Mbuvi NTS595 Petrine Epistles

<= ![endif]> &nbs= p; Shaw Unive= rsity Divinity School

- High Point Extens= ion Campus

Fall= 2009

NTS5= 95-30: Reading Course (P= etrine Epistles)

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Class Time: Sat 2:30am-5:00pm

WELCOME!

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We anticipate that students at Shaw University Divinity School are committe= d, inquisitive, mature learners, who are dedicated to learning for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Church. = This class will invite you to broaden and deepen your understanding of the Petri= ne Epistles in context of other Petrine writings, as we learn together what they have to say to us in our contemporary world.

Instructor:

Andrew M. Mbuvi, Ph.D.,

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 1301 Lincoln Dr.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; High Point, NC 27260

Office = # 144

ambuvi@shawu.edu

Off. Te= l: 336-886-4974, Ext. 6603

Office hours

<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Tuesdays 1:00-6:30 pm

Saturday 7:30-8:00am, 10:00-11:30, 1:30-:2-30, 5:00-6:00 pm

Other day= s and times by appointment only!

Website

h= ttp://www.shawuniversity.edu

This course will include an online component. Each student will be enrolled on t= he University’s Blackboard course site.= The website is available as a link on the right-hand side of the University’s website listed above.&n= bsp; Students are expected to participate in all the online components of= the course. You may access the website from the computer cluster on campus or f= rom any computer with internet access. <= /span>

DIVINITY SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT

Shaw= University Divinity School provides Chr= istian 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 develop= ment of a research institute whose focus is leadership in the “practice of ministry’ in the African American community, particularly in the Afri= can 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 educational 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 Description

(Prerequisite: NT 501 Survey of the New Testament)

The primary goal is to i= ntroduce the student to the Petrine Epistles literature of the New Testament with the aim of having a basic awareness of their content and their interpretations. The course w= ill also familiarize students with the early Petrine literature: Gospel of Peter(ca. 2^nd ce= nt), Acts of Peter(2^nd cent), Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles, = Preaching of Peter (ca. 2^nd cent) the Pseudo-Clementines, Epistle of Peter to Philip, Epistle of= Peter to James (ca. 3^rd cent), and the Apocalypse of Peter (ca. mi= d 2^nd cent), Coptic Apocalypse of P= eter (ca. 3^rd cent).

STUDENT LEARN= ING OUTCOMES

The main aim of the course is to give a more in depth exegetical study of 1 and 2 Peter. The primary focus of the class is to app= ly the principles and methods of interpretation in analyzing these early Chris= tian documents and seeing how a different dimension of early Christianity besides the Pauline branch, dealt with the Christian experience. Consequently, the following 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. recognize the distinguishing features of the PE genre and how to read and interp= ret the writings	Reflection Papers	1, 2	2, 3
2. distinguish between the different “critical methodologies” that are used today in the interpretation of the PE<= /p>	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	1, 2	2, 3
3. identify the benefits and drawbacks of each of the different methods of PE interpretation	Exam Questions, Reflection Papers	1, 2,3	2, 3
4. know the different presuppositions that underlie = the different interpretation methods applied to the PE	Reflection Paper	1, 2, 3	2, 3
5. Significance of PE for preaching = in African and African-Ame= rican Chur= ch	Reflection Papers	4	1
6. 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) Andrew M. Mbuvi. = Temple, Exile and Identity in 1 Peter. <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">London: T & T= Clark, 2007.

(2) The HarperCollins Study Bible (ed. Wayne Meeks; New York: HarperCollins, 1993) which contains the New Revised Standard Version. If you already own an acceptable Bible you may use it. Acceptable Bibles include NIV (New International Version), RSV (Revised Standard Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible= ). The study notes in the HarperCollins Study Bible are very good and it is the text ordered for this class. Bring Bibles to every class session.

Recommended Text

Fred Lapham. Pet= er, The Myth, The Man, And The Writings: A Study Of Early Petrine Text And Traditio= n. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement Series, no. 239. New York: Sheffield Academic, 2003.

Bart Ehrman, Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make it Into the New Testament (New York: Oxford= University Press, 2003).

__________ . Lost Christian= ities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths (New York: Oxford University Press, 2= 003)

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.&nb= sp; The instructor also provides supplementary documents to aid student = in this regard.

By the end of this course students should:

1.   know the historical, political and social backgrounds of the Petrine Epistles;
2.   Have a working knowledge of the geographical and social environment of First Cen= tury Greco-Roman world and the history of Peter the man;

3.   Be able to identify the main issues that relate to the study of the Petrine Epistles.

4.   Be familiar with the Peterine Literature from the first three centuries and their significance in the ear= ly Church.

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Attendance And Course Requirements

During the semester, no student ma= y have unexcused absences in excess o= f 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 absence= s to a minimum. It will be very di= fficult for a student to complete the course if he or she misses more than three cl= ass meetings.

Please see the instructor before you = miss a fourth (4) class meeting.

responsibility of the stude= nt to turn in assignments on or before the due date if he or she must be abse= nt on the due date. It is also t= he responsibility of the student to get class notes and any handouts from any missed class meeting.

GRADING

Attendance/Preparatio= n/Participation (10%)

Mandatory and excusable only by prior arrangement with profess= or.

Reading Journal (15%) - Each stud= ent is expected to read and take notes on the entire collection of Petrine writings during the semester. To account for this you will keep a journal that recor= ds yours thoughts, questions, concerns, etc., that you have as you read each b= ook of the Petrine writings. These jou= rnals will be collected randomly and without prior warning any time by the professor to record students’ reading progress.

Three response papers (5 pp. max. each) (45%) – Th= ese are explained in the schedule below and consist of pre-selected topics deem= ed by the professor to be pertinent to the subject matter that we are studying= .

(Assignments are due = by midnight on the due date via blackboard (Instructions: go to Blackboard sit= e, Log in, click on “Tools,” then click on “Digital Dropbox̶= 1; and “send” your paper.)

Final Exegetical Paper (12-15pp) (30%) - A topic related to Petrine studi= es will be chosen by the student in consultation with the professor. This will= be done early on in the semester to allow the student to start developing ideas and thoughts about the finals project.

A minimum of = 5 scholarly sources (journals, textbooks, etc) will be expected to be cit= ed for this assignment. While scholarly websites do exist, such sites as Wikipedia do NOT count as scholarly sources for this class. If you are uncertain that a source is of a scholarly nature consult the professor before using it. You can also check on the “Electronic Resources” on the Shaw University Library website.<= /p>

Grading Scale

The following grading scale will be used for all assignments:

A         = 90-100

B        &= nbsp; 80-89

C         = 70-79

D         = 60-69

F        &= nbsp; below 60

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

All written assignments should conform to the guidelines in the Divinity School’s “Guidelines for Written Assignments,” available in the Divinity School Office. The following criteria will be used 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
class=3DSection2>
of= fering 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=           Indicates the work is not acceptable for graduate-level study.

assignments

Honor Pledge

The University policy on plagiarism will apply to all assignments in this course. A= ll assignments will be submitted with the following honor pledge:

I affirm that the contents of this assignment are my = own writing. Nothing in this pape= r is copied from a textbook, copied from other books, downloaded from the intern= et, or copied from any other source. I understand that if I violate this affirmation, I will receive a failing gra= de on this assignment and possibly in the class.

The university policy on plagiarism further states th= at repeated violations may result in suspension from the university.

Class Schedule

Jan 17   &n= bsp;          Course Introduction

Jan 24 <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>        &= nbsp;   Peter in the Bible and outside the Bible

        &= nbsp;

Jan 31 <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>        &= nbsp;   Peter in the Gospels and Acts

   &nb= sp;            =

Feb 7  &nbs= p;            Non-Biblical Petrine Documents and Peter in Early Church History

   &nb= sp;            =         Erhman, Lost Christianity, ch. 1

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;   Due: Assignment 1

&nbs= p;

Feb 14  &nb= sp;          Relationsh= ip of Petrine Epistles and Backgrounds for Reading

   &nb= sp;            =

Feb 28  &nb= sp;          1 Peter 1

Mar 7  &nbs= p;            1 Peter 2

   &nb= sp;            =         Due: Assignment 2 =

Mar 14         &= nbsp;   1 Peter 3

   &nb= sp;            =

Mar 28         &= nbsp;   1 Peter 4      =

<= span style=3D'text-decoration:none'>

Apr 4  &nbs= p;            1 Peter 5

   &nb= sp;            =

Apr 11         &= nbsp;   Spring/Easter Break – NO CLASS

   &nb= sp;            =         Due: Assignment 3

   &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;

Apr 18         &= nbsp;   Background for 2 Peter (Relationship to Jude)

   &nb= sp;            =         2 Peter 1-2

&nbs= p;

Apr 25         &= nbsp;   2 Peter 3-4

   &nb= sp;            =



May 2  &nbs= p;           Peter= ine Writings and Preaching =

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;   Final Paper Due           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;

May 9   &nb= sp;          Commenceme= nt

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Note: Sylla= bus is subject to change at the discretion of the professor, without prior notice.             =             &nb= sp;           AMM0= 1/17/09