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Maranatha Baptist Bible College Maranatha Baptist Seminary Dr. Preston Mayes Watertown, WI Spring 2020 GOT 616 HEBREW EXEGESIS Instructor Information: Office Hours: VI hour daily Office Location: Old Main 301 Phone Numbers: Office – 920-206-2361 Cell and Text – 920-206-8816 Textbooks: Required: 1. A Hebrew OT (Preferably Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, or some other version of the Leningrad codex with a critical apparatus). 2. Jason S. DeRouchie, How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2017. Recommended for further reading: 1. D. A. Carson. Exegetical Fallacies, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996. 2. Peter Cotterell & Max Turner, Linguistics & Biblical Interpretation, Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1989. 3. Willem VanGemeren, ed. A Guide to Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999. [These are the introductory articles from New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, 5 vols, from Zondervan. If you are looking for a good OT Theological Dictionary, you may just want to buy the set and skip the shorter book. It is available in both print and computer formats] Course Description/Prerequisites: Exegesis involves the discovery of the meaning of a text in scripture. This course guides the student through a six-step process designed to ascertain the meaning of the original authors of scripture and apply it to the modern reader. It will also identify common tendencies that lead to the imposition of meaning (other than the original author’s meaning) upon a text. Prerequisite: First year Hebrew and GOT 615 Hebrew Syntax. Institutional Objectives: This course addresses the following institutional objectives: 1. Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate competence in written, oral, and aesthetic communication. 2. Critical Thinking: Students will apply a framework for logical decision-making in various contexts. 5. Historical and Cultural Understanding: Students will recognize and evaluate the ideas, trends, and cultures of various social groups. 6. Biblical Knowledge: Students will acquire skills related to biblical study methods, interpretation, and doctrine. 7. Biblical World View: students will articulate a world view that will tie all fields of study to the Scriptures “to the praise of His glory.” Course Goals: 1. To teach the student a 6 step process for exegesis of Old Testament Texts. 2. To show the student how each of the 6 steps is necessary for understanding scripture. 3. To show how Hebrew Syntax should be employed in the crafting of sermons. 4. To introduce the student to the relative roles that genre studies, biblical theology, and systematic theology ultimately must play in the exegetical process. Course Objectives: By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. Articulate the 6 steps in the exegetical process and explain why each of them is important. 2. Demonstrate the ability to apply/use those steps for Old Testament exegesis. 3. A secondary objective is to articulate how genre studies, biblical theology, and systematic theology should and should not be used in the course of normal sermon preparation. Course requirements: 1. Reading/Reading Journals. Read the assigned texts according to the schedule and answer the questions in the reading journal section of the course website. 2. Daily Work. Daily work will consist of limited reading assignments and your work on the steps in the exegetical process. For a language course, I would assume that the average student will need to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every 1 hour of class time, so do not get behind since it will prove difficult to catch up. 3. Translation. ➢ A major weakness of teaching a 2 hour exegesis course is that it offers little time to continue to develop your ability to read the OT in Hebrew. Though time will be at a premium, a limited amount of translation will be assigned on a weekly basis. ➢ Translation should be typed out in block diagram format using the same method learned in GOT 615 Hebrew Syntax. You will hand in one copy at the beginning of class, and you will keep the other copy to use as we cover the material in class. ➢ Remember, every line should have one verb in it and should identify the waw type and verb use. ➢ You are encouraged to use a computer program while preparing all block diagrams, and no helps/resources are prohibited for the purposes of these assignments. 2 3. Exegetical Paper. The final draft of the exegetical paper forms the largest portion of your course grade. Grading A 94 B+ 88 C+ 79 D 64 Block Diagrams 10% Reading 10% A- 91 B 85 C 76 F 0-64 First Drafts of Exegesis paper 40% B- 82 C- 73 Final Exegesis Paper 40% 1. On the grading scale: “A” indicates that the work was superior in comparison with the general seminary and graduate school population. “B” indicates that the work was good work, on par with that done by the average seminary student. “C” generally indicates that the student grasped the essential concepts vital for the completion of the assignment, but that the work was lacking in some area. “D” and “F” indicate that the student did not complete the assignment at an adequate level. 2. Program Grade Requirements: In order to graduate, a student must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (including a maximum of two Cs) in any MA program, or a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in the MDiv program. 3. Electronic Devices. Laptops, tablets, and smart phones can be great tools in the classroom, but they may also be an enormous distraction to you and your fellow students. The use of electronic equipment in the classroom is a privilege, not a right. If you are found to be misusing that privilege, you will lose it for the remainder of the semester. Misuse could include using the devise for anything other than course-related applications. It is expected that electronic communication devices be muted and out of sight for the class period unless an application is being used for a course activity. Suitable behavior regarding electronic devices is one way to show appropriate consideration to your fellow students and instructor. Examples of inappropriate use of electronic devices: • Texting • Taking photos • Web browsing • Reading or writing email • Using any application that does not apply to the classroom experience 4. Academic Dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense, and it can exist in many forms. For example, the following would be considered a sample of academically dishonest activities that might occur in this class: • Consulting block diagrams or worksheet answers from current or former students in Hebrew Syntax. 3 • Consulting exegetical papers from other students (both the current semester and previous semesters). Makeup Work: a. THE GENERAL LATE POLICY: You are now studying at a graduate level; expectations are, therefore, high. The Seminary expects you to perform your academic work in a timely fashion. The development of time management skills while in Seminary will greatly benefit you in the future, both in your personal life and in your ministry. Ministry involves managing numerous activities at one time. You are preparing for a life ministry which will focus primarily on serving people. This demands a serious consideration of your own schedule and the schedules of those whom you serve. To encourage you in the development and strengthening of your time management skills, the Seminary has established a Late Academic Work Policy. This policy is the minimum penalty for work not turned in on time. The professor may impose a greater penalty, but not a lesser. Work not turned in on the day it is due will have its grade reduced 4% for each calendar day that it is late. [I count Saturday in the computation of the penalty, but not Sunday] The Seminary realizes that serious extenuating circumstances, such as a lengthy illness or a death in the family, may prevent some students from completing class projects on time. Requests for appropriate extensions for these types of serious circumstances may be made to the Seminary Academic Senate, via a written petition submitted to the Seminary Office. Extensions will only be given for valid excuses. Everyone is busy; therefore, being busy is not an excuse for an extension. Projects turned in under an allowed extension will not be graded higher than a B. b. LATE TRANSLATION WORK: Since homework is frequently covered in class the day it is due, late homework will be penalized 50%. In order to receive ½ credit, late homework must be completed within 1 week of the due date or before the test date for that particular material (whichever is earlier). Available Services Academic Success Center. One source for academic help in any course is the Academic Success Center. If you require specific academic help for any reason contact the Student Success Center located in the Cedarholm Library at [email protected] ADA Policy- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti- discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, the law requires that all students with disabilities be given a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Student Success Center director at [email protected]. Technical Support: If you need technical support due to problems with ZOOM or the MyMaranatha site, email [email protected] or call 920-206-2322. 4 Library Resources: By clicking on “Library” from within the course website you gain access to the MBU Library. It includes full text articles from most of the best theological journals via the Galaxie database and over 100,000 eBooks. Course Schedule (subject to change) Date Exegesis Assignments Due Other Assignments Due Jan.
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