Old Testament Interpretation I

This course is a general survey of the Old Testament (OT) history, literature, and theology. This module focuses on Israel’s origins (antecedents and beginnings), literary tools for OT study, the Pentateuch/Hexateuch, promise and covenant, exodus, the rise and development of the monarchy.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY:

The course is designed to introduce students to the contents of the OT, with an emphasis on the literary artistry of the text. Students will also be exposed to the various critical approaches to the study of the OT. The course further seeks to help students acquire competent exegetical skills for preaching and teaching.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students who successfully complete this course will:

• Be familiar with the contents of the OT.

• Gain a deeper understanding of the OT as primarily faith, and to a less extent historical, documents of Israel’s relationship to her God.

• Be familiar with the historical-critical and literary interpretive methods in contemporary scholarship for evaluating and communicating the meaning of the OT texts.

• Gain competence in biblical studies for vocational ministry and leadership in other public life settings.

• SLOs: 1.1.1-2, 1.2.2, 1.3.1, 1.4.1-2, 1.5.1-3, 1.6.1-2, 2.1.1, 2.2.2, 2.3.1, 2.4.1-2, 2.5.1-2, 3.1.1-2, 3.2.2, 3.3.1, 3.4.1-2, 3.5.1-2

COURSE FORMAT:

Class time is a blend of lectures, dialogues, and discussions of how to integrate insights from this course in ministry application. Students should expect to work 3 hours each week for each credit hour of class taken—a total of 9 hours on the coursework

REQUIRED READING:

Anderson, B. W. Understanding the Old Testament. 5th edn. Prentice Hall, 2006. ISBN 0-13-948399-3. Pub. Price: $54.00.

Birch, B. C., W. Brueggemann, T. E. Fretheim and D. L. Petersen. A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. Abingdon, 1999. ISBN 0-687-01348-8. Pub. Price: $44.99.

Brueggemann, W. An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. WJK, 2003. ISBN 13: 978-0664-22412-7 or 10: 0-664-22412-1. Pub. Price: $30.00.

Coogan, M. D, et al., eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Oxford, 1998. ISBN 0-19-528485-2. Pub. Price: $49.99.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  • Attendance and participation, reading of required materials – 10%

  • Written paper (12-15 pages, excluding bibliography) – 40%

  • Midterm – 20%;

  • Final exam – 30%

PREREQUISITES:

TP 2101; B1703; and for MDiv and MTS students, B1705

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:

This course meets a core curriculum requirement for the MDiv, MTS, and MCL degree. It could be an elective for the GCCL degree.