Description    Learning Objectives     Textbooks     Requirements     Grading Basis     Schedule

Course Description:  Study of the New Testament (NT) and its first-century setting. The course considers the historical and cultural backgrounds of the intertestamental and NT periods along with the specific authorship, setting and content of each NT writing. Attention is also given to how the NT reached its final form.

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Learning Objectives:  As a result of completing BNT101 in an attentive and disciplined manner, students will:

1.  have practiced close (attentive) reading of, and reflection on, both the class textbook (see below) and the text of the NT itself.

2.  be able to rehearse and discuss important details of the political, social, cultural, religious, and philosophical background of both first-century Palestinian Judaism and Greco-Roman paganism, which provide the backdrop to the NT documents.

3.  be able to rehearse and discuss important background and foreground details in the life and teaching of Jesus the Messiah as recorded primarily in the four Gospels, with some comparison and contrast to extra-biblical and non-canonical sources.

4.  be able to rehearse and discuss important background and foreground details in the history of the Church in the Apostolic Era, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Letters, the General Letters and the Apocalypse of John.

5.  be able to rehearse and discuss the broad outline and contents of each book or letter in the canonical NT.

6.  be able to rehearse and discuss important details in the formation process of the NT Canon, its transmission, and various ancient and modern translations.

Textbooks:  Required texts are:

Metzger, Bruce M.  The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content.  3rd ed.  Nashville: Abingdon, 2003.

The English Bible in any respectable committee translation.  Consult me for clarification. For academic study I recommend and will use in this class, the New Revised Standard Version.

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1.  Constructive engagement in the learning experience inside and outside of the classroom.  This will be assessed by:

     a.  Consistent and punctual class attendance with textbook, Bible, and notebook, and with a positive attitude (10% of class grade): genuine and verifiable emergency is the only acceptable excuse for absence from class. Absence, tardiness, and negative attitude will adversely affect your learning and final grade in this class.

     b.  Advance reading and reflection on sections in the textbook or Bible (or handouts) relevant to each day’s discussion, evidenced by informed participation in class discussions and correct answers on frequent quizzes over the reading (10% of class grade). Each exam will include statements about required reading for the portion of the class covered by that exam.

2.  Three exams, each of which will focus on the portion of the course just completed:

a.  1st Exam: Background of the NT Era, 9/23/05 (20% of class grade).

b.  2nd Exam: The Life & Teaching of Jesus Christ, 10/28/05 (20% of class grade).

c.  3rd Exam (Final): Apostolic Age/Comprehensive, 12/__/05 (25% of class grade).

3.  An 1200-1400 word paper summarizing the Appendix: Transmission and Translation of the Bible, double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 1” margins, Face page, all in MLA format (20% of class grade). Consult me for clarification if necessary. Due absolutely no later than the beginning of class, Monday, 11/14/05.  Your grade will drop by one letter grade (e.g. B- to C-) for every day or part of a day beyond the due date.

Extra Credit:  There will be opportunities to earn extra credit in various group or individual activities and assignments related to our subject.  These may be announced by me, or suggested by you and agreed to in public or private discussion with me.  Consult me for clarification.

Final Examination: Due to the nature of this course and the material to be covered, the weight of examination will be distributed, as noted above and below, between three examinations, each testing one of the three major portions of the material, and, limited to that, except that the final exam will include some comprehensive essay questions.

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Grading Basis Explanation: The grading scale and grading formula used to determine your final grade are as follows:

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Incompletes are discouraged. They are intended for use only in emergency situations, not simply to cover failure to submit assigned material on time. Where a genuine emergency exists, the student must prepare a petition for an incomplete on the appropriate form available from the academic office, and present it to the instructor before the last class date. If the petition is approved, the student has six weeks from the last class date to complete course requirements.

Adjustments to Syllabus/Schedule: The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus or course requirements throughout the semester, especially to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Special Needs: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to ‘reasonable accommodations.’ It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor of any special needs before the end of the second week of class.

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Course Schedule:

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Bibliography

Print Resources:

Blomberg, Craig L.  Making Sense of the New Testament: Three Crucial Questions.  Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.

Brown, Raymond E.  An Introduction to the New Testament.  The Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Ferguson, Everett.  Backgrounds of Early Christianity.  2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.

Guthrie, Donald.  New Testament Introduction.  Downers Grove, IL, 1970.

Harrington, Donald J.  Invitation to the Apocrypha.  Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

Patzia, Arthur G.  The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text & Canon.  Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 1995

________.  The Emergence of the Church: Context, Growth, Leadership & Worship.  Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 2001.

Pfeiffer, Charles F.  Baker’s Bible Atlas.  Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003.

Roetzel, Calvin J.  The World That Shaped The New Testament.  Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002.

Wright, N. T.  The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is.  Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999.

________.  Christian Origins and the Question of God.  Volume One: The New Testament and the People of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992.

________.  Christian Origins and the Question of God.  Volume Three: Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.

________.  Christian Origins and the Question of God.  Volume Three: The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.

Internet Resources:

 “BNT101 New Testament Survey,” maintained by Leon Seaman for BNT101 students.  http://artfulword.org/pscc/bnt/101.htm

“Livius.org,” maintained by Jona Lendering.  Excellent resource for information on ancient history and cultures related to the Biblical era.   http://www.livius.org/ 

“Hellenistic Monarchs down to the Roman Empire,” maintained by Kelley L. Ross.  Succinct synopsis of events, with maps, tables of rulers, etc.   http://www.friesian.com/hist-1.htm