Alliance Theological Seminary s1

ALLIANCE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

OT/NT 505 Hermeneutics Instructors: Julie Cox Spring 2010 Assistant Professor of New Testament Office #208, Tel Ext#5719 Email: [email protected] Time: Wednesday 6pm to 9pm Stephen Bailey Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies Office #213A, Tel Ext# 5755 Room TBA E-mail: [email protected]

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course explores the involvement of the knowing subject in human understanding as it relates to the task of Biblical interpretation. Issues presented include the historical development of hermeneutical theory and its application to Scripture, biblical texts as discourse connected to a larger world, and the competing claims of modernist and postmodernist interpretation.

LEARNING GOALS 1. To provide students with basic steps for interpreting the various genre of the Bible.

2. To provide students with a working knowledge of the historical development of various models of interpreting scripture.

3. To provide students with a working knowledge of contemporary models of biblical interpretation and the underlying questions these models raise.

4. To provide students with a framework for making their own decisions about the method of interpreting and applying scripture for their ministry contexts.

5. To enable students to develop in their ability to read, analyze and synthesize some of literature related to the subject of Biblical Hermeneutics.

REQUIRED TEXT Alexander S. Jensen. Theological Hermeneutics. London, SCM Press. 2007. Pp. 228. ISBN 978-0-334- 02901-4.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva. Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search For Meaning. 2nd Edition (1994). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers. 2007. Pp. 332. ISBN: 0-310-27951- 8.

See the Class Schedule below for other required reading that is all available in the ATS Nyack Campus library Reserve and / or on the I Drive (Instructional Drive). You can access this drive from home with your student login and password. Go to www.my.nyack.edu and choose NetStorage File Access. Then click on the Nyack logo and login. Choose DriveC@INSTRUCT-ATS. Then look under the Bailey folder for the Hermeneutics folder.

1 ASSESSMENT RESULTS ATS may use assignments that are assessed for this course for program evaluation purposes. Individual results may be used as exemplars but will only be available to the program reviewers and not made public. Results of assessments will be used to show program effectiveness and program improvement.

NYACK CORE GOALS ADDRESSED Socially Relevant -- Preparing students to serve in ministerial, educational, healing and community-building professions. Academically Excellent -- Pursuing academic excellence in the spirit of grace and humility. Globally Engaged -- Fostering a global perspective within a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Christian academic community. Intentionally Diverse -- Providing educational access and support to motivated students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Personally Transforming -- Emphasizing the integration of faith, learning and spiritual transformation.

MDIV PROGRAM GOALS ADDRESSED B. Students will gain knowledge and be able to apply methodology in biblical studies, theology and cultural understandings.

REQUIREMENTS/GRADING 1. Class Attendance and Participation – Students are expected to attend and participate in each class session. The instructors expect that students will complete the assigned reading and assignments due before class so that they can be attentive and prepared to discuss the issues scheduled for consideration. There are no excused absences so be sure to sign the attendance sheet each class session. This requirement is 15% of the grade.

2. Attendance at the Scholar’s Symposium April 6th 9am to Noon – Each student is required to attend the Scholar’s Symposium and write a 2 page reflection paper on the presentation you feel best lends itself to the subject of Hermeneutics. 5% of your Grade Grading Rubric 1) Name and background of speaker 5pts 2) Summary of the main points of the author. 80pts 3) Interaction and Critique - how does the reading interact with your present or anticipated ministry context. Critique of the author’s argument. 10pts 4) Spelling and grammar 5pts

3. Class Assignments – Each student will complete five of the six class assignments. They are listed in the class schedule. Please read the instructions for each assignment in the Class Schedule below carefully before you do the assignment. The papers will be double-spaced with a one inch margin at the left, right, top and bottom of the page. The papers are due on the date indicated in the class schedule below. Each assignment will be 6% of the grade or a total of 30%. Grading Rubric 1. Formatting, Spelling, Grammar 10pts 2. Clarity and Organization of Writing and Argument 20pts 3. Degree that the student did what was asked 50pts 4. Skill in applying good interpretation method 20pts

4. Reflection Papers: Each student will write three to four page reflection paper for five of the six assigned weeks. See the Class Schedule below for the assigned weeks. Read the instructions for each

2 paper carefully in the Class Schedule. The papers will be double spaced with a left margin of one and a half inches and a one-inch margin at the right, top and bottom of the page. The papers are due on the date indicated in the class schedule below. Each paper will be 4% of the grade or a total of 20% of the grade. The reviews should include the following: Grading Rubric 1. Formatting, Spelling, Grammar 10pts 2. Clarity and Organization of Writing and Argument 20pts 3. Degree that the student did what was asked 50pts 4. Skill in critiquing and raising questions about the reading 20pts

5. Final Exam – The final exam will consist of short answer and short essay questions. The week before the exam a short review period will be held so that the student will have a good idea of what the exam will cover. The exam will be given on the last class of the semester. This requirement is 30% of the grade.

EVALUATION Class Attendance 15% Scholar’s Symposium 5% Class Assignments 30% Summary and Reflection Papers 20% Exam 30%

GRADING SCALE Grades are based on your competency in performing the assignments referred to in this syllabus. A (4.0) 93-100 A- (3.7) 90-92 B+ (3.3) 88-89 B (3.0) 83-87 B- (2.7) 80-82 C+ (2.3) 78-79 C (2.0) 73-77 C- (1.7) 70-72 D+ (1.3) 68-69 D (1.0) 63-67 D- (0.7) 60-62 F (0.0) Below 60

LATE WORK All written work is due by the beginning of class on the date assigned. Work that is turned in after the class for which is assigned will be penalized 10 points. Extensions will not be given except in the case of serious illness or emergency.

IMPORTANT NOTES 1. Any student eligible for and requesting academic accommodations due to a disability, is required to provide a letter of accommodation from the Office of Disabilities Support Services within the first six weeks of the beginning of classes. 2. Paper should be double spaced with one inch margins at the left, right, top and bottom of the page. Use only Times New Roman, size 12 font. Be sure your name and campus PO Box # are on the paper. Staple your papers. Do not use paper clips or plastic covers. All written assignments should use A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian. A summary of these rules is available on the campus I Drive under the Bailey folder. 3. All assignments are due at the start of class, on the date indicated in the class schedule below unless otherwise indicated by the professor in class. 4. Students should keep copies of all handed in assignments and keep track of their own grades throughout the semester.

3 5. Class notes will be on the I: Drive under the Bailey folder. You may access the I (Instructional) Drive online at www.my.nyack.edu with your login name (last name followed by first letter of you first name) and your password (last four digits of your SS#).

CLASS SCHEDULE

1. Session 1 January 20 a. Topics i. Introduction to Hermeneutics and The Syllabus - Bailey ii. The Biblical Canon, Inspiration and What is Exegesis – Cox

2. Session 2 January 27 a. Topics i. Steps in Biblical Interpretation - Bailey ii. New Testament Reading of the OT – Professor Julie Cox b. Reading Due: i. Bruce Corley, Steve W. Lemke and Grant I. Lovejoy. “A Student's Primer for Exegesis.” Pp. 2-29 in Biblical Hermeneutics. Broadman and Holman Publishers. 2002. ii. Kaiser and Silva Chap. 6, Pp. 95-106 NT Use of OT iii. Robert Thomas. “The NT Use of the OT.” in The Master’s Seminary Journal. 13:1 (Spring 2002), Pp.79-98. [Skim for 20 minutes]

3. Session 3 February 3 a. Topics i. Steps in Biblical Interpretation #2 – Professor Bailey ii. Interpreting Biblical Narrative – Professor Cox b. Reading Due: i. I.H. Marshall. New Testament Interpretation: Essays On Principles and Methods. Chapter 1, Introduction. Pp. 11-17. ii. Ernest Hess. “Practical Biblical Interpretation.” Religious Education. Vol.88, No. 2, Spring 1993. Pp.190-210. iii. Karl C. Ellis. “The Nature of Exegesis” Bibliotheca Sacra. April – June, 1980. Pp.151 – 155. iv. Kaiser and Silva Pp. 123-138 (Chap. 8) Narrative c. Assignment #1 Due: In a paper of two to three pages, study the use of Psalm 2:7 in Hebrews 1:5. Look at a commentary on Psalm 2:7 and do a short interpretation of Psalm 2:7 in its context in that Psalm. Then consider the way the author of Hebrews uses this text in Heb. 1:5. Describe the hermeneutical method of the author of Hebrews. Would you consider this method a valid one for you to use today in biblical interpretation?

4. Session 4 February 10 a. Topics i. Early and Medieval Church Hermeneutics – S Bailey ii. Interpreting Biblical Poetry and Wisdom Literature – Julie Cox b. Reading Due: i. Kaiser and Silva Pp. 139 – 156 (Chap. 9) Wisdom Lit. ii. Jensen Chap. 1 – 3 c. Assignment #2 Due – In a paper of three pages, use what you learned about interpreting narratives to provide a narrative interpretation of Jonah. Look at the overall literary and

4 symbolic structure of the book. Notice theological themes that intersect with the rest of the Bible. Consult a good commentary or article on the narrative quality of Jonah to help you.

5. Session 5 February 17 a. Topics: i. Humanism and the Reformation, Rationalism and the Enlightenment, Schleiermacher and Historicism – S Bailey ii. Interpreting the NT Gospels - Julie Cox b. Reading Due: i. Jensen Chap. 4 - 7 ii. Kaiser and Silva Pp. 157 – 172 Chap 10, The Gospels c. Class Assignment #3 Due – Within three to four pages interpret Ecclesiastes 12:6-8. Be sure to use the interpretive steps suggested in your readings thus far and refer to the issues addressed in the reading related to interpreting Poetry and Wisdom literature. Consult some commentaries and reference books in order to come to your interpretation.

6. Session 6 February 24 a. Topics: i. Evangelical Hermeneutics: In Search of the Original Meaning – S Bailey ii. Interpreting Paul’s Epistles – Julie Cox b. Reading Due: i. Gabriel Fackre. “Evangelical Hermeneutics: Commonality and Diversity.” in Interpretation 43:2 (April 1989), Pp. 117-129. ii. J. Robertson McQuilkin and Bradford Mullen. “The Impact of Postmodern Thinking on Evangelical Hermeneutics.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40:1 (March 1997), Pp. 69-82. iii. Kaiser and Silva Pp. 173 – 188, Chap 11, The Epistels c. Assignment # 4 Due: Within three to four pages interpret Matthew 5:39-42. Be sure to use the interpretive steps and refer to the issues addressed in the reading related to interpreting Gospel literature in the Bible. Consult some commentaries and reference books in order to come to your interpretation.

7. Session 7 March 3 a. Topics: i. Existentialism, Structuralism and Post-Structuralism – S Bailey ii. Interpreting Prophecy – Julie Cox b. Reading: i. Jensen Chaps. 8 – 10 ii. Kaiser and Silva Pp. 191 – 212, Chap. 12, Prophecy c. Assignment #5 Due: Within three to four pages interpret 1 Timothy 2: 11-15. Be sure to use the interpretive steps and refer to the issues addressed in the reading related to interpreting the Epistles. Consult some commentaries and reference books in order to come to your interpretation.

8. Session 8 March 10 a. Topic: i. Class discussion on Isaiah 58 – Julie Cox ii. Karl Barth and the New Biblical Theology – S Bailey

5 b. Reading Due: i. Mark I. Wallace. The Second Naiveté: Barth, Ricoeur, and the New Yale Theology. 2nd Edition. Mercer Publishers. 1995. Pp.1-26. ii. Jensen Chap. 11 c. Assignment #6 Due: Within three to four pages interpret Isaiah 58. Use the interpretive steps and refer to the issues addressed in the reading related to interpreting the Epistles. Consult some commentaries and reference books in order to come to your interpretation. d. Reflection Paper#1 Due: Within three to four pages, evaluate Barth’s hermeneutical method as presented in the reading. Describe his method, critique its strengths and weaknesses and then raise questions that you need to ask for clarification.

No Class Due to Spring March 17

9. Session 9 March 24 a. Topics: The Hermeneutics of Liberation and Feminism – Julie Cox b. Reading Due: i. J. Severino Croatto. Exodus: A Hermeneutics of Freedom. Orbis Books. 1981. (Available on I Drive in PDF format) ii. Connolly, Tristanne J. Feminist Theology, no 18 My 1998, p 55-66. (Available on I Drive in PDF format) c. Reflection Paper #2 Due: Within three to four pages, evaluate Croatto’s and Connolly’s hermeneutical methods from the reading. How valid do you feel his interpretation of the Exodus is? Are the metaphors in Hosea abusive? Describe his method, critique its strengths and weaknesses and then raise questions you need answered for clarification.

10. Session 10 March 31 a. Topics: i. Luke 24 and Polski’s article – Julie Cox ii. Reader Response Method – S Bailey b. Reading Due: i. Sandra Hack Polski. “Identifying the Unnamed Disciple: An Exercise in Reader- Response Criticism. in Perspectives in Religious Studies. Vol. 26 No 2, Summer 1999, Pp.193-202. ii. Mary Hinkle Shore. “People Like Us: Minor Characters in Matthews Passion.” Word & World. Vol. 25, No 1, Winter 2005, Pp 76-83. c. Reflection Paper #3 Due: Within three-four pages, evaluate the hermeneutical method as presented in the reading. How valid are the interpretations of Luke 24 and the characters in Matthew? Describe this method, critique its strengths and weaknesses and then raise questions you need answered for clarification.

April 6th Attend Scholar’s Symposium – reflection paper due April 14th

11. Session 11 April 7 a. Topics: i. John 4 and Vanhoozer’s Interpretation – Julie Cox ii. Kevin J. Vanhoozer: Theological Interpretation – S Bailey b. Reading Due: i. “What is Theological Interpretation of the Bible?” Kevin J. Vanhoozer. in Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. Kevin J. Vanhoozer General Editor. Baker Books. 2005. Pp.19-25.

6 ii. Vanhoozer “The Reader at the Well” in First Theology: God, Scripture and Hermeneutics. InterVarsity Press. 2002. Pp.236-256. c. Reflection Paper #4 Due: Within three to four pages, evaluate Vanhoozer’s hermeneutical method as presented in the reading. How valid is his interpretation of John 4 Describe his method, critique its strengths and weaknesses and then raise questions you need answered for clarification.

12. Session 12 April 14 a. Topics: Paul Ricoeur: What is a text? – S Bailey b. Reading Due: i. Paul Ricoeur. “Philosophical Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation” and “What is a Text?” in From Text to Action: Essays in Hermeneutics, II. Northwestern University Press. 1991. Pp.89 – 124. ii. Mark I. Wallace. The Second Naiveté: Barth, Ricoeur, and the New Yale Theology. 2nd Edition. Mercer Publishers. 1995. Pp.51-85. c. Reflection Paper #5 Due: Within three to four pages, evaluate Ricoeur’s hermeneutical method as presented in Wallace’s article. Describe Ricoeur’s method, critique its strengths and weaknesses and then raise questions you need answered for clarification.

13. Session 13 April 21 a. Topics: i. Judges 10:6 – 12:7 – Julie Cox ii. Majority World Readings of the Bible b. Reading Due: i. Aruna Gnanadason. “Jesus and the Asian Woman: A Post-Colonial Look at the Syro-Phoenician Woman/Canaanite Woman from an Indian Perspective.” Studies in World Christianity. 7:2 (2001) Pp. 162-177. ii. Samuel Cheon. “Reconsidering Jepthah’s Story in Asian Perspective.” in Journal of Asian and Asian American Theology 0. Pp.30-45. c. Reflection Paper #6 Due: Within three to four pages, evaluate these non-western readings of scripture and their hermeneutical methods as presented in the reading. How valid are the interpretations of the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman and of the story of Jepthah in Judges 10:6 – 12:7? Describe the hermeneutical method used, critique its strengths and weaknesses and then raise questions you need answered for clarification.

14. Session 14 April 28 a. Class Evaluation b. Final Exam – Short Answer and Short Essay

RECOMMENDED TEXTS FOR FURTHER READING A.K.M. Adam ed. Postmodern Interpretations of the Bible: A Reader. St. Louis, MI: Chalice Press. 2001.

A.K.M. Adam. Faithful Interpretation: Reading the Bible in a Postmodern World. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. 2006.

A.K.M. Adam, Stephen E. Fowl, Kevin J. Reading Scripture with the Church. Baker Academic. 2006.

James Rowe Adams. The Essential Reference Book for Biblical Metaphors: From Literal to Literary. 2nd Edition. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press. 2005. Pp. 327. ISBN 978-0-8298-1788-1.

7 D.A. Carson ed. Biblical Interpretation and the Church. Exeter, U.K.: Paternoster Press. 1984.

Bruce Corley, Steve W. Lemke and Grant I. Lovejoy. Biblical Hermeneutics. Broadman and Holman Publishers. 2002.

James P. Danaher. Eyes That See, Ears That Hear: Perceiving Jesus in a Postmodern Context. Liguori, MI: Liguori/Triumph. 2006.

Justo L. González. Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes. Nashville, TN: Abington Press. 1996.

David Jasper. A Short Introduction to Hermeneutics. Lousiville, KT: Westminster John Knox Press. 2004. Pp.137. ISBN: 0-664-22751-1.

Richard Kearney. On Paul Ricoeur: The Owl of Minerva. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co. 2004.

William Larkin, Jr. Culture and Biblical Hermeneutics: Interpreting and Applying the Authoritative Word in a Relativistic Age. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. 1988.

Donald K. McKim ed. A Guide to Contemporary Hermeneutics: Major Trends in Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1986.

Grant Osborne. The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 1991.

Paul Ricoeur. Interpretation Theory: Discourse and the Surplus of Meaning. Fort Worth, TX: Christian University Press. 1976.

Paul Ricoeur. Paul Ricoeur: Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences. John B. Thompson, trans. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1981.

Paul Ricoeur. From Text to Action: Essays in Hermeneutics II. Kathleen Blamey and John B. Thompson, trans. Pp. 168-187. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. 1991.

Anthony C. Thiselton. The Two Horizons: New Testament Hermeneutics and Philosophical Description. William Eerdmans Publishing. 1980.

Anthony C. Thiselton. New Horizons in Hermeneutics: The Theory and Practice of Transforming Biblical Reading. Zondervan Publishing House. 1992.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer. Is There A Meaning in This Text? The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1998.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, James K. A. Smith and Bruce Ellis Benson. Hermeneutics at the Crossroads. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. 2006.

Nicholas Wolterstorff. Divine Discourse: Philosophical Reflections on the Claim that God Speaks. Cambridge University Press. 1995.