The Corinthian Correspondence: English Bible

Spring 2017

The Corinthian Correspondence: English Bible

NT 5100

Three Semester Hours

Instructor:Joshua W. Jipp

Class Time: Jan. 13-14; Mar. 3-4; April. 21-22; May 5-6

Contact: 816-728-4811 or

I. Course Description

Demonstration of inductive Bible study method and treatment of the special teaching of a particular book or books of the New Testament based on the English text.

II. Objectives

The student will:

1. Acquire the necessary and transferable skills required for the inductive interpretation of the Bible.

2. Have a thorough knowledge of the content, motifs, and literary structure of both 1 and 2 Corinthians.

3. Understand the distinctive theological contribution of 1 and 2 Corinthians and its contemporary relevance for the 21st century church.

4. Grow in love, worship, and obedience toward the God who is revealed on the pages of the 1 and 2 Corinthians.

III. Texts

1. Richard B. Hays. First Corinthians. Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
2. Frank J. Matera. II Corinthians: A Commentary. The New Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

IV.Requirements and Grading

Inductive Bible Study Notebook40%

Class Participation20%

Quizzes (3 quizzes worth 5% each)15%

Practical Theology Paper25%

Grading Scale:

A 96-100B87-89C77-80F< 65

A- 93-95B-84-86C-72-76

B+90-92C+81-83D65-71

1. Inductive Bible Study Notebook

Each weekend meeting (before each of the four class sessions) the student will prepare for class by studying two smaller units of the (larger) biblical text assigned for that session. The passages to be studied inductively are listed in the syllabus. The method will be explained in further detail, but each week the student should: a) make a list of observations and questions about the unit studied, b) select what you think are your most important observations/questions and proffer some interpretation of the text, and c) comment on how the unit studied may be of practical and theological relevance for you individually or the church more broadly. Additionally, after you have completed your analysis of the text should you then incorporate insights based on your reading in Thompson and Fernando. While I will not be collecting your notebooks until the end of the course, it is essential that you complete each assignment before class. I ask that you write/type your name and provide a date for its completion at the end of each week’s assignment.

2. Class Participation

An important part of this course is classroom participation. Students are expected, therefore, to be prepared to engage the reading assigned for each week, the professor’s in-class questions, etc. In addition, given that asking good questions about the text after one has made good observations is at the heart of good biblical interpretation, each week I will ask students to share both their questions and observations about the passage under consideration for that week.

3. Content Quizzes

There will be three in-class non-cumulative quizzes covering major blocks of 1 and 2 Corinthians). Three-quarters of the quiz questions will come from the biblical text, and approximately one-quarter of the questions will come from the secondary reading (Hays, Matera, and articles).

4. Practical Theology Paper

Write a (7-8 page) paper devoted to either a theme/motif found in the Corinthian Correspondence that you think is of contemporary significance for the church. Roughly one-half the paper should be devoted to the interpretation of the motif in Corinthians, and the other one-half devoted to your own theological/practical suggestions as to how the motif is of contemporary significance for the church. Examples could include: unity and division, the cross and Christian thinking, how the resurrection motivates our present behavior, gender/women in ministry, boundaries in the church . Each student will give a five minute presentation on their topic on the final day of the class (more information forthcoming).