NTS101 Fall 2015 Syllabus Page 1 of 5

NTS101 Fall 2015 Syllabus Page 1 of 5

Term:Fall 2015

Time:Tuesday, 7:00pm to 9:30pm

Room:E201

Credit:3 Credit Hours

Instructor: Bill Watson

Office: E306

Phone: 214.818.1314

Email:

NTS101 Fall 2015 Syllabus Page 1 of 5

Course Description

This course will be a brief survey of inter-testamental history, an introduction to the canon and text of the New Testament, and an introduction to the historical background and content of the Gospels and Acts.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, the student should demonstrate the following:

1. A basic knowledge of the background and content of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.
2. The ability to articulate the roles of Jesus and the early church in the biblical storyline.
3. A basic knowledge of the relationship and distinctions between all of the first five books of the New Testament.
4. The ability to interpret the ministry of Jesus in light of the promises of God in the Old Testament.

Required Course Texts

1. Gundry, Robert. A Survey of the New Testament. 5th ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. $49.99 (ISBN: 9780310494744)
2. Alexander, T. Desmond. From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2009. $19.99 (ISBN: 9780825420153)
3. James VanderKam. An Introduction to Early Judaism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. $24.00 (ISBN: 9780802846419)

Course Requirements

1. Reading Quizzes (50%): The student will take a total of 14 weekly reading quizzes covering their readings in Robert Gundry’s A Survey of the New Testamentand James VanderKam’sAn Introduction to Early Judaism. These quizzes will be taken on Blackboard and will be due on midnight before the start of each class date for which there is a quiz assigned. The two lowest quiz grades will be dropped. Each quiz will be 11 questions long and will be timed at 15 minutes.
2. Book Exam (20%): The student will take an exam covering the entirety of Alexander’s From Eden to the New Jerusalem. This exam will be 50 questions long and will be administered on Blackboard.
3. Scripture Reading (30%): The student will read the entirety of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts over the course of the semester. The student must use one of the following translations: ESV, NIV, NASB, KJV, NKJV, RSV, HCSB, NET. On the last day of class, the student will submit a reading report on Blackboard indicating the percentage of the assigned scripture reading he/she has read. This percentage will constitute his/her grade for this assignment.

Blackboard

All assignments will be administered on Blackboard and supplemental course resources will be distributed on Blackboard. Course grades will also be posted on Blackboard and will be updated regularly. I encourage you to check your grades regularly to make sure you maintain your grade goals.

Each student is required to make sure she/he has access to her/his Blackboard account and can log into the course page. If you are unable to access the course on Blackboard or have any login issues, please contact and provide a detailed description of your problem. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that she/he has access to Blackboard in order to submit assignments on time. I recommend that you not wait until the last minute to complete your assignments on Blackboard as you might need time to address any technical issues. Please complete all assignments early enough that you can resolve login issues prior to the due date/time.

Attendance Policy

Absences: Since class participation is vital to learning, absences should be taken only when absolutely necessary. More than seven (7) absences for two-day-per week classes, and more than three (3) absences for block classes will result in a grade of “F” for the courses. The professor and the Vice President of Academic Affairs must approve all exceptions to this policy. Students are responsible for all absences due to illness or any other reason. Granting of excused absences is permitted at the discretion of the professor.

Tardies: Missing more than fifteen (15) minutes at the beginning or end of a class period is considered one absence. Three instances of tardiness of fifteen minutes or less equals one absence. The tardy student is responsible for notifying the professor of his/her presence in writing at the end of class. Students who wish to depart early should clear it with the professor.

Grading Scale

A97-1004.0 grade points per semester hour

A-93-963.7 grade points per semester hour

B+91-92 3.3 grade points per semester hour

B 88-903.0 grade points per semester hour

B-86-87 2.7 grade points per semester hour

C+83-85 2.3 grade points per semester hour

C 80-82 2.0 grade points per semester hour

C- 78-79 1.7 grade points per semester hour

D+ 75-77 1.3 grade points per semester hour

D 72-74 1.0 grade point per semester hour

D- 70-71 0.7 grade points per semester hour

F 0-69 0.0 grade points per semester hour

Incomplete Grades

Students requesting a grade of Incomplete (I) must understand that incomplete grades maybe given only upon approval of the faculty member involved. An “I” may be assigned only when a student is currently passing a course and in situations involving extended illness, serious injury, death in the family, or employment or government reassignment, not student neglect.

Students are responsible for contacting their professors prior to the end of the semester, plus filing the appropriate completed and approved academic request form with the Registrar’s Office. The “I” must be removed (by completing the remaining course requirements) no later than 60 calendar days after the grade was assigned, or the “I” will become an “F.”

Academic Honesty

Absolute truth is an essential belief and basis of behavior for those who believe in a God who cannot lie and forbids falsehood. Academic honesty is the application of the principle of truth in the classroom setting. Academic honesty includes the basic premise that all work submitted by students must be their own and any ideas derived or copied from elsewhere must be carefully documented.Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

• cheating of any kind,

• submitting, without proper approval, work originally prepared by the student for another course,

• plagiarism, which is the submitting of work prepared by someone else as if it were his own, and

• failing to credit sources properly in written work.

Learning Disabilities

In order to ensure full class participation, any student with a disabling condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorders, special adaptive equipment, special note-taking or test-taking needs) is strongly encouraged to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course or if a student has a learning disability, please inform the professor so assistance can be provided.

Auditing and Sit-in Students

Any student may enroll in a course as an Auditor or Sit-in as long as the class is below capacity. A student’s permanent transcript will reflect which courses have been completed as audits. Sit-in students are not given grades by professors and their transcripts will not reflect enrollment in the course. Taking tests and participation in course activities are afforded to credit students in the syllabus and is at the discretion of the professor.

Course Outline

Recommended Bibliography

Please note: All of the following are available in the Criswell College Wallace Library.

Textual Criticism

Aland, K. and B. The Text of the New Testament. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1989.2

Black, D.A. New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide. G.R.: Baker, 1994.

Greenlee, J. H. Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1995.2

Metzger, B. M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. London & N.Y.: United Bible Societies, 1994.2

Introduction

Achtemeier, P. J., J. B. Green, and M. M. Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. G.R.: Eerdmans, 2001.

*Brown, R. E. An Introduction to the New Testament. N.Y.: Doubleday, 1997.

*Carson, D. A., D. J. Moo, and L. Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament. G.R.: Zondervan, 1992.

deSilva, D. A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Context, Methods and Ministry Formation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

Elwell, W. A. and Yarbrough, R. W. Encountering the New Testament and Readings from the First-Century World [with CD-ROM]. G.R.: Baker, 1998.

Gundry, R. A Survey of the New Testament. G.R.: Zondervan, 1994.3

Guthrie, D. New Testament Introduction. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1990.4

Wenham, D. and S. Walton. Exploring the New Testament, vol. 1: A Guide to the Gospels & Acts. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001; Marshall, I. H., Travis, S. and Paul, I., vol. 2: A Guide to the Epistles and Revelation (2002).

Historical Background

Barnett, P. Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999.

*Ferguson, E. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1993.2

Jeffers, J. S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999.

*Keener, C. S. The IVP Biblical Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993.

Skarsaune, O. In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002.

*Witherington, B., III. New Testament History: A Narrative Account. G.R.: Baker, 2001.

Wright, N. T. The New Testament and the People of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.

deSilva, D. A. Introducing the Apocrypha. G.R.: Baker, 2002.

Jobes, K. H. and M. Silva. Invitation to the Septuagint. G.R.: Baker, 2000.

Helyer, L. R. Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002.

Theology

Caird, G. B. (Completed and edited by L. D. Hurst). New Testament Theology. Oxford, UK: Clarendon, 1994.

Goppelt, L. Theology of the New Testament. 2 vols. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1981-1982.

Guthrie, D. New Testament Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1981.

Hurtado, L. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. G.R.: Eerdmans, 2003.

*Ladd, G. E. A Theology of the New Testament. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1993.2

Morris, L. New Testament Theology. G.R.: Zondervan, 1986.

Dictionary / Encyclopedia

*Bromiley, G. W., ed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, revised, 4 vols. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1979-86.

*Green, J. B., S. McKnight, and I. H. Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992.

Evans, C.A. and S.E. Porter, eds. Dictionary of NT Background. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000.

*Hawthorne, G. F., R. P. Martin, and D. G. Reid, eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993.

Freedman, D. N., ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Martin, R. P. and P. H. Davids, eds. Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998.

Ryken, L. et al. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998.

Criticism

Carson, D. A. and J. D. Woodbridge, eds. Hermeneutics, Authority, and Canon. G.R.: Zondervan, 1986; repr. Baker, 1995.

*Dockery, D. S. and D. A. Black, eds. Interpreting the New Testament. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2001.2

*Green, J. B., ed. Hearing the New Testament. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1995.

Marshall, I. H., ed. New Testament Interpretation. G.R.: Eerdmans, 1977.

*McKnight, S. and G. R. Osborne, eds. The Face of New Testament Studies. G.R.: Baker, 2004.

Porter, S. E. and D. Tombs, eds. Approaches to New Testament Study. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.

Hermeneutics

Bray, G. Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996.

Dockery, D. S., K. A. Matthews and R. B. Sloan, eds. Foundations for Biblical Interpretation. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994.

*Klein, W. W., C. L. Blomberg, and R. L. Hubbard, Jr. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville: Nelson, 2004.2

Longman, T. and L. Ryken, eds. A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. G. R.: Zondervan, 1993.

Osborne, G. R. The Hermeneutical Spiral. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1991.

Vanhoozer, K. J. Is There a Meaning in this Text? Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998.

Jesus and the Gospels

*Blomberg, C. L. Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1997.

*Bock, D. L. Studying the Historical Jesus and Jesus according to Scripture. G.R.: Baker, 2002.

Dunn, J. D. G. Jesus Remembered. G.R.: Eerdmans, 2003.

Meier, J. P. A Marginal Jew, 4 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1991- .

Stein, R. H. Studying the Synoptic Gospels. G.R.: Baker, 2001.2

Witherington, B., III. The Jesus Quest. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1995.

*Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.

*Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.

NTS101 Fall 2015 Syllabus Page 1 of 5