Mbuvi NTS502 Spring 09

Shaw University Divinity Scho= ol

(High Point CAPE)

= NTS 502-30: THEORIES AND PRACTICE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS

(Prerequisite NTS 501)

Spring 2009

Credits: 3 Hrs

Time: 11:00-1:30pm

Instructor: Andrew M. Mbuvi, Ph.D.

Email: ambuvi@shawu.edu=

Office Phone: (336) 886 4974, Ext. 6603

= ;

Office Hou= rs: Tues 1:00pm – 5:30pm

Saturday 1:30-2:30pm

(Other times by appointment only)

DIVINITY SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT

Shaw University Divinity School provides Christian theological education dedicated to the preparation of clergy and laity for clinical, pastoral, and teaching/research ministry professions. The Divinity School is committed to the development of a research institute whose focus = is leadership in the “practice of ministry’ in the African American community, particularly in the African American church.

M.DIV MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Master of Divinity degree is to pre= pare persons for ordained ministry, for chaplaincy, general pastoral and religio= us leadership responsibilities in congregations and other settings, and to pre= pare some students for admission to advanced programs oriented to theological research and teaching. The purpose is consistent with the mission of Shaw University Divinity School; the Master of Divinity program focuses on leadership in the “practice of ministry,” particularly in the African American church.

MRE MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Master of Religious Education degre= e is to equip persons for competent leadership in Christian Education to serve congregational ministries and other religious institutions. This purpose is consistent with the mission of Shaw University Divinity School; the Master = of Religious Education program focuses on leadership in the “practice of ministry,” particularly in the African American Church.

PROGRAM GOALS

MRE Program Goals

MDiv Program Goals

to equip students with the capacity for critical and constructive theological reflection regarding the content and processes of educat= ional ministry;
to help students understand the educational, social, and behavioral sciences that undergird educational practice, as well as the cultural contexts in which educational ministry occurs;
to assist students with personal growth and spiritual maturity; and
to provides skills in teaching and in design, administration, and assessment of educational programming.

to provide students with an intellectual atmosphere and a comprehensive, discriminating understanding of our religious heritage;
to enhance student training for Christian ministry, mindful of global, = and diverse cross cultural, and non-American Christianities, and interac= tion with other faith traditions;
to support students' development in the personal and spiritual capaciti= es necessary for pastoral and religious leadership, advancing growth in personal faith, emotional maturity, moral integrity, and public witn= ess;
to expand programmatic activities, services, and academic programming to enhance student capacity for ministerial and public leadership.

COURSE DESCRI= PTION

(Prerequisite: NT 501 Survey of the New Testament)

An introduction to the basic principles and practices = of biblical interpretation and exegesis. The focus of this course is learning = the methods of interpretation of the books of the New Testament. In complementi= ng the NT Survey class that introduced students to history of ancient Israel, = this course will introduce the students to the critical methods employed in stud= ying the text, with a primary emphasis on “genre analysis.”

STUDENT LEARN= ING OUTCOMES

The main aim of the course is not to provide the stude= nt with answers to the long held “difficult questions of the Bible” (even though generally some of these questions will be addressed in class). Rather, the primary focus of the class is to equip the student to be able to resolve some of these questions by themselves through applying the principl= es and methods of interpretation that they will learn. Consequently, the follo= wing will be the SLOs:

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= At the comp= letion of this course, students will be able to:	Assessment = of Student Learning Outcomes (Assessment= Tools)	Linkage to = MDiv Program Learning Outcomes =	Linkage to = MRE Program Learning Outcomes <= /o:p>
1. identify the different genre found in the NT.	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	1, 2 &nbs= p;	2, 3
2. recognize the distinguishing features of each genre and how to read and interp= ret each of the genres.	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	1, 2	2, 3
3. distinguish between the different “critical methodologies” that are used today in the interpretation of the NT<= /p>	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	1, 2	2, 3
4. identify the benefits and drawbacks of each of the different methods of NT interpretation (Mastery of the methods is not an anticipated outcome of the class, but instead, a good foundation of the fundamentals of the methodologies)	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	1, 2,3	2, 3
5. know the different presuppositions that underlie = the different interpretation methods applied to the NT	Exam Questions, Reflection Paper	1, 2, 3	2, 3
6. show a clear understanding of the history and state of African and African-American interpretations of the NT	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	4	1
7. demonstrate ability to write an exegesis paper th= at reflects a good grasp of the background of the biblical text and its meaningful present application	Reflec= tion Papers	1, 2, 3, 4	2, 3, 4

Required Texts:

1. Bible - Please bring a Bible to class each= week. I require that you have a study Bible in a recent translation for this clas= s. Among the best are the New Interpreter’s Bible Study Bible (New Revised Standard Version), HarperCollins Study Bible (NRSV), the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), and the Zondervan NIV Study Bible (New International Version). For the purposes of study in this course, please avoid using the Authorized Version (King James or New King James), any paraphrase (the Living Bible), or a paraphrase-like translation (Today’s English Version, New Living Translation).

2. Brian K. Blount, Cain Hope Felder, Clarice J. Martin, Emerson B. Powery (Eds.) True to Our Native Land: An African Am= erican New Testament Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg-Fortress Press, 2007)

3. Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth (2^nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993)

4. Michael Gorman, Elements of Biblical Exeges= is; A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2001)=

5. Cain Hope Felder (ed.), Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991) ISBN 0-8006-22501

=

Recommended Texts:

The IVP Bible Backg= round Commentary: New Testament (Downers Gove, Ill: IVP, 1993.
Biblical Social Values and Their Meaning: A Handbook (Peabody, MA: Hendrick= son, 1993)
Hearing the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995)
Handbook of Biblic= al Criticism (3^rd ed; Atlanta: John Knox, 2001)
Troubling the Bib= lical Waters: Race, Class and Family (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1989) ISBN 0-88344-535-2
W. Randolph Tate, Interpreting the Bible: A Handboo= k of Terms and Methods (Peabody, Ma. Hendrickson Publishers, 2006)

Classroom Format:

Class attenda= nce is mandatory. Any reason for absence should be communicated to the teacher in advance, if possible. Any more than 3 unexcused absences will result in an F Grade in the class. Persistent lateness to class will also result in a significant reduction of the attendance grade.

The primary mode of instruction will be lecturing, acc= ompanied by course documents provided by Professor, visual aids and other relevant resources. Students are encouraged to participate by preparing for class session in advance and being prepared to ask and/or answer relevant questio= ns and making relevant comments at any point in the class. The professor does not = mind being interrupted by questions.

Students will also be expected to make ONE ORAL presentation in class as part of their course requirem= ent.

Specific Competencies

This is a writing intensive class and the student is <= u>strongly encouraged to review Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations = to familiarize him/herself with the footnoting styles, correct citation of sou= rces and format of writing a research paper. The instructor also provides supplementary documents to aid student in this regard.

With the main objective of this course being to develo= p the skill of doing exegesis in the New Testament, by the end of the course stud= ents should:

   &nbs= p;

Attendance=

The University’s rule on absences will be observ= ed in this course. During the semes= ter, no student may have unexcused abse= nces in excess of the number of times the course meets in a week (1). Excused absences will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances. In order to get the most out of the course, students must keep excused absences to a minimum. It will be very difficult for a st= udent to complete the course if he or she misses more than three class meetings. Persistent lateness to class will also affect your final grade.

Please see the instructor before you miss a fourth class meeting.

·            = ;             It is the responsibility of the studen= t to turn in assignments on or before the due date, if he or she must be absent = on the due date.

·            = ;             It is also the responsibility of the student= to get class notes (e.g., taping) and any handouts from any missed class meeti= ng.

Grading

Class Participation & Attendance  &= nbsp;       5%

Response Paper # 1 (5pp)    &nbs= p;           &= nbsp;   20%

Response Paper # 2 (5pp)     &nb= sp; 20%

Response Paper # 3 (5pp)    &nbs= p;           &= nbsp;   20%

Oral Presentation (3pg Review - St= ony)        &= nbsp; 10%

Exegetical Paper (12-15pp) 25% (Due Last day of class)=

Grading Sc= ale

The following grading scale will be used for all assignments:

A   &nb= sp;     90-100

B   &nb= sp;      80-89

C   &nb= sp;     70-79

D   &nb= sp;     60-69

F   &nb= sp;      below 60

I   &nb= sp;       An incomplete is given only when extraordinary circumstances (extended illness, death in the family, etc.) prevent the student from completing all the assignments before the end of the semester. An incomplete must be made up before the end of the following semester, or the grade will automatically change to F, and the course must be repeated.

Please note:<= /b> Any student who receives an incomp= lete, regardless of the reason, will not= be able to receive an A in the course.&nbs= p; The highest grade possible for a student who receives an incomplete = will be B.

All written assignments should conform to the guidelin= es in the Divinity School’s “Guidelines for Written Assignments,̶= 1; available in the Divinity School Office/Library. The following criteria will be use= d in evaluating all written assignments.

A         = Indicates the student has significantly exceeded the minimum expectations for the assignment. The student has consulted the relevant scholars and has consistently entered into dialogue = with these scholars, offering his/her critique of the relevant sources. All the required parts of the assi= gnment are present, and the written presentation is consistently above average, wi= th no errors in spelling or grammar.

B         = Indicates the student has exceeded the minimum expectations for the assignment. The student has consulted relevant scholars and has entered into dialogue with most of them, offering his/her critique of the sources. All = the required parts of the assignment are present, and the written presentation = is above average, with no errors in spelling or grammar.

C         = Indicates the student has met the minimum expectations for the assignment. The student has consulted relevant scholars and has represented their views well, at least occasionally offeri= ng a critique of the sources. The required parts of the assignment are present, and the written presentation = is acceptable, with minimal errors in spelling or grammar.

D         = Indicates the student has not met the minimum expectations for the assignment in one = or more of the following ways: significant critical scholarship is not consulted; significant segme= nts of the assignment are missing or inadequate; or the written presentation is inadequate in grammar, spelling, or format.

F        &= nbsp; Indicates the work is not acceptable for graduate-level study.

ASSIGNMENT= S

Response Papers: 3 @ 20% (=3D60%) - Unless otherwise stated, they are = to be typed, double spaced, approx. 5 pages.

Due at the beginning of the class, on the due date.

The Response papers will be patterned after the previo= us lesson in which the professor would have gone through the subject in class, with examples. The students are to apply the method studied in class to an assigned text. Instructions will be given in the class prior to the expected date of the Response paper.

Unless a convincing explanation is provided, late pape= rs will lose a whole percentage point of a grade with every late day, and will NOT be acceptable 7 days afte= r the due date.