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| Below are the outlines for the class lectures, week by week. (You can generally count on one "roman numeral" being covered per class.) To print out a copy of the lecture outlines, you can click here for a downloadable PDF file without color or graphics to print out (link coming soon). Skip ahead to: week one, week two, week three, week four, week five, week six, week seven, week eight, week nine, week ten I. Introduction to the course A. Reading the syllabus B. Questions from the floor
II. Context and Content: Some Background A. Who reads the Bible... 1. Sacred Scripture: Jews & Christians (and Muslims) 2. "Western civilization" B. What's in the Bible 1. Jewish Bible (aka Hebrew Scriptures, Jewish Scriptures, TANAK) a. Torah/Pentateuch b. Nevi'im/Prophets c. Ketuvim/Writings 2. Christian Bible a. Old Testament (TANAK with a twist) b. New Testament (Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation) c. Apocrypha? Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant Bibles C. When was the Bible written: 2000 years in the making 1. Torah (500 BCE?); Prophets (200 BCE?); Writings (100 CE?) 2. Gospels, Letters, Acts, Revelation D How is the Bible written 1. from pieces to the whole 2. languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) 3. translations and versions (Septuagint, Vulgate, King James, "Good News!")
III. Place and Time: Biblical Backdrops A. The ancient Near East 1. Periods a. ancient near eastern empires (Babylonia, Akkadia, Persia) b. Greek kingdoms (Alexander the Great, Ptolemies, Seleucids) c. Roman empire 2. Turning points a. Alexander the Great/hellenism b. Rome B. Biblical history 1. Periods a. ancestors b. slavery c. kingdoms d. exile/return 2. Turning points a. exodus b. first temple (and its destruction) c. second temple (and its destruction)
I. Historical Criticism and Comparison A. Historical criticism: definitions, origins, uses B. Comparative history 1. Gilgamesh and the Flood 2. Hammurabi and Moses 3. "Ancient Israel" in context C. Archaeological History 1. Habiru/Hebrews 2. Merneptah and Israel 3. The David Inscription 4. The Problem of Hoaxes: The James Ossuary D. Rationality and Miracles E. History and Politics: "Maximalists" vs. "Minimalists"
II. Biblical criticism A. What is "criticism"? 1. "Lower criticism" (what does it say?) 2. "Higher criticism" (what does it mean?) 3. Fundamentalism (it says what it means!) B. Literary studies 1. Genres 2. Figures and Language usage C. Other nonhistorical approaches 1. Moral guidebook 2. Political tool a. "religious right" b. "liberal left" 3. Theological resource a. political liberation b. feminist theology
III. IN-CLASS SCREENING OF EPISODE 4 OF GENESIS, A LIVING CONVERSATION
Reminder: No class on Monday, January 19, for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
I. The Torah (Pentateuch, Five Books) Story A. Plot 1. Creation/Prehistory 2. Ancestors 3. Exodus 4. Covenant B. Characters 1. God 2. Humans 3. Hebrews/Israelites C. Settings 1. "Home" (paradise, promised land, covenant) 2. "Away" (disaster, exile, slavery)
II. The Torah (Pentateuch, Five Books) Message Thematic building blocks A. Chaos/Order B. Enslavement/Redemption C. Loyalty/Betrayal D. History/Promise
I. The Torah (Pentateuch, Five Books) Deconstructed A. Literary criticism 1. genres (genealogy, etiology, social law, religious law, hero cycles, songs) 2. sources: the Documentary Hypothesis (for beginners) B. Historical criticism 1. "Did any of this happen?" 2. Archaeology: Merneptah stele 3. Comparative history review (Gilgamesh and Noah, Moses and Hammurabi) 4. Fragments and historical reconstruction: Ancient Israel
Review of the Hebrew Bible structure; Nevi'im (Prophets) = Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings) and Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve)
II. The Prophets Story A. Plot 1. 12 Tribes 2. United Kingdom (Israel) 3. Divided Kingdoms (Israel & Judah) 4. Exile B. Characters 1. God? 2. Holy men (and women): prophets and priests 3. Leaders: judges and kings C. Settings 1. Home (Zion) 2. Away (Babylon) D. Themes 1. Covenant/Idolatry 2. Leadership/Failure 3. Exile/Redemption
III. The Prophets Message A. Divine mediation in the ancient near east 1. Priests and cult professionals: institutional 2. Sorcerers and magicians: subversive 3. Prophets: institutional and subversive B. Prophets in the Hebrew Bible 1. Literary vs. non-literary prophets 2. Prophetic roles a. Covenant enforcer b. Kingmaker/Kingbreaker c. Supporter and/or critic of society
I. Catastrophe and Exile: Historical and Religious Perspectives A. The Exile and History 1. Written Torah 2. Diaspora 3. Nationhood to colony (Judah > Yehud) B. A new religion? 1. From monolatry to monotheism 2. From ethnic custom to religious ritual 3. A new cosmic narrative a. apocalypticism b. messianism
II. Songs: Emotion and Community A. Songs and poetry in the Bible 1. Embedded songs and public recitation of narrative 2. Stand-alone songs and communal emotion B. Psalms 1. Types of psalms: praise, thanksgiving, lament, ritual 2. Functions of psalms a. ritual functions: communal emotion b. personal functions: individual emotion C. Lamentations 1. Context for catastrophe: from despair to hope 2. Emotional purging (individual and communal) D. Song of Solomon 1. historical contexts (wasf, sacred marriage, erotica) 2." What the heck is it doing in the Bible?" a. sanctifying sex b. symbolizing covenant c. allegorizing salvation d. the power of emotion?
III. Wisdom Literature: Intellect and Understanding A. Ancient near eastern philosophy 1. the order of creation 2. humanity's place in creation 3. forms: advice, parables, fables 4. contexts: intellectual elites B. Wisdom in the Bible? 1. Intellectual window dressing 2. Intellectual democracy and cultural critique C. Pragmatic optimism: Proverbs D. Pragmatic pessimism: Ecclesiastes and Job E. Theodicy: God's justice in Exile?
I. Stories from Exile A. History in the (Re-)Making: Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah 1. Defeat as Triumph 2. Yehud as Zion B. History as Romance: Ruth and Esther 1. Women as heroes 2. The question of "foreigners" C. History comes to an end: Daniel D. The question of colonialism
II. MIDTERM REVIEW
III. IN-CLASS MIDTERM
Reminder: There will be no class on February 16 for President's Day
I. Apocalypticism and the Jesus Movement A. Greek culture and compromise 1. Hasmoneans: From rebels to regents 2. Scriptures a. Septuagint (LXX) b. canon formation and apocrypha B. Roman empire and response 1. Compromise: Herod the Gret 2. Revolution: Zealots and the First Jewish War (66-73 CE) C. Religious unrest and renewal 1. apocalypticism 2. messianism 3. atonement D. Jesus in his apocalyptic context 1. Issues and sources 2. A plausible reconstruction
Begin with review of New Testament contents and structure (gospels, acts, letters, revelation)
II. Gospels I: Mark and Matthew A. The "Synoptic problem" 1. The Four Source Hypothesis 2. Theological and historical goals of synoptic criticism B. Mark 1. A suffering messiah 2. The messianic secret 3. A community in distress? C. Matthew 1. A fulfilling messiah 2. Righteousness 3. A community of Jews?
I. Gospels II: Luke and John A. Luke (-Acts) 1. An expansionist messiah a. geographic expansion: out from Jerusalem b. social expansion: prostitutes and publicans c. religious expansion: mission to the gentiles 2. A gentile community? B. John 1. A cosmic messiah 2. "The Word of God" 3. A mystical community? C. Four gospels, one messiah? 1. The social-historical explanation (diverse communities) 2. The theological explanation (multifaceted God)
II. Take one: Acts of the Apostles A. Plot 1. From Easter to Pentecost 2. Persecution and mission B. Characters: social expansion 1. Apostles (messianic agents) 2. Jews and Gentiles 3. "Hellenes" and "Hebrews" 4. The spirit C. Settings 1. Jerusalem to Antioch 2. Asia Minor to Greece 3. Rome D. Themes 1. Expansion 2. Unity 3. Conformity 3. Providence
III. Take two: Paul's Letters A. Who was Paul? 1. Social status 2. Religious status B. Paul's Mission 1. Divine commission 2. Social networks and letters (authentic versus nonauthentic letters) C. Paul's Message: 1 Thessalonians 1. Cosmic sin 2. Messianic triumph (resurrection) 3. Ethical apocalypticism D. Paul versus Acts?: Galatians 1. Divergences: diversity and authority 2. Convergences: gentiles and conversion
I. Paul's Mature Gospel A. The message develops: 1 Corinthians and Romans 1. faith and grace a. gentile context b. gentiles and the "Law"? (circumcision) c. freedom from sin 2. sex and passion a. "Strong" vs. "Weak" parties b. faith, grace, and self-control 3. unity and harmony a. the "body of Christ" B. Paul's missionary operation 1. Context: Dissatisfaction 2. Content: Salvation
II. Liberation and Accommodation A. Social conservatism 1. "deutero-Pauline" epistles: church as household 2. Pastoral Epistles: from apostle to bishop B. Social liberation 1. gender in Paul's letters 2. sex in Paul's letters 3. the Acts of (Paul and) Thecla C. Society as salvation?
III. Resistance and Revelation A. The apocalypse that didn't come B. The "Catholic Epistles" and the topsy-turvy world 1. Withdrawal versus worldliness 2. Poverty versus wealth 3. Orthodoxy versus heresy 4. Christians versus "pagans" C. Revelation 1. Apocalypse as a genre a. colonialism b. martyrdom? 2. Virtual Reality apocalypse 3. Symbolic elasticity
Note: The final day of class will be reserved for your questions (related to this course or the Bible in general); questions emailed to the professor beforehand will receive priority. Time will also be given for you to fill out course evaluations.
I. The Boundaries of Faith: Canon and Apocrypha A. Noncanonical literature 1. Gospels 2. Letters 3. Acts 4. Revelations 5. Nag Hammadi ("Gnostic Gospels") B. Canon formation 1. Why close the canon? a. "Old Testament" example b. Postapostolic authority ("The Apostle says...") c. New Testament = New Covenant 2. Canon as a process a. Competition between Christian groups b. Why Four Gospels (and other selection issues)? c. Canon and orthodoxy: Irenaeus, Athanasius C. Beyond the closed canon: Modes of interpretation 1. Textual "correction" 2. Typology, Allegory, Metaphor
II. Beyond the Boundaries: The Bible in American Culture A. Bible in/as "American" culture: some snapshots B. Religion and science 1. The "Scopes Monkey Trial" 2. Ecotheology C. Religion and Politics 1. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution 2. Biblical metaphors in politics: "civil religion"? D. Religion and entertainment 1. Jesus and Moses go to the movies 2. Pop culture as biblical interpretation E. Who controls the Bible?
FINAL EXAM DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2009, 8-11am
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