IBSL 531 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Dr. Lynne St. Clair Darden Assistant Professor of New Testament Office: Classroom Building, Room 303 Office Telephone: 404, 527.7749 Email: [email protected] Office hours: Tuesdays 4:30 PM-6:00 PM; Wednesdays 4:30-6:00 PM All other sessions by appointment

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ITC MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Interdenominational Theological Center is to educate for the Church and the global community Christian leaders who are committed to and practice a liberating and transforming spirituality, academic discipline, justice and peace, an appreciation of religious, gender and cultural diversity, and a desire to engage the public arena for the common good.

COURSE DESCRIPTION Welcome to IBSL 531: Introduction to the New Testament; and if you are a first-semester seminarian, welcome to the ITC!! The aim of this course is to study the diverse writings of the New Testament as products of their original historical, political, social and religious contexts. We will examine how these ancient writings served to interpret and respond to the complex life situations of the earliest Christians, a people living within the context of the oppressive system of the Roman Empire. We will question how the imperial context had impact on the formation and central issues of these texts. In this way, we enhance our discernment of the complexity of theological/christological development of the early Christian communities by way of understanding how the texts reflect how communities variously negotiated their lives in the Roman Empire. By our reflection on these matters, we prepare ourselves to think critically and theologically on the common strategies in which contemporary Christian communities engage the scriptures and construct their theologies in various sociopolitical contexts. This class embraces students from all faith traditions and cultural, religious backgrounds and it is expected that we treat each other with the respect and dignity each one of us deserves. ITC Syllabus Template

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SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY A three credit hour course requires a minimum of 42 contact hours in a 14-week time frame. Please note that the class schedule meets this minimum such that an unexcused absence of one session can severely hinder the student’s ability to meet the required hours and may consequently affect the student’s ability to make satisfactory attendance, which may affect the student’s satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION POLICY The Office of Student Services provides services for qualified students with verified physical or mental disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA). Services provided include, but are not limited to: readers, note takers, equipment loan, interpreters, adaptive computer software, large print copying, test proctoring, community referral, and advocacy. The mission of the Abilities office is “empowerment through education,” These services provide disabled students with equal access to education and an opportunity to fully participate in activities related to the academic pursuits. Students with disabilities must identify themselves in order to receive support from the Abilities office. All documentation related to the existence of a disability is treated as confidential information COURSE OUTCOMES EVIDENCE OF PROGRAM AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES The course outcomes are evidence of the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Education degree program outcomes in the following competencies: M.Div. SLO Competencies

M.Div. PLOs

MACE PLOs

Measured by (Indicate Specific Course Assignment)

Story Linking Use Storytelling/Linking Skills – students apply Biblical Interpretation, historical accounts, and/or ethical and philosophical Ideas to contemporary realities to address moral/social dilemmas

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PLO-1. Develop and express the basic tenets of faith, religion, and denominational traditions for ministerial vocation and leadership

Define and describe biblical, theological, philosophical, historical, sociocultural, and psychological tenets that undergird the socio-cultural experiences of the African diaspora as they relate to the concrete practices of teaching learning.

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Critical Thinking Use Thinking Skills – students decode Significance, clarify Meaning (Interpret); Examine Ideas, Detect, Analyze Arguments (Analyze); Assess Claims, or Arguments (Evaluate);

Intrapersonal Demonstrate Intrapersonal Skills Self-articulation; Self-examination; and/or Self-correction

Community Demonstrate Community Building Skills - Design; Organize; Plan; Advocate; Use Collaborate Strategies (in the Church and the Academy Communities)

PLO-2. Execute sermons, liturgies, programs, and performances that demonstrate their religion, faith, and commitment to live out a liberating and transforming spirituality

Employ oral and ocular worldviews to illustrate, compare, contrast, and critique the various theories supporting core courses.

PLO-3. Construct worship services, educational sessions, forums in the community, church, and academy to evidence their leadership and administrative skills

Demonstrate the capacity to implement teaching-learning practices that reflect denominational traditions, religious heritages, and a liberating and transforming spirituality.

PLO-4. Contribute to the advancement of research and creative projects that substantiate the contribution, role, and function of the African and African American experience

Research, design and administer curriculums that relate oral and ocular worldviews as operative in contemporary communities of the African Diaspora

Essay Assignments Embedded Assignment

Essay Assignments Embedded Assignment

Embedded Assignment

Course Evaluation Scale (points or percent) of Assignment Participation/Attendance (5 pts) – Seminarians are expected to attend every class, and to come prepared and ready to participate. To earn the five points for attendance, seminarians may miss no more than 3 classes. For four or more absences, students will receive a grade for attendance that directly reflects the number of classes that they have attended and in which they have participated (12/15, 11/15, etc). Seminarians who have unusual providential circumstances (like illness) that would cause them to miss a normally unacceptable number of classes, should make every effort to contact the professor and work out an acceptable alternative, if one is possible.

Essay Assignment 1: Historical context in the study of New Testament (25 pts) Seminarians will write a five-six double-spaced paper in which they describe the historical context of the ancient Mediterranean World. Full instruction for this assignment will be available on the course Moodle page. This essay will be evaluated on a rubric that will available on Moodle. Assignment due: February 9

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Essay Assignment 2: The Synoptic Problem (25 pts) Seminarians will write a five-six doublespaced paper in which they will make an argument about the redaction of a New Testament pericope including as part of their work a discussion of theories of the Synoptic problem and matters of historical context. Full instruction for this assignment will be available on the course Moodle page. The essay will be evaluated on a rubric that will be distributed on Moodle. Assignment due: March 1 Essay Assignment 3: The Letters (25 pts) Seminarians will write a five-six double-spaced page paper in which they will make an argument about the impact of the epistolary structure of an undisputed or pseudonymous Pauline letter, as well as matters of historical context, on the interpretation of a particular pericope within that letter. Full instruction for this assignment will be will be available on the course Moodle page. Assignment due: April 12 Essay Assignment 4: **Embedded Assignment** – Marriage in the New Testament (20 pts). Seminarians will write a five-six page double-spaced paper in which they will write about the marriage throughout the New Testament canon.. Each seminarian will explore how marriage interacts with the ways in which her or his denomination/ecclesiastical affiliation understands the same concept. Seminarians will include examples from the Gospels, Acts, Letters, and Revelation to support their presentations Assignment due: April 29 This assignment must be included in your e-folio as evidence of your successful achievement of an Area Learning Outcome. GRADING POLICY – EVALUATION AND GRADING SYSTEM Course Evaluation Assignment Rubrics The evaluation criteria applied to all course requirements for this course are listed in the assignment rubrics on the Moodle page. The intent of rubrics is to enable you to evaluate your own work on the class assignments, cluster work, and/or individual assignments by the same standards as the course facilitator. Completing the assignment is not evidence of excellent (A) work. The following criteria are assigned to all components of this course and, {specific} rubric for each assignment. NOTE: All written work is to be typed, double-spaced, with page numbers. An average double-spaced page is roughly 250 words. While dialogue with other students will be an important element of this class, all written work is to be in your own words, without plagiarism. Please consult the ITC catalogue to reference school policies. All direct quotes and paraphrasing must be cited!!! Please follow the Kate L. Turabian Manual for Writers. Refer to the ITC catalogue for a detailed description of the grading scale. The Associate Vice President of Academic Services will immediately address all cases of cheating. ITC Syllabus Template

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Therefore “A” work is: A very clear, insightful assignment that includes: • Some original thinking • An excellent grasp of the subject matter • Clear evidence of personal engagement with course material and critical thinking • Goes beyond the minimum • Thorough and timely preparation of the assignment • Willingness to be changed by new insights and discoveries • Correct spelling and grammar

ITC Grading Scale Grade Points A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D F

Quality Value 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.0

Numerical 96-100 90-95 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62 ITC's Academic Integrity Policy (abbreviated)

If student work shows plagiarism or cheating, the following procedures will be in place and cannot be reversed by the instructor (evidence of plagiarism/cheating that is reported to the provost, after notifying the department/area chair, is out of the hands of the instructor. All appeals must be made to the Provost office). The Board of Trustees of ITC has ruled, in the case of academic misconduct (plagiarism, cheating, and other acts of inappropriate behavior laid out in Student Handbook 4.2): That all members of the ITC faculty notify the Provost, who shall notify the President, of all incidents of cheating by students and further that the President ITC Syllabus Template

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be authorized to take such action(s) that may be appropriate, including reprimand, suspension, and termination in line with the institution’s policy; and the student fails the class REQUIRED TEXTS, MEDIA, OR FIELD EXPERIENCES Required Texts/Articles/Websites Attridge, Harold. Harper Collins Study Bible, Student Edition. Fully Revised and Updated (with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books and Concordance) San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006. Carter, Warren. Seven Events that Shaped the New Testament World. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013. Carter, Warren and Amy-Jill Levine, The New Testament: Methods and Meanings. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013. Throckmorton, Burton H. Gospel Parallels. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992. -ArticlesThere will be articles assigned as designated on the syllabus from the following texts below. Articles are on Moodle. Horsley, Richard A., ed. Paul and the Roman Imperial Order. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2004. Kraemer, Ross Shepard and Mary Rose D'Angelo, eds. Women & Christian Origins. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Newsom, Carol, Sharon H. Ringe and Jacquelyn Lapsley, eds. Womens' Bible Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2013. Required Websites: Josephus, Jewish War, Book 2, Chapter 8 http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/war-2.htm White, L. Michael, “The Political History of the Jewish People http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/jews.html Cohen, Shaye, “Temple Culture” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/temple.html Helpful Websites Greco-Roman/Judaic Context Resisting Slavery in Ancient Rome”—Keith Bradley

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/slavery_01.shtml

“Roman Women: Following the Clues”—Suzanne Dixon http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/roman_women_01.shtml

“Social Pecking Order in the Roman World”—Valerie Hope http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/social_structure_01.shtml

“Why Women Too Should Study Philosophy”—Musonius Rufus http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/wlgr/wlgr-philosophers.shtml

“Religion in the Roman World”—Marianne Bonz http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/religions.html

PBS Roman Empire in the First Century http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/index.html Textbook website: Oxford University Press has developed a website for your textbook which includes for each chapter a summary, flashcards, review questions, and a review quiz. These are helpful resources but should not be seen as substitutes either for reading the New Testament or for reading the assigned readings. http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199862306/ LibGuides: Library Guides created by Robert W. Woodruff Library at the AUC just for us! Biblical studies: http://research.auctr.edu/biblicalstudies Exegesis: http://research.auctr.edu/exegeticalpapers Electronic Resources for New Testament Studies: Great website and links to many great websites on the New Testament housed at Pitts Theological Library at Emory University. http://www.pitts.emory.edu/digiresources/nt2001.html

New Testament Gateway: Dr. Mark Goodacre of Duke University maintains one of the best sites on NT studies on the web. He has his particular biases (especially about whether or not there is a Q), but his website is solid. http://www.ntgateway.com/ Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: Arguably one of the best television series on the history of Christianity ever made. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/

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Christian and other spiritual writings from North Africa found at Nag Hammadi (including the Gospels of Thomas and of Mary) These so-called “gnostic” writings are part of a collection of writings saved by North African Christians and rediscovered in the mid twentiethcentury. http://gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html The Synoptic Problem: Mark Goodarce, A Way through the Maze” http://www.markgoodacre.org/maze/synopses.htm Felix Just, “The Synoptic Problem,” http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Synoptic_Problem.htm Mahlon Smith, “The Synoptic Primer,” http://virtualreligion.net/primer/index.html Daniel Wallace, “The Synoptic Problem,” https://bible.org/article/synoptic-problem

COURSE WEEKLY SCHEDULE Week

Date

1/12

Topic

Readings

Assignment

Introductions

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Carter, chapter 1-3 Drop/Add Period

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1/19

Judaism and the Roman Empire Carter, chapter 4-6 Drop/Add Period

1/26 3

Browse through the Josephus section on the Jewish War (see Judaism and the Roman Empire website link above.) L Michael White, “The Political History of the Jewish People (see website link above)

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Gospel of Mark, 1-8 2/2

The Secret Messiah, Part I

4

Carter/Levine, Mark

Assignment #1 Due

See Table of Methods on Moodle

Gospel of Mark, 9-16 2/9 5

The Secret Messiah, Part II The Synoptic Problem

Ehrman article on Synoptic Problem on Moodle page Bring Throckmorton Gospel Parallel to class Carter/Levine, Matthew and Luke chapters

2/16 6

The birth, life and death of a Messiah: Jesus in Matthew and Luke

Birth and baptism Matthew 1-4; Luke 1:-5:11 Life in Galilee Matthew 6-16; Luke 6-9:27

2/23 7

The birth, life and death of a Messiah (con'td): Jesus in Matthew and Luke

From the Transfiguration to Jerusalem Matthew 17-25; Luke 9:28-21:38 Death and Resurrection Matthew 26-28; Luke 22-24

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Carter/Levine, John 3/1

The Johannine Jesus

3/8

Spring Break

Assignment #2 due

Gospel of John 1-4, 8-9, 18-21

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Carter/Levine, Acts 3/15 10

The Acts of the Apostles: One Story of “what happened next”

Aymer, “Acts” in Women's Bible Commentary Acts of the Apostles: 1-2, 6-10, 15

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3/22 11

Paul and his letters

Horsely, Richard A. 2004. “Introduction.” In Paul and the Roman Imperial Order, ed. Richard A. Horsley. Harrisburg: Trinity.

On Moodle

3/29 12

Paul and his school engaging “the world”: slavery, freedom, apocalypticism

Carter/Levine, Galatians, 1st Corinthians Galatians 1 Corinthians 1-4

1 Corinthians 5-16

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4/5

Paul and his school engaging “the world”: women and gender norms

Romans 16 Colossians Ephesians Martin, Clarice. “The

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Haustafeln (Household Codes) in African American Biblical Interpretation: 'Free Slaves' and 'Subordinate Women'” in Stony the Road we Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation, McDonald, Margaret Y. “Reading Real Women through the Undisputed Letters of Paul.” in Women and Christian Origins

4/12

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Assignment #3 due

Others Engage the World: 1 Peter, Revelation

1 Peter Revelation 13, 17, 3

15

4/19

16

4/29

LAST DAY OF CLASS

1 Peter/Revelation cont’d

FINAL WEEK: Embedded Assignment Due on Friday, April 29th

Additional Assignments 1. Online Discussions. Students will respond to a question(s) by Wednesday, 10:55 p.m. The question(s) will be posted on Monday. The students are required to then substantively respond to at least two responses to the group members’ responses by Saturday at 10:55 p.m. Initial responses should be well-organized paragraphs between6ITC Syllabus Template

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10 lines. Each subsequent response should be between 3-5 lines. Please use complete sentence in subject line. Throughout the discussion, I will read every response and will serve as “coach” to encourage and redirect the discussion, as needed. However, I will not respond to every response. It is necessary to make three responses to receive credit; less than three responses will not earn credit. You will receive 1 pt for the initial response by Wednesday; .5 pt for the first follow-up response and .5 pt. for the second by Saturday. There will be a total of 10 online discussions. 20% of grade. NOTE: You will not receive credit for posts if your discussions are not posted during that week! ONLINE COURSE FORMAT Online courses at ITC are conducted in the ITC Online Course Environment located at URL: http://moodle.itc.edu (Links to the online course environment are also located on the ITC home page at URL: http://www.itc.edu ). ITC online courses are conducted primarily in an “asynchronous” format, which means that students and instructors are not required to be online at the same time. Instructors provide materials, lectures, quizzes, and assignments that can be accessed at any time. Instructors should give students at least a week’s notice before scheduling synchronous activities like a video conference, or a chat session; and, if possible, should make recordings, or logs available for those students who could not attend. Instructors cannot require attendance to synchronous activities unless the days and times for the required meetings where posted in the course description available before students registered for the class, or the information is posted in the syllabus available during the first day of class so students who cannot make the scheduled commitment can drop the class. Online Weekly Schedule ITC online courses are divided into weekly segments. The course week begins on Monday at 12AM and concludes at 11:59PM on Sunday (All posted times in the online course environment are in Eastern Standard, or Eastern Daylight Time): Day 1 – Monday Day 2 – Tuesday Day 3 – Wednesday Day 4 – Thursday Day 5 – Friday Day 6 – Saturday Day 7 - Sunday

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The online course environment will follow this schedule; however, instructors may set their deadlines for activities to whenever they feel are appropriate. Online course rooms become available to access the Monday (Day 1). The first days of the semester are usually used by instructors as an introductory period. Attendance Policy Course attendance is recorded each time you log into the course in the online course environment. An updated attendance log is always available to instructors. The academic week is 12:00 AM Monday – 11:59PM Sunday (Eastern Time). To receive full credit for attending your asynchronous class, you must attend weekly AND one of the following items must be completed each week as directed by the instructor: •

Submit an academic assignment.

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Submit a quiz or exam.

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Participate in a posted online academic discussion.

NOTE: Logging into class without active participation does not constitute weekly attendance! Students are strongly encouraged to log in daily in order to understand the subject fully and to be successful in class. Not logging into a course for a complete course week is considered an absence. Three consecutive weeks without logging into a course or a total of four absences and you will be withdrawn from the course. Need Help Connecting To Online Course Environment The online course environment is hosted in a state of the art data center and is mirrored to several backup centers to ensure availability. If you are not able to log into the online course environment contact the IT Help Desk at: [email protected] or call (404) 527-5701. System Requirements You can access the online course environment from many popular devices (computers, tablets, smart phones, ect.) that connect to the Internet and meet the following requirements: •

Web browser with both cookies and javascript enabled (For best performance use Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Internet Explorer).

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Reliable High Speed Internet Connection (256Kbps minimum, 1000 Kbps recommended)

You will also need to have the following software to participate in course activities:

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Word Processor that can open and create documents in both .doc and .rtf formats.

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Presentation software

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Adobe Acrobat Reader (Version 9 or higher)

Many online courses will now require you to create multimedia content, or participate in a multimedia enhanced virtual environment. It is recommended that online students purchase an audio headset with microphone, and a Webcam. Identifying Content Content in the online course environment will belong to one of two categories: activities and resources. Activities will require action from you the student, and resources will be instructional content. Below is a list of the most common activities and resources and the icons that identify them in the online course environment:

How To Submit Assignments Step 1: Locate the link to the assignment; links to assignments are always located in the Topic or Weekly Sections down the center of the Moodle course page. Note: If your instructor has added the Activities block to the course, you can also locate assignments by clicking on the Assignment link in the Activities block. Step 2: Click the link to the assignment. The Assignment submission screen will open. Step 3: For online text assignments, click Add Submission. The assignment entry screen will open where you can type or paste your response into the text box, then skip to Step 5 Step 4: To submit a file as an attachment, click Upload a file or Upload files (depending on the assignment type). The Upload a file screen opens. 1. On the Upload a file screen, click Choose a file or Add (depending on the assignment type). The File picker window will. ITC Syllabus Template

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2. To upload a file from your computer, in the File Picker window click Upload a file (at left), then, next to Attachment:, Choose File. 3. A new File Upload window will open. Browse your computer and select the file from your computer that you want to attach, then click OK or Open. will return to the File Picker window where you should see the file name next to the Choose file button. 4. (Optional) If you want to rename your file, type the new name in the Save as field, and make sure to include the correct file extension (.pdf, .doc, etc.) in the name so the file can open correctly for your instructor. 5. Click Upload this file. The File picker window will close and your file will be listed on the submission screen. Note: You are not done yet! Step 5: Click Save changes. (For some assignment types, the button may be called Send for marking.) You should see a message confirming that your file was submitted, then be automatically returned to the Submission screen where you should check to ensure your file is listed. Note: If your instructor allows you to resubmit files, you will see an Update this file button. Naming Convention for Submitted Files iles being submitted for assignments should include your first name, last name, course number, and assignment title (example: John Doe-IBSL_0501-Old Testament Paper.docx).

How To Post To A Forum Depending on the type of forum, you may be able to start a new topic, or only reply to a topic or previous reply. Step 1: Locate the link to the forum. Links can be found in the Topic or Weekly Sections down the center of the course page. Depending on the course layout you may need to toggle a section open to see the links within it. If your instructor has added the Activities block, click Forums for a list of links to all forums in the course. Step 2: Click the link to a forum. The forum screen will open. 

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If there are already topics started, you may see a list of topics. Click a Topic Title (not the class member's name) to open and read what has been posted so far on the discussion. Click Reply to post your response.

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If it is a single-topic or blog-like forum, click Discuss this Topic to read what has been posted so far, then click Reply to post your response.

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If your instructor is allowing students to start new topics, at the top of the page you will be able to click Add a new discussion topic to start a new discussion thread.

Step 3: In the Subject field (required), type a brief but descriptive subject line. In the Message field, enter your reply. You can use the HTML Editor toolbar to format text as well as to add images, links to media, or equations. Step 4: This screen is also where you may be able to control whether you receive email notifications for new posts. If you don't want to receive emails, set Subscription to I don't want email copies of posts to this forum. Note: Sometimes you will not be able to change the Subscription mode depending on the settings your Instructor has made.

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION ITC Hours Statement The expectation for this course is that you will spend 2 hours and 40 minutes per week in class and you will spend up to eight (8) hours per week studying, reading, and completing assignments for this course.

Woodruff Library and Theology Librarian A liberative education doesn’t tell you what to think, nor does it provide a set of verbal indicts—we’ll teach you how to think. You'll learn how to gather information, analyze, and synthesize. Don't worry about the "gathering"... that's the easy part. We have peer support, information specialists, and a theology librarian to help you find the information you need. Woodruff Library provides access to scholarly books, journals, eBooks, and databases of full text articles from scholarly journals. To begin using these materials, visit the library web page http://www.auctr.edu Mr. Brad Ost, Theology Librarian is available to assist you at the AUC Woodruff Library campus, via chat on the library’s home page, or by emailing him at [email protected]. You may contact the library at (404) 978-2067. If you attend classes online, please check your course management page.

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