INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
Fall, 1999
Prof. Frederick J. Murphy
Stein 434
Telephone: Office, 793-3467; Home, 854-1004
E-mail: fmurphy@holycross.edu
Office Hours: Monday and Friday, 10:00-11:00; Wednesday, 11:00-12:00.
Other times by appointment
NOTE: Please read this syllabus thoroughly. You are responsible for all the information here, all information conveyed in class, and all information conveyed via e-mail.
GOALS OF THE COURSE
A.) Familiarity with each of the books of the New Testament assigned. You will learn to know what books are in the New Testament, what sorts of literature they represent, and what kinds of material they contain. Familiarity implies that you have a general overview of each book we study and a knowledge of its details. You cannot gain such knowledge by a single reading. You will need to spend some time with these documents. A good plan is the following. When we look at the gospel of Mark, for example, read through the entire gospel before looking at the textbook. Then read the chapter on Mark in the textbook, referring constantly to the gospel itself to check the points being made. Then, read the gospel again, this time with the advantage of having had it discussed in your reading. After class, take a few minutes to look over the passages discussed.
B.) Examination of the New Testament texts using a variety of approaches, detailed below. The object will be to question the texts closely according to those approaches, discovering new ways of reading the text, and reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of those ways of reading. Our ultimate goal is to come to an appreciation of the relation between author, text, and reader, using the paradigm of rhetoric outlined below. The approaches to the text we will use can be grouped under four general headings. These approaches are separated out for the purpose of discussion, but in practice they are intertwined. Although any given study may concentrate on one of these approaches to the text, many studies contain aspects of each of them to some degree.
1) Literary. Literary approaches read the texts as works of literature and ask questions like the following: What kind (genre) of writing is each book? How does that affect the way we read it? If applicable, how does the story present its characters? What is the shape of the plot? Where are the climaxes and why? Is time a factor in the telling of the story? How does a different perspective on the part of the reader change how the story is read? What is left unsaid? What sorts of images, symbols, and language are used, and how are they used? How do the literary conventions of the ancient world differ from our own? How are they the same?
2) Historical. Historical approaches use the texts to tell us something about the time in which they were written. They also use what we know about the period from other sources to illuminate the text. Some historical questions might be: What concrete issues in the author’s or the audience’s world can be discerned? Is the story told in the text historically accurate? Does this affect our interpretation of the text or not? Does the point of view contained in the text tell us something important about early Christianity and its world? Social scientific questions may be relevant here: how did the Christian communities organize themselves; what is the relationship between the theologies found in the NT and the position of the communities in their societies; what social status did Christians have either in Judaism or in the wider Hellenistic world; what social values did the Christians have and how did they fit into the social values of the environment; what kind of social control could exist within the Christian communities; and so on. How is the culture of early Christianity’s world different from our own?
Important information about the context(s) (literary, historical, political, economic, social, religious) of the New Testament will be taught in the lectures and readings. Especially important will be an appreciation of different forms of Judaism and of Hellenism both inside and outside of Palestine during this period. An attempt will be made to situate Jesus and his early followers in Palestine of the first century C.E., and to place the writings of the New Testament in their historical and cultural settings.
3) Rhetorical. These approaches bridge the literary and historical. They assume that the texts constitute an interaction between author and audience and that the author aims to accomplish something through that interaction. Rhetoric, put most simply, is the art of persuasion. To ask about the rhetoric of a work is not to ask simply about its literary ornamentation or its mode of argument, but it is also to ask broader questions about the social locations of author and audience, what sorts of ideas, attitudes, and behaviors the author seeks to encourage in the audience, what the social, cultural, religious, and economic implications of the text are. It is to ask not only how the author writes, but why the author writes, and what the implications of the writing are in the world(s) of first-century Christianity. It is also to ask questions about our own social location, why we read the text as we do, and how the text is used today for our own rhetorical purposes.
4) Theological. Defining theology broadly, these approaches ask about the images and ideas in the text about God, Christ, church, ethics, relations of Christians with society, and so on. Such approaches may be historical and use the texts to understand early Christian theology, or they may ask what theological insight the texts have for today’s world, or they may combine these two approaches. Most modern studies stress the contextual nature of theology. Theology does not exist in isolation from real life; it reflects and seeks to influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of real people in real situations. Awareness of who is telling whom what and why are questions that more and more guide research about the past and analysis of our own interpretive processes.
C.) The course addresses the following issues (the list is not exhaustive): variety and unity on such issues as Jesus, the church, salvation, and so on; the role of women in the early church; social issues such as the relation between rich and poor; relations with "the world"; the quest for the "historical" Jesus; contributions of sociology, psychology, anthropology to our knowledge of the New Testament world; relations between Christians and Jews; anti-Judaism or incipient anti-semitism in the New Testament; historical accuracy of the texts; the role of doctrine in the church; the place of the Bible in the church.
COURSE FORMAT
Lectures: These will usually deal directly with the primary readings (i.e., the New Testament). Lectures are complementary to the secondary readings (Perrin; Harrington; Hanson and Oakman, primarily). They will not simply repeat what is said there but will offer alternative views, raise different questions, take issues further, and so on. Thorough understanding of both lectures and readings is expected. Attendance at lectures is essential. Repeated absences will affect grades.
THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS TO BE TREATED IN ANY GIVEN LECTURE MUST BE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE THE LECTURE IF THE LECTURE IS TO MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL. The questions in the syllabus are to help you read more closely. See if you can answer them as you read. For most classes, I will ask you to prepare one or two questions especially well so that we can have discussion as part of our regular classes. Ideally, some "lecture" sessions will be interactive, consisting entirely of discussion.
Questions are welcome during lectures. At times, full answers may be deferred to discussion sections or office hours. Questions of any sort are valid, whether they be informational, theological, historical, questions of faith, and so on.
ALWAYS BRING YOUR BIBLES TO CLASS. When we deal with Matthew, Mark and Luke, bring your PARALLELS to class, too.
Discussion: Questions and comments are always welcome during class, but there will also be discussion sections throughout the term. We will break down into smaller groups for these sections. You will be given a question or topic to prepare for each discussion group. You must prepare for discussion. Although I ask you to prepare a specific topic for discussion, you may also use discussions to turn class attention to topics of interest to you or which you think need further development. Looking over the notes of previous classes can help to prepare for discussion groups. Challenges to my viewpoints are welcome at all times, and alternative interpretations of the texts can be investigated during discussion. NOTE: Attendance at and participation in discussion groups is required, and absences will be reflected in grades.
Office Visits: You are strongly advised visit my office to discuss your paper topics and bibliographies. In addition, I encourage you to come to see me throughout the term about class material or any questions or issues that the material raises for you. Since our study involves looking at familiar religious subjects in new and perhaps challenging ways, many students need to talk in more detail about the implications of this study for themselves. I welcome your thoughts and questions on matters of faith as well as those of methodology, history, literature, and so on.
READINGS
HarperCollins Study Bible, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993.
Synopsis of the Four Gospels, (Aland) American Bible Society.
Norman Perrin and Dennis C. Perrin, The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History, (3rd edition), Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1994.
Daniel Harrington, S.J., Intepreting the New Testament: A Practical Guide, Collegeville: Liturgical Press (Michael Glazier), 1990 (1979).
K. C. Hanson and Douglas Oakman, Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts, Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998.
The major text is the New Testament itself. The version of the Bible ordered through the bookstore is the HarperCollins Study Bible, which contains the Old Testament and New Testament and the Apocryphal/Deutercanonical books. The translation it uses is called the New Revised Standard Version. An equally good publication that uses the same translation is the Oxford Annotated Version with the Apocrypha. We will briefly discuss other translations in class. The Synopsis of the Four Gospels will be used when we study Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History, by Norman Perrin and Dennis Perrin, will be the basic textbook of the course. We will read the entire volume in sections as appropriate.
Daniel Harrington’s Interpreting the New Testament provides clear explanations of technical issues. It will cover topics that will not be addressed in detail in class, but for which you will be responsible.
Hanson and Oakman’s Palestine in the Time of Jesus will provide us with important knowledge gained from sociological and anthropological study of ancient Palestine.
Useful reference works to be found in the library are the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Anchor Bible Dictionary (six volumes) and the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (four volumes plus a supplementary volume). Other works useful for the writing of papers, and so on, are listed in "Bibliographical Aids for Writing Papers on the Bible." I compiled that list for use in my classes, and it is available on my web site.
*NOTE WELL* You must spend as much time as possible with the text of the New Testament itself. Nothing in the course will serve you so well as this. It is not sufficient to read each book of the New Testament once. The texts must be studied and read more than once in a variety of ways that I will clarify in class. Exams and papers demonstrate whether you have given time and thought to the text, or are merely reiterating general observations picked up in class and the secondary readings.
EVALUATION
There will be two bluebooks during the term, each worth 18% of the course grade, and one final at the end of the semester, worth 26% of the course grade. You may bring the Bible to exams. You may have underlinings and brief notes in the Bible, but you may not have extensive information written into it. Do not, for example, write the outline for an essay written into the blank pages at the beginning or end of your Bible. Such material may cause your primary sources to be confiscated during exams. If you have any doubts about this, please see me. You may also bring the Gospel Parallels to exams.
All material, both what is discussed in lectures and discussion groups and what is contained in the readings, is fair game for the exam. Attendance at lectures and careful reading of the assignments are both crucial. You should not be surprised if material appears on exams that was in the readings but not in lectures, or mentioned in class but not in the readings.
Please note that exams are given to the two sections on two different days. If for some reason you are unable to be at the exam for your own section, then you can take the exam with the other class on the other day. Given this flexibility, you should not have to ask for yet another exam date, if you have an unavoidable conflict.
There will be one ten to twelve page research paper worth 20% of the grade. You are advised to consult with me while writing the research paper. You should begin thinking about topics that you would find interesting to work on as the course progresses. I welcome multiple visits to my office concerning the paper (or any other topic). Plan ahead – please do not ask for extensions. Late papers will be penalized.
The remaining 18% of the grade will consist of an evaluation of your attendance and participation in class and discussion groups. Given the weight of this in your grade, you can see the emphasis I place on it. Throughout the term, I will be looking for signs that you have done the reading, engaged the subject, and are willing to share your insights with others.
STUDY TIPS
Everything in the course is designed to illuminate the New Testament texts. Read the document to be discussed carefully before coming to class, take notes and underline in your Bible while reading and listening to lectures, and quickly review class notes on the same day as the class to insure that you understand how what was said relates to the text. If you follow this formula, your familiarity with the texts will grow as we proceed.
As you read Perrin and Harrington underline, take notes, etc. Analyze their arguments. Test them against the texts. After reading Perrin through, review it using your notes or underlinings as aids. Always go directly to the New Testament text when Perrin (or Harrington) refers you to it. Otherwise, his observations will seem disembodied and abstract. Use his exegetical surveys to read the text of the New Testament carefully and to review New Testament books.
USE OF THE COLLEGE COMPUTER NETWORK
I use the College computer network a great deal for communication with students. I post course material on my web site (and possibly on your "K drive," though I have not had great luck with that medium), and I use e-mail extensively to make announcements to the whole class, to contact individual students, to distribute course materials such as handouts, and to respond to your questions. I also maintain a web site that makes available to you assignments, handouts, the syllabus, and so on. To get to my web site, go to the Holy Cross home page, then to departments, then to Religious Studies, then to faculty. You should then bookmark my page.
It is crucial that you know how to use the network. If you do not, then learn it. I would be glad to help you do so.
It would also be very helpful to you if you learned to use the electronic resources provided by the library for research purposes. If you do not know how to use those, take some time to explore them to see what is available. Note that using internet sources (not the resources supplied by the library) for papers needs to be done with caution, since it is often difficult to know their origin and to judge their reliability. If you plan to use such sources, it would be a good idea to communicate with me about them so that I can take a look at them myself. There is a very limited selection of good sites listed on my site, and I would appreciate any suggestions you may have for further additions to it.
You should note that Hanson and Oakman maintain a website that complements their textbook. Make a point of visiting it and exploring the resources they have made available there. The address is listed on p. xix of the textbook, but I reproduce it here for your convenience: http://www.stolaf.edu/people/kchanson/pjt.html. You may also e-mail Professor Hanson through that site.
You are responsible for checking your e-mail at least once daily for class announcements, handouts, and so on.
SYLLABUS
NOTE: The syllabus may be changed during the course of the semester. Everyone is responsible for any changes announced in class or communicated through e-mail.
NOTE: You must read carefully the biblical book to be discussed on any given day. That is assumed, and not specified under "READ" for that day.
SEPTEMBER
1 (W) Introduction: goals and mechanics of the course; nature of the New Testament; the New Testament in the Catholic Church; cross-cultural study; some introductory comments on the environment of the New Testament.
3 (F) World of the New Testament: a quick history of Israel; Hellenism; Roman Empire; Judaism: Diaspora and homeland; Christian misconceptions and prejudices; Torah; apocalypticism.
READ: Perrin, pp. 35-51, 65-74.
What do you find to be the most significant differences between the modern world and the Hellenistic world?
Define apocalypticism.
How do the differences between Diaspora and homeland impact on religion?
What aspects of the ancient world do you find surprising?
6 (M) Philemon; 1 and 2 Thessalonians: Paul’s use of the letter form; slavery; conversion of gentiles and waiting for the second coming of Jesus.
READ: Perrin, pp. 232-33; 221-23; 262-65
What do you think of Paul’s approach to Philemon? Is he fair? Manipulative? Within his rights as an apostle?
What is Paul’s relationship to the church in Philemon’s house?
What is Paul’s relationship to the Thessalonian church? What is it based upon?
What is Paul’s advice to the Thessalonian church?
What particular problems is the Thessalonian church facing?
8 (W) Galatians: general introduction to Paul; justification by faith challenged; Paul against Peter – conflict of leaders and of theologies; not by Torah; interpretations of Paul’s either/or.
READ: Perrin, chapter 6, and pp. 235-38.
What is the history of Paul’s relationship with the Galatian church?
Why does Paul tell the story of his dealings with the Jerusalem church?
What is Paul’s view of Torah?
Exactly how does Christ make a difference in Paul’s theology?
Categorize the different types of arguments in Galatians and show how each works.
How does theology relate to ethics in Galatians?
What major disagreements in the early church does Galatians reveal?
10 (F) Discussion Groups.
READ: Hanson and Oakman, chapter 1: "Catching the Drift."
13 (M) Galatians: continued.
READ: Harrington, chapters 1-4.
15 (W) Philippians: Paul’s relationship with his churches; Paul’s christology – Jesus as the second Adam?
READ: Perrin, pp. 233-35.
What is Paul’s relationship to the Philippian church?
What is Paul’s attitude to his rivals who are also Christian missionaries?
What christology does chapter 2 embody?
What is Paul’s situation as he writes the letter? Where is he? Why?
17 (F) Discussion Groups.
READ: Hanson and Oakman, chapter 2: "All in the Family."
20 (M) Romans: Paul’s gospel; Jew and Gentile in salvation history; justication by faith in Christ, not by Torah.
READ: Perrin, pp. 239-48.
Divide up Romans so that its structure and argument are clear.
What difference did the Christ event make to the way God relates to humanity?
Does circumcision matter or not?
What is chapter 7 all about? Paul? Adam? All humanity?
What is Paul’s attitude toward his contemporary Jewish kinsmen?
How do Jews and gentiles relate to each other in Paul’s scheme of salvation history?
How is Adam christology expressed in Romans?
What is Romans’ conception of baptism?
22 (W) Romans: continued; past, present and future from the point of view of faith.
24 (F) Discussion Groups.
READ: Hanson and Oakman, chapter 3: "Pyramids of Power."
27 (M) 1 Corinthians: misunderstandings of Paul’s message; an inside view of an early Christian community; women in the Church; the primacy of love.
READ: Perrin, pp. 223-30.
What problems does the Corinthian church face?
How does Paul bring theology to bear in addressing these problems?
How does Paul’s basic theological outlook get expressed in this letter?
What special problems does this Greek context produce for Paul’s theology?
What is the view of church in the letter?
What is the nature of Paul’s authority over the Corinthians?
What is his history with them?
29 (W) 1 Corinthians: (continued).
READ: Perrin, pp. 248-56 (summary of Paul’s theology).
OCTOBER
1 (F) 2 Corinthians: "super-apostles" challenge Paul; same church, a bit later.
READ: Perrin, 230-32.
In what ways do the same problems persist in Corinth as we saw in the first letter to that community?
Who are the "super apostles" and what do they preach?
Why do these rival apostles cause Paul trouble?
What does this letter reveal about Paul’s authority?
Describe the course of Paul’s relationship with this church based on 1 and 2 Corinthians.
4 (M) NOTE WELL: There are different assignments for the two sections.
8:00 Section: ***** FIRST EXAM *****
9:00 Section:
Early Deutero-Pauline Christianity: 1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; 2 Thessalonians; Colossians; Ephesians: rewriting Paul; developing church structures; backsliding on women’s issues; developing christology; new doctrinal and ecclesiastical challenges.
READ: Perrin, pp. 261-82.
Are these letters by Paul? Why or why not?
What view of women is present in these letters?
What is the view of church authority in the letters?
What is the view of doctrine in these letters?
What sort of church do these letters presuppose?
6 (W) 8:00 Section: Do what was assigned to the 9:00 section for the previous class.
9:00 Section: ***** FIRST EXAM *****
8 (F) Hebrews: Jesus as cultic sacrifice and High Priest.
READ: Perrin, pp. 282-92.
Precisely how does the salvific system work in this document? What is salvation and how does it come about?
What is Christ’s role in salvation?
What offices does Christ hold?
Show how the sacrificial system of Judaism informs the letter.
Explain the use of scripture in Hebrews.
Explain the argument on the basis of Melchizedek.
Why could Torah not bring people close to God, according to Hebrews?
11 (M) NO CLASSES – COLUMBUS DAY
13 (W) The Gospels: observations on gospel as story; the gospel genre; the cast of characters; form, source, and redaction criticism.
READ: Perrin, chapter 1, pp. 51-61, 75-94.
How is reading the gospels different from reading the letters of Paul?
What special problems and opportunities does the narrative form of the gospels offer to interpreters?
Define each sort of criticism listed above.
List different sorts of forms found within the gospels.
Define the different groups portrayed in the gospels.
15 (F) Mark: the first gospel; apocalyptic drama.
READ: Perrin, chapter 9.
Describe Mark’s Jesus.
Describe the disciples in Mark.
Discuss the relationship between Jesus and the religious establishment in Mark.
What role does exorcism play in Mark?
Examine the terms "Son of God" and "Son of Man" and "Messiah" in Mark. What do they mean? How do they function in the narrative?
What historical situation does the gospel presuppose?
What role does eschatological expectation play in Mark?
What is the relationship of the church to the world in Mark?
Why does the gospel end the way it does?
What is the "Messianic Secret"?
18 (M) Mark: (continued).
READ: Harrington, chapters 5-8
20 (W) Mark: (continued).
READ: Perrin, chapter 5.
22 (F) Discussion Groups.
READ: Hanson and Oakman, chapter 4: "The Denarius Stops Here."
25 (M) Matthew: the book of the Church.
READ: Perrin, chapter 10.
How does Matthew differ from Mark?
How do Matthew’s Jesus and disciples differ from Mark’s?
Examine the role of Torah in Matthew. How does Jesus relate to it? How do his opponents relate to it? How does the church relate to it?
Describe the picture of the church in Matthew.
Discuss Matthew’s ethics, especially as found in the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7).
What is the function of the parable chapter (13) in Matthew?
27 (W) Matthew: (continued): structure; Son of God christology; Jews.
READ: Perrin, chapter 4.
29 (F) Discussion Groups.
READ: Hanson and Oakman, chapters 5 and 6: "Was Bigger Better," and "In the Rearview Mirror."
NOVEMBER
1 (M) Matthew: (continued).
3 (W) Luke: Christ as bearer of the Spirit and bringer of salvation; fulfillment of the promises to Israel; the gospel of liberation.
READ: Perrin, chapter 11.
How does Luke differ from Mark and from Matthew?
What are Luke’s characteristic emphases?
What is Luke’s view of women?
What message do Luke’s special parables contain?
Examine the relationship between Luke and Isaiah.
In what way is geography theology in Luke?
Examine the impact of Christ’s coming on Judaism as expressed in Luke 1-2.
Examine the role of the Holy Spirit in Luke.
In what ways does Jesus’ coming lead to a tragedy for Israel?
5 (F) Discussion Groups.
8 (M) Luke: (continued); rich and poor; women in Jesus’ ministry and in the church; relations between Christians and Jews.
10 (W) Luke: (continued).
12 (F) 8:00 Section: *** SECOND EXAM ***
9:00 Section:
Acts of the Apostles: The early Church and its idealization according to Luke; relationship between mission of Jesus and that of the Church; Luke’s picture of Paul.
READ: Harrington, chapter 9.
How does Acts portray the entrance of gentiles into the church? What issues did it raise? What was the attitude of Jewish Christians to the influx of gentiles?
What does Luke see as the relationship of church to synagogue?
How does Luke depict the spread of the church?
How does Acts end? What does the ending mean for the future of the church and for Judaism?
Describe the interactions between Christians and Romans in Acts.
Trace Old Testament themes and allusions in Acts.
What role do the speeches of Acts play in the book? What themes do they embody?
15 (M) 8:00 Section: Do what was assigned to the 9:00 section in the previous class.
9:00 Section: ***** SECOND EXAM *****
17 (W) Acts of the Apostles: continued.
READ: Harrington, chapter 10.
19 (F) Discussion Groups.
22 (M) No Class – Professional Conference.
24 (W) NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
26 (F) NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
29 (M) John: The stranger from heaven; developed christology; realized eschatology.
READ: Perrin, chapter 12.
*** TERM PAPERS DUE BY 5:00 PM ***
How is John like the other gospels. How is it unlike them?
Describe John’s Jesus.
What is the relationship of John’s church to the wider world?
Discuss John’s dualism and what it reveals about the author’s worldview and his view of the contemporary world.
Show how John portrays a variety of reactions to Jesus.
What does salvation consist of for John?
What is the central message of this gospel?
DECEMBER
1 (W) John: Correspondence between christology and discipleship, mission and status of Jesus and mission and status of the church.
3 (F) Revelation (The Apocalypse): a Christian view of a Satanic Rome; status of Christians in Roman Asia Minor; apocalyptic hope and threats.
READ: Perrin, chapter 13.
Define apocalypticism.
Define the genre apocalypse.
What historical situation lies behind this text?
Describe the way the book works. How does it attempt to readjust the views and attitudes of its audience?
On what does the authority of the seer John rest?
Which symbols are especially prominent in the book and how are they used.
Why is the number seven so important to Revelation?
6 (M) The Quest for the Historical Jesus: The Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith; modern reconstructions of the historical Jesus; problems in getting back to the historical Jesus.
READ: Perrin, chapter 15.
STUDY PERIOD BEGINS ON DECEMBER 7TH.
EXAM PERIOD BEGINS ON DECEMBER 10TH .
THERE WILL BE AN OPTIONAL REVIEW SESSION DURING READING PERIOD.