Undergraduate Course: The New Testament: an introduction (LLLB07001)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | THIS IS A FOR-CREDIT ONLY COURSE OFFERED BY THE OFFICE OF LIFELONG LEARNING (OLL); ONLY STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH OLL SHOULD BE ENROLLED.
What is the New Testament? What's in it, and how did it become the canon of scripture we see today? This course seeks to answer these questions through a comparative look at its texts in their historical and literary context, identifying its major themes and the problems it poses for scholars. |
| Course description |
1. What is the New Testament?
Historical context
Methodologies
Overview
2. Gospel of Mark
Genre: what is a Gospel?
The Passion Narrative
3. Gospel of Matthew
The 'synoptic problem'
The Jewish context
4. Gospel of Luke
The Nativity and the received version of the story
Date of Jesus' birth
5. Gospel of John
Realised and immanent eschatology
Gnosticism and other heresies
6. Forming the New Testament
Formation of the canon
Non-canonical gospels
7. Acts I: The Jerusalem Church
Genre: history or novel?
Death of Judas
8. Acts II: The Mission of Paul
The first Christian communities
Paul's innovations
9. The Letters
Genre: the epistolary form
Dating & Canonicity
10. The End: Revelation and Conclusion
Genre: The apocalyptic form
Christian eschatology
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Describe the contents and themes of the books of the New Testament;
Outline the historical context of the events described in New Testament, and of its writing;
Understand the primary issues of contemporary scholarly debate;
Undertake a critical close reading of New Testament texts.
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Reading List
Essential
The New Testament (RSV is recommended, but not mandatory; different translations in the classroom may well provoke discussion)
Johnston, L.T., 2010. The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Recommended
Harris, S.L., 2000. Understanding the Bible. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ehrman, B.D., 2000. The New Testament: a historical introduction to the early Christian writings. 2nd ed. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Web sources
Course tutor's website: http://davidgrobertson.wordpress.com/teaching/the-new-testament-an-introduction/
This includes all handouts, presentations and additional online material.
The New Testament Gateway: http://www.ntgateway.com/
A large and reliable resource of articles and sources on the New Testament
Class handouts
Class handouts will be provided on a weekly basis. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical analysis of texts;
Understanding of how interpretation is affected by social and historical context;
Participation in group discussion.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr James Mooney
Tel: (0131 6)51 6079
Email: james.mooney@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Benjamin McNab
Tel: (0131 6)51 4832
Email: Benjamin.Mcnab@ed.ac.uk |
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