Undergraduate Course: The New Testament in its World (Online/Blended-Learning) (DIVI07010)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course provides students with an introduction to the key sources, tools, and issues in the study of the New Testament in its immediate Jewish context, and its broader setting in the Greco-Roman world. |
| Course description |
Academic description:
The course will appeal to all those within Christian churches, whether lay or ordained, who are interested in the historical study of the New Testament. The course will provide students with an entry-level introduction to the key sources, tools, and issues in the study of the New Testament in its immediate Jewish context, and its broader setting in the Greco-Roman world. Students will become familiar with the content of the New Testament as well as a variety of ancient sources which illuminate its context. Students will be equipped with essential tools for reading the biblical text in its cultural, religious and historical context. Students will also become familiar with the key issues and themes in the study of the New Testament through exposure to major scholarship in the field. The goal is for students to leave the course with a fresh understanding of the complicated and vibrant ancient world lying behind the words of the New Testament.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The course will begin with an introduction to the history and culture of the Greco-Roman world; and within that world, the history, beliefs and practices of Second Temple Judaism. It will then introduce the books of the New Testament and the essential tools for situating the NT in its historical context. From there, NT passages will provide windows to key themes and issues of its day: messianism; eschatology; the Temple; Jew-Gentile relations; the Roman Empire; scriptural interpretation; ethics. Each theme/issue will also include a brief survey of major scholarship on the subject.
Student Learning Experience Information:
The course is blended in format, comprising of two in-person sessions with online sessions taking place in between. The blended learning format will give students access who otherwise would not have been able to attend in-person. Sessions will consist of a short lecture and discussion based on set readings, to be read by the student in preparation for each class. Its primary focus is on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to read the New Testament with informed understanding. The experience and insights of those taking the course will be drawn upon throughout, and a peer-learning supportive 'network' encouraged. If the student is taking the course for credit, there will be two assessed short essays which will demonstrate that the learning outcomes have been achieved. The project may also be completed for feedback by those not seeking credit.
The course fee will be £200 per student, whether taking the course for credit or not, following the fee levels and policy of the Centre for Open Learning.
This course is not suitable for UG students in the School of Divinity, who should instead take Jesus and the Gospels and/or Paul and His Letters.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
Jesus and the Gospels (DIVI08012) OR
Paul and His Letters (DIVI08010)
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Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | The course fee will be £200 per student, whether taking the course for credit or not, following the fee levels and policy of the Centre for Open Learning. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1. 1000-word critical essay (50%)
2. 1000-word critical essay (50%) |
| Feedback |
Students will have the opportunity to receive feedback on plans for their two 1000-word essays before the submission dates. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop an awareness of the content of the New Testament in relation to its context in the ancient world.
- Identify key themes and issues in the study of the New Testament in its historical context.
- Develop strategies for reading the New Testament informed by its historical and cultural setting.
- Become familiar with some important ancient texts which inform understanding of the New Testament.
- Gain an awareness of some of the key debates and questions about situating the New Testament in its historical context.
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Reading List
Paula Fredriksen, When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2019).
Daniel Lynwood Smith, Into the World of the New Testament: Greco-Roman and Jewish Texts and Context (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015).
Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler, The Jewish Annotated New Testament (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
Geza Vermes, Who's Who in the Age of Jesus (London: Penguin, 2006). |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
For students taking the course for credit, the course aims to:
1. Encourage a reflective and critical mindset by challenging common misunderstandings about well-worn issues and by motivating students to develop fresh and inventive solutions to old problems.
2. Equip students with the skills to become lifelong learners by evaluating scholarly positions, critically analysing primary and secondary texts and thinking through differing approaches and methods. |
| Keywords | New Testament,Christian Origins,Second Temple Judaism,Greco-Roman World |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Nathanael Vette
Tel:
Email: Nathanael.Vette@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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