Introduction to the New Testament (RLGN 1330-01)

East Texas Baptist University Introduction to the New Testament (RLGN 1330-01) Spring 2015 (MWF 8:00 a.m-8:50 a.m.)

Jennifer Garcia Bashaw, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, School of Christian Studies [email protected]

OFFICE HOURS* (Scarborough Hall 209, 903-923-2179):

Monday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM; 2:00-3:00 PM Tuesday 9:00 AM– 11:00 AM Wednesday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM; 2:00-3:00 PM Thursday 9:00 AM– 11:00 AM Friday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM; 2:00-3:00 PM *Other Times by Appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION An introductory survey of the New Testament. Special attention will be given to the major themes, outlines, composition, history, cultural and historical background, and authorship of the books of the New Testament.

INTEGRATING FAITH AND LEARNING One major goal of education, including Christian higher education, is to promote thoughtful awareness of and response to the issues related to the meaning and purpose of life. Throughout the history of human reflection on such matters, a primary concern has been the need to identify the basis (or bases) of reliable knowledge, to answer the question, “How do we know?” Christianity offers an answer to that question in the texts of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. While insisting on the significance of empirical events in history, the Bible makes the claim that revelation from God, in the context of a personal relationship with God, is an essential element of a complete answer to the question of reliable knowledge.

Because questions of faith and knowledge are inseparable, faith and learning must be integrated with one another. As we study the biblical texts we will see the interrelationship between the observed events and the revealed meaning of those events and students will be challenged to: a. become aware of the message of the biblical texts, b. draw conclusions on the meaning and purpose of life according to biblical texts, c. assess their own faith commitments in light of those conclusions, d. determine their own answer to the question “How do we know?”, and e. apply those conclusions, assessments, and determinations to their own lives.

COURSE TEXTBOOKS Gundry, Robert H. A Survey of the New Testament. 5th Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. [ISBN: 9780310494744]

A Bible—You will be reading from the Bible for your homework assignments and during class. Please use one of the following versions or similar (in book form, not phone or ipad version): New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Today’s New International Version (tNIV or NIV), Contemporary English Version (CEV), or Common English Bible (CEB). You will be required to bring the Bible to class with you every day. You will lose points from your daily quiz grade if you fail to bring the Bible to class.

1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this class, students will be able to:

1. demonstrate familiarity with the historical, religious, cultural, social, economic, and political backgrounds of the New Testament; 2. discuss issues relevant to interpreting the New Testament documents, including a. genre, b. identity of author, c. identity of original audience/recipients, d. provenance, e. purpose, f. main themes, and g. literary characteristics; 3. articulate elemental principles of biblical interpretation; 4. describe the textual and canonical development of the New Testament; 5. show a knowledge of the chronologies of a. the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and b. the life and ministry of Paul; and 6. identify important women and men in the early Church and in NT literature 7. understand how to apply New Testament teaching to their own lives

COURSE POLICIES 1. Attendance Policy: in accordance with East Texas Baptist University academic regulations, to be eligible to earn credit in a course, the student must attend at least 75% of all class meetings. 2. Tardy Policy: Tardiness: you are expected to arrive on time for class and to remain for the full duration of the class. If tardiness or early departure is unavoidable, you should enter the room quietly, sign the tardy sheet at the front of the room, and take your seat quickly. Three late arrivals and/or early departures will constitute one absence. 3. Late Assignments: assignments are due at the beginning of the assigned class period. A penalty of twenty percent will applied to all late work. 4. Examinations: there will be four examinations and a final exam that will be comprehensive in nature on Monday, April 27 at 8:00 a.m. Questions will be drawn from assigned textbooks and readings, the biblical material, class discussion and lectures.

Departmental Makeup Exam Schedule and Procedure: a. Make-up examinations will be given ONLY on the following Mondays. Make-up exam dates for Spring 2014 are Jan. 19; Feb. 2, 16; Mar.2, 16; Apr. 6, 20 b. Make-up examinations will be given in SCRB 207 at 3:00 p.m. c. Students must get approval from the instructor to take the make-up examination. d. The instructor will give Administrative Secretary the examination with the student’s name written on it along with the date the student is to take the exam. e. The scheduling of the make-up examinations are the responsibility of the professor, not the Administrative Secretary, for she cannot make the determination as to whether or not the student’s reason for missing the exam is approved by the instructor. f. If a professor allows a student to makeup an exam rather than the scheduled dates, it will be the responsibility of the professor to administer this exam.

Concerning the final examination please note that students may request a change in or special administration of their final exam for the following reasons: 1) Four scheduled exams on the same day; 2) Serious personal illness; and 3) Death of an immediate family member. For full information please see “Request to Reschedule the Final Exam” on the forms page of the ETBU website. 2 5. Please turn off all cell phones and other disruptive electronic equipment prior to class. Laptops will be allowed only by special permission.

6. Students are to be aware of ETBU’s policy of Academic Integrity. Any violation of Academic Integrity (plagiarism and/or cheating) will result in an immediate “0” for that assignment or examination. Violations will also be reported to the Dean of the School of Christian Studies which may result in further action including forfeiting any chance of receiving credit and earning an “F” for the course.

7. Religion majors are further reminded of the ETBU Religion Department Honor Code and Agreement which is signed by all Religion Majors and states, “I hereby pledge to avoid all academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, and to conduct myself in the classroom in ways that honor both God and my calling: to be respectful of others; to maintain a high level of personal integrity, moral purity, and honor; to take seriously my academic commitment to God and to all those who support me financially and emotionally; and to seek excellence and professionalism in everything I do.” Students suspected of breaching the Honor Code and Agreement will be referred to the Dean of the School of Christian Studies and the Religion Department Student Honor Committee for appropriate action. A full copy of the Academic Honor Code may be found on the ETBU Religion Department website.

8. Students with a disability may request appropriate accommodations for this course by contacting the Office of Academic Success, and providing the required documentation. If accommodations are approved by the Disability Accommodations Committee the Advising Office will notify you and your professor of the approved accommodations. You must then discuss these accommodations with your professor.

9. Respect for other people is inherent in the gospel, and is a requirement for participation in this class. Disrespect (whether in word or in deed) directed toward any other person will not be tolerated. Prohibited actions include, but are not limited to, harassment of a sexual nature and harassment related to gender, ethnicity, or disability. Individuals who believe that they have been subjected to harassment should report the incident to the professor or to the Dean of the School of Christian Studies. Offenders will be reported to the Student Affairs office; repeat offenders will be removed from the course.

The last day to withdraw from a course is Thursday, April 2, 2015.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Assigned Reading and Pop Quizzes Students are expected to read the assigned material for each session. This may include the textbook or the textbook and the Bible. Throughout the semester there will be 10 pop quizzes given on the reading material. Students will be allowed to use any reading notes they have taken when they take the quiz, but only if the notes are in hard copy (either written in a notebook or printed out from the computer). Students who are absent on the day of the quiz will receive a 0 for the quiz. I will drop the two lowest quiz grades at the end of the semester.

2. Leadership Study and Discussion Groups Each student will work in a study and discussion group of approximately four members in order to practice the leadership skills of listening, teamwork, accountability, and empathy. These groups will be assigned by the professor and will remain the same through the semester. These assignments will be completed by the group: a. Four outside of class study sessions, one for each exam—attendance required. A different member of the group will be responsible for leading one session, which includes arranging times and places for meeting and planning the session. b. In-class discussions recorded by a member of the group. A notebook of in-class discussion notes will be due at the end of the semester (one per group). c. Evaluation of the group at the end of the class.

3. Examinations

3 There will be four section examinations throughout the semester and one final exam. Each section exam will be 15% of the final grade and the comprehensive exam will be 20% of the final grade.

4. Extra Credit: Students are asked to complete the on-line evaluation of the course. For completing the survey, five points will be added to the final exam grade. There will also be opportunities in class to earn extra credit points through class participation and projects.

5. ACE tutoring: The Academic Center for Excellence provides assistance to students who need or desire additional academic support with their General Education courses.

The tutors working in ACE are ETBU students who excel academically in their studies. ACE has a tutor from the Religion department that would be happy to help you with reading, comprehension, or studying for quizzes and exams. ACE is located in the library and is open Monday - Thursday 5-10pm. For more information, please go to http://www.etbu.edu/academics/academic-success/ace-academic-center-excellence/

6. EVALUATION

Pop Quizzes 10% Leadership group 10% 90 – 100 A Exam 1 15% 80 – 89 B Exam 2 15% 70 – 79 C Exam 3 15% 60 – 69 D Exam 4 15% Below 60 F Final Exam 20%

COURSE SCHEDULE (This schedule may change at the discretion of the instructor) *read textbook & Bible

4 Wed, Jan 7 Course Introduction and Overview Fri, Jan 9 New Testament historical background Read Ch. 1 (pp. 23-42) Mon, Jan 12 Mundane Settings of the NT Read Ch. 2 (pp. 45-64) Wed, Jan 14 Religious Settings of the NT Read Ch. 3 (pp. 67-98) Fri, Jan 16 Canon and Text of the NT Read Ch. 4 (pp. 101-112) Mon, Jan 19 NO CLASS—MLK Jr day Study for your exam! Wed, Jan 21 The Study of Jesus’ life Read Ch. 5 (pp. 115-133) Fri, Jan 23 Exam 1 (chs. 1-5) Mon, Jan 26 Jesus’ Public life and ministry Read Ch. 6 (pp. 135-146) Wed, Jan 28 The Gospel of Mark Read Ch. 7a (pp. 149-164)* Fri, Jan 30 Mark, cont. Read Ch. 7b (pp. 165-183)* Mon, Feb 2 The Gospel of Matthew Read Ch. 8a (pp. 185-204)* Wed, Feb 4 Matthew, cont. Read Ch. 8b (pp. 204-219)* Fri, Feb 6 Matthew, cont. Read Ch. 8c (pp. 219-232)* Mon, Feb 9 The Gospel of Luke Read Ch. 9a (pp. 235-253)* Wed, Feb 11 Luke, cont. Read Ch. 9b (pp. 253-267)* Fri, Feb 13 Luke, cont. Read Ch. 9c (pp. 267-283)* Mon, Feb 16 The Gospel of John Read Ch. 10a (pp. 286-301)* Wed, Feb 18 John, con.t Read Ch. 10b (pp. 301-316)* Fri, Feb 20 Review for exam, study groups Read Ch. 10c (pp. 317-328)* Mon, Feb 23 EXAM 2 Wed, Feb 25 The Book of Acts Read Ch. 11a (pp. 331-348)* Fri, Feb 27 Acts, cont. Read Ch. 11b (pp. 348-365)* Mon, Mar 2 Acts, cont. Read Ch. 11c (pp. 365-379)* Wed, Mar 4 Early letters of Paul (Galatians) Read Ch. 12a (pp. 383-396)* Fri, Mar 6 Early letters of Paul (1&2 Thessalonians) Read Ch. 12b (pp. 396-408)* Mar 7-15 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS Mon, Mar 16 Major letters of Paul (1 Corinthians) Read Ch. 13a (pp. 411-423)* Wed, Mar 18 Major letters of Paul (2 Corinthians) Read Ch. 13b (pp. 424-430)* Fri, Mar 20 Major letters of Paul (Romans) Read Ch. 13c (pp. 430-449)* Mon, Mar 23 Exam 3 (chs. 11-13) Wed, Mar 25 Prison letters (Colossians/Philemon) Read Ch. 14a (pp. 453-461)* Fri, Mar 27 Prison letters (Ephesians) Reac Ch. 14b (pp. 461-467)* Mon, Mar 30 Prison letters (Philippians) Read Ch. 14c (pp. 467-477)* Wed, Apr 1 Pastoral letters (1 Timothy) Read Ch. 15a (pp. 481-490)* Fri, Apr 3 Pastoral letters (Titus and 2 Timothy) Read Ch. 15b (pp. 490-495)* Mon, Apr 6 Hebrews Read Ch. 16a (pp. 500-506)* Wed, Apr 8 Hebrews, cont. Read Ch. 16b (pp. 506-511)* Fri, Apr 10 General letters (James) Read Ch. 17a (pp. 515-522)* Mon, Apr 13 General letters (1&2 Peter, Jude) Read Ch. 17b (pp. 522-535)* Wed, Apr 15 General letters (1, 2, & 3 John) Read Ch. 17c (pp. 535-544)* Fri, Apr 17 Exam 4 (chs. 14-17) Mon, Apr 20 Revelation Read Ch. 18a (pp. 547-556)* Wed, Apr 22 Revelation, cont. Read Ch. 18b (pp. 556-570)* Fri, Apr 24 FINAL EXAM REVIEW Mon., April 27 8:00 AM—FINAL EXAM