New Testament Background - Alliance Theological Seminary, Fall 2001

NEW! - Class notes on-line!

3) The Pharisees

4) The Sadducees and the Temple

5)The Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls (including importance of manuscripts discovered at Qumran)

6) Other currents in early Judaism
a) apocalypticism and apocalyptic literature
b) the Zealots and nationalism

7) Religion in the Greco-Roman world
A. Popular religions
B. Philosophy

8) Messianic expectations in early Judaism

9) Biblical interpretation in New Testament times

Syllabus - New Testament Background (NT621N)
Fall, 2001
Dr. James F. McGrath

COURSE OBJECTIVES
To introduce students to the importance of background and of cultural and historical context for understanding the New Testament. To provide students with a grounding in the most important areas of New Testament background.

REQUIRED BOOKS:
Ferguson, Everett, Backgrounds of Early Christianity (second edition),
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS and BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Barrett, C. K., The New Testament Background: Selected Documents (revised edition), London: SPCK, 1987.

Beckwith, Roger, "Intertestamental Judaism, its literature and its significance", în Themelios 15/3 (1990) p.77-81.

Charlesworth, James H. (editor), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2
volumes), Garden City: Doubleday, 1983.

Cross, F. M. and S. Talmon (eds.), Qumran and the History of the Biblical Text, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975.

Grabbe, Lester L., Wisdom of Solomon, Sheffield Academic Press, 1997.

Hengel, Martin, Judaism and Hellenism, London: SCM, 1974.

Hengel, Martin, The 'Hellenization' of Judaea in the First Century after Christ, London: SCM/Philadelphia: TPI, 1989.

Jeremias, Joachim, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions during the New Testament Period, Philadelphia: Fortress/London: SCM, 1969.

Kee, Howard Clark, The Origins of Christianity. Sources and Documents, Prentice Hall, 1973.

Koch, Klaus, The Rediscovery of Apocalyptic, London: SCM, 1972.

Kraft, R. A. and G. W. E. Nickelsburg (eds.), Early Judaism and Its Modern Interpreters, Atlanta: Scholars, 1986.

Kugel, James L. and Rowan A. Greer, Early Biblical Interpretation, Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986.

Leaney, A. R. C., The Jewish and Christian World 200 BC to AD 200, Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Lohse, Eduard, The New Testament Environment, Nashville: Abingdon, 1976.

Longenecker, Richard N., Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975/Carlisle: Paternoster, 1995.

Malina, Bruce, The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology, Atlanta: John Knox, 1981 (new edition now available).

Malina, Bruce, Windows on the World of Jesus: Time-Travel to Ancient Judea, Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993.

Metzger, Bruce M., An Introduction to the Apocrypha, Oxford University Press, 1957.

Nickelsburg, G. W. E., Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah, Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.

Roetzel, Calvin J., The World that Shaped the New Testament, London: SCM, 1985.

Rowland, Christopher, Christian Origins, London: SPCK, 1985.

Russell, D. S., Between the Testaments, SCM, 1963.

Russell, D. S., Divine Disclosure: An Introduction to Jewish
Apocalyptic, Fortress Press, 1994.

Russell, D. S., The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic, Philadelphia: Westminster, 1964.

Russell, D. S., The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Patriarchs and Prophets in Early Judaism, London: SCM, 1987.

Saldarini, A., Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees.

Sanders, E. P., Jewish Law from Jesus to the Mishnah. Five Studies, London: SCM Press, 1990.

Sanders, E. P., Paul and Palestinian Judaism, London: SCM, 1977.

Sanders, E. P., et.al. (eds.), Jewish and Christian Self-Definition. Vol. 2. Aspects of Judaism in the Greco-Roman World, London: SCM, 1981.

Schürer, Emil, The History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ (175 B. C. - A. D. 135), rev. and ed. by Geza Vermes, Fergus Millar et. al., 3 vols. in 4 parts, Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1973-1987.
Sanders, E. P., Judaism: Practice and Belief 63 BCE - 66 CE, Trinity Press International, 1992.

Winter, Bruce W., After Paul Left Corinth: The Influence of Secular Ethics and Social Change, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001

VanderKam, James C., An Introduction to Early Judaism, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

Vermes, Geza, An Introduction to the Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Philadelphia: Fortress, 2000.

Vermes, Geza, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Penguin, 1998.

Wright, N. T., The New Testament and the People of God, London: SPCK, 1992.

USEFUL WEB PAGES:
http://www.oocities.org/jamesfrankmcgrath/alliance_nt_background/
This will be the home page for the course, where course and bibliographical information, useful web links etc. will be regularly updated.

http://religion.rutgers.edu/iho
Primary texts providing background to NT era

http://www.webnexus.fsnet.co.uk
Web Nexus page on early Judaism and Christianity

http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/topics/backgrounds/toc.htm
Historical Backgrounds to the Life of Jesus, by Evangelical NT scholar Darrell Bock (list of parallel texts)
[This site, www.bible.org, also contains other relevant resources]

http://www.bible-history.com/
Includes a historical timeline of the intertestamental period, explanations of ancient customs, etc.

http://www.ao.net/~fmoeller/qumdir.htm
A site that offers pictures and discussion of the Isaiah Scroll found
at Qumran.

http://www.online-dictionary.net/bible/index.htm
Bible dictionaries on-line

http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
An introduction to ancient cultures, including Greece and Rome.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html
An Internet Ancient History Sourcebook (the page on Jewish history has links of particular relevance)

http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/religion/essays.htm
A guide to writing an academic essay

http://bible.crosswalk.com/History/BC/FlaviusJosephus/
The works of Josephus

REQUIREMENTS:
1. Students are to familiarize themselves thoroughly with the sections from Ferguson that relate to the topics covered in the course. Additional reading in preparation for next week's course will at times be assigned.
2. A review (maximum two pages) of one book from the course's recommended reading list.
3. A one-page paper giving the student's impressions and thoughts after reading one piece of primary literature from this period. The work may be chosen from Charlesworth, the Apocrypha, or the Dead Sea Scrolls.
4. A brief (approx 5 minute) presentation telling how any one New Testament verse or passage is illuminated by historical, cultural and religious background study. Although the presentation is to be oral, students must hand in at least an outline with the main points they discovered and books they consulted.
5. One long essay (titles will be provided soon after the beginning of the semester; students may propose alternative essay subjects in consultation with the professor). This essay should be approximately 10 pages in length.
6. A final exam covering class notes, discussions and recommended readings.
PLEASE NOTE: Adherence to the school's guidelines concerning academic honesty is also an essential requirement of the course.

GRADING:
Book review: 15%
Thoughts and impressions paper: 10%
Presentation for December 5th class: 5%
Essay: 40%
Final exam: 20%
Attendance and participation: 10%

SCHEDULE
1) [Sept 5] An introduction to the course:
"I know you understood what you thought I said, but I don't know if you realize that what you heard isn't what I meant!" OR, why issues of historical, religious and cultural background are crucial to understanding the New Testament

2) [Sept 12] The wider Greco-Roman world
A. Alexander the Great, Hellenism and hellenization
B. The Greek language
C. Pax Romana

3) [Sept 19] An overview of intertestamental Jewish history -
A. The Second Temple
B. The persecution of Antiochus and the rise of the Maccabees
C. Hellenization
D. Jewish independence and nationalism

4) [Sept 26] Jewish religion in New Testament times
A. The Pharisees
The Sadducees and the Temple

B. [Oct 3] The Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls (including importance of manuscripts discovered at Qumran)

C. [Oct 10] D. The synagogue and the Diaspora

5) [Oct 17 & 24] Religion in the Greco-Roman world
A. Popular religions
B. Philosophy

6) [Oct 31] *** INDEPENDENT STUDY - Class will probably not meet

7) [Nov 7] Messianic expectations in early Judaism
A. The Davidic king
B. The priestly Messiah
C. The (one like a) son of man
D. Other expectations (the prophet like Moses, etc.)

8) [Nov 14] Biblical interpretation in New Testament times

9) [Nov 28] Culture and the New Testament
A. Basic introduction to cultural approaches to the New Testament
B. Culture and customs (sowing, weddings, etc.)
C. Culture and values (honor-shame, patronage)

10) [Dec 5] Practical applications - how what we've learned illuminates the New Testament
[For this class, students will present the insights into any one New Testament passage that they have researched independently, showing how the types of historical, religious and cultural background information we have been looking at this semester has helped them to better understand the passage in question. This may be continued the following week if necessary]

11) [Dec 12] Overview and review

FINAL NOTE: Students are free to contact the professor via e-mail for any queries, concerns or points of uncertainty they may have. The address is:
jamesfrankmcgrath@yahoo.com