
• Confusion of Tongues, pg. 71.

• Creation Accounts
• Genesis 1-2
• Readings from the Ancient Near East
• Enki and the Ordering of the World, pg. 19.
• Enki, Ninnakh and the creation of Humankind, pg. 20.
• Enuma Elish, pg. 31.
• Heilopolis Pyramid Text, pg. 62.
• Memphis Creation Story, pg. 63.
• Epic of Gilgamesh, pg. 66.

• Law Codes and Covenant’s
• From the Bible:
• Genesis 15 “The ceremony of an Ancient Near Eastern Covenant”
• Exodus 20:1-17 “The Ten Commandments”
• Exodus 31:18; 32:19 “The tablets”
• From the student packet: Pages 1-7
• Ancient Near Eastern Covenants,
• Code of Hammurabi compared to the Law of Moses
• Old Babylonian kingdom with Hammurabi.
• Readings from the Ancient Near East:
• Covenant between Suppiluliuma and Mattiwaza, pg. 97.
• Law Codes pg. 104-113.
• Mesopotamia and the Bible

• Bible in order of the Assyrian Rulers.
• 2 Kings 16:5-9
• 2 Kings 15:28-30
• 2Kings 15:17-22
• 2 Chronicles 28:16-22
• Isaiah 20:1-6
• 2 Kings 17:6-7
• 2 Kings 18:13-19:34,
• Isaiah 36:1-37:38,
• 2 Chronicles 32:1-22
• Readings from the Ancient Near East
• Shalmaneser III pg. 144
• Tiglath Pileser III pg. 145
• Sargon II pg. 145
• Sennacherib pg. 146
• Lachish Ostraca pg. 168
• Siloam Tunnel Inscription
• Samaria Ostraca
• Student Packet:

• Assyria Pg. 17-23

Week 6

Topics:

The Persian Period

The Rulers of Persia

The Persians and the Bible

The rise of Greece and the fall of Persia

Reading: Ezra 1-6; Haggai 1-2; Zechariah 3-4

Week 7

Topic: Inter-Testamental History and Literature

• The Hellenistic Period and Alexander the Great
• Ptolemy Rule in Egypt
• Seleucid Rule in Babylon, Syria, and Beyond
• The Maccabees and Hasmonean’s
• Hellenism and Antiochus Epiphanies IV

Reading

Recommended but not required:

• 1 Maccabees
• Josephus Jewish Wars Book 1-3

Week 8: MID TERM

Topic: Archaeology

• Archaeology and the Bible

Reading:

None required

Recommended:”Doing Archaeology in the Land of the Bible by Curid.

Week 9 SPRING BREAK

Week 10

Topic: Hellenistic Period Part 2

• Hellenism and Antiochus Epiphanies IV
• The Maccabees and Hasmonean’s
• Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls Part 1

• Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls Part 2
• The Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran
• Water Baptism
• Jesus, John and the Dead Sea Community

Reading

Student Packet 36-39 & 79-80

• Geza Vermes The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English Introduction and Community Rule.
• Student Packet on Qumran and Dead Sea Community

Week 11

Topic: The Roman Period Part 1

• Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra
• Pax Romana
• Herod’s Family and legacy
• Messianism and Crucifixion

Reading: None required.

Recommended reading:

• Josephus, Jewish wars book 1

Week 12 Field Trip

Week 13

Topic: The Roman Empire Part 2

Caesars

Josephus and the First Revolt

Bar Kopta Revolt

Masada

Week 14

Topic: Topic: Rabbinic Judaism

• Samaritans and Gentiles
• Pharisees and Sadducees
• Zealots and Siccarai

Reading:

• Student Packet pg. 40-48

Topic: Rabbinic Judaism continued

• Rabbi Disciple Relationships
• Rabbinic Hermeneutics
• Parables
• Miracle Workers

Reading:

• Student Packet pg. 55-57.

Week 15

Topic: The Early Church and Rome

• The two great persecutions
• Roman views of Christians
• Early Church Martyrs
• Early Church Fathers

FINAL EXAMINATION WEEK

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arnold, Bill T & Beyer, Bryan E. Encountering the Old Testament Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book

House, 1999.

______Readings from the Ancient Near East Grand

Rapids, MI: Backer Academic, 2002.

Berk, Harlan 100 Greatest Coins Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2008.

Blaiklock E.M. and R.K. Harrison et. al. Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan Pub. House, 1983.

Boring, M. Eugene; Berger, Klaus; and Colpe, Carsten, eds. Hellenistic Commentary to the New

Testament. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995.

Bowder, Diana Who was who in the Ancient Greek World 776-30 BC(Cornell Ithacha,

NY: University Press, 1982.

______Who was who in the Roman World 753 BC -476 AD Ithacha,

NY: Cornell University Press, 1980.

Bromiley, Geoffrey. W. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Vol. 1-4 Grand Rapids, MI:

Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1982.

Brooke, George J. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2005.

Burkert, Walter Greek Religion Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985.

Charlesworth, James H.ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Apocalyptic Literatures and Testaments

Vol. 1 & 2 NY, NY: Doubleday Press, 1985.

Chavalas, Mark W. and Younger, K. Lawson Mesopotamia and the Bible Grand Rapids, MI: Baker

Book House, 2002.

Cook, Edward M. Solving the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Publishing House, 1994.

Cruse, C.F. Ecclesiastical History Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishing, 1998.

Currid, John D. Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1997.

______Archaeology in the Land of the Bible: A Basic GuideGrand Rapids, MI: Baker Book

House, 1999.

DeVaries, LaMoine F. Cities of the Biblical World Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishing, 1997.

De Vaux, Roland Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Pub. Co.,

1997.

Elwell, Walter A. and Yarbrough, Robert W. Readings from the First Century World Grand Rapids, MI:

Baker Academic, 1998.

Eshel, Hanan, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hasmonean State Wm. B. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans

Publishing Co. 2008.

Evans, Craig, A., and Stanley E. Porter, eds. Dictionary of New Testament Background.

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

______Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A guide to the Background Literature

Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Pub. Co., 2005.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993.

Fritz, Volkmar An Introduction to Biblical Archaeology: Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Scheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1994.

Gardiner, Sir Alan Egypt of the Pharaohs Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1961.

Green, Joel B., et al. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity 1992.

Geza Vermes The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in EnglishNY, NY: Penguin Classics, 2004.

______Who’s Who in the Age of Jesus Christ NY, NY:Penguin Classics, 2006.

Garrett, Duane, Rethinking Genesis Christian Grand Rapids, MI: Focus Publications, 2000.

Gowan, Donald E. Bridge Between the Testaments: A Reappraisal of Judaism from the Exile to the Birth

of Christianity Pittsburg, PA: Pickwick Publishers, 1986.