NT501D Daniel M. Gurtner, Ph.D.
Spring, 2009 www.bethel.edu/~dgurtner
Phone: 651.638.6102
Office: A213
TA: Jim Jordan
Gospels (English)
Course Description:
An introduction to the reading of the individual Gospels within their first-century contexts. The goal of this course is to develop the students’ capacity to articulate the point of a Gospel text in the context of the completed narrative and with sensitivity to the author’s conceptual framework. [from Bethel catalogue]
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student shall be able to demonstrate…
· A thorough knowledge of the contents of the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
· The basic skills of biblical exegesis, with particular attention to those aspects specific to the gospels.
· A knowledge of critical issues pertaining to the four canonical gospels.
· The ability to exegete a text from the gospels in preparation for preaching and teaching.
· To think carefully and reflectively about appropriately applying texts of the gospels to your own spiritual formation and leadership role.
Textbooks:
Required:
Aland, Kurt, Synopsis of the Four Gospels. New York: American Bible Society, 1985. English Only Edition. ISBN: 0826705006.
Blomberg, Craig L. Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1997. ISBN: 0805410589.
New American Standard Bible (NASB). It is assumed that you have some access to the NASB (1977 or 1995, either is fine). Fully searchable versions are available online from numerous websites, including www.biblegateway.com, www.searchgodsword.org, etc.
Recommended:
Green, Joel B. and Scot McKnight, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP, 1992. ISBN: 0830817778.
Grading:
Participation (10%). Participation in the Discussion Board Forums and in our intensive is expected. The grading of this item expects you to be making regular, thoughtful, and well-informed (from reading/study) threads of interaction as you work on the respective assignments. Each of you will post a new thread in response to the respective questions for each week. This should be posted by Thursday of that week. Then, each of you is to post a response to someone else’s thread by Saturday of that same week. The full schedule is below. Discussion item details will be provided on blackboard under “Discussion Board.”
Reading Requirements (25%). Reading requirements are broken down into the following sections:
Required reading (scheduled): Readings done according to the schedule on the syllabus. For most weeks, there will be readings from Aland’s Synopsis and corresponding readings from Blomberg’s J&G. I have gone through Blomberg and Aland and listed all of the paragraph (not page) numbers (marked with §§) that you must read. (Blomberg suggests certain paragraphs that are duplicates of what you are reading. You are only required to read the paragraphs I have listed.)
Required reading (unscheduled): Items to be read at any time during the term. All must be done by the end of Week 10.
a. At some point during the term – the choice is yours, please budget your time appropriately – you are to listen to each of the gospels in their entirety. You need not do this in a single sitting, though that is the best way to do it. So, do it in the car on the way to work, etc. Before you do so, however, please read the introduction to the respective gospels in Blomberg’s J&G.
Matthew (about 28 pages) + J&G 7 (13 pages) = 39 pages
Mark (about 16 pages) + J&G 6 (10 pages) = 26 pages
Luke (about 24 pages) + J&G 8 (15 pages) = 39 pages
John (about 21 pages) + J&G 9 (20 pages) = 41 pages
Total: = 145 pages
Audio Bibles are available online at http://www.ibs.org/niv/ or http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/. Alternatively, you may use any audio Bible on CD or tape you may have. You may use the following translations: NIV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NAS, KJV, NKJV. If you have another translation that you prefer, please email me () beforehand for permission. You may (but do not have to) follow along in a corresponding translation. However, be certain to listen carefully to each gospel.
b. At some point during the term – the choice is yours, please budget your time appropriately – please read J&G 10 (19 pages) and J&G 19 (34 pages).
Reading Report: At the end of the term you are to submit a completed reading report (available under Course Documents). On it you will indicate the amount of reading you have completed by the due date. Note: no credit is given for skimming. Only half credit is given for reading completed late. Please download the “Reading Report” form (in MS Word format) and use it to keep your record of your reading throughout the term. It will be due on the last day of Week 10. Some days have more readings due than others. It is up to the student to spread out the readings in their own schedule so as not to be overloaded on any particular day. Note also that some of the required audio lectures listed on the course schedule are to be recorded on your reading report. Please submit this assignment via blackboard.
Weekly assignments (40%). There will be five (5) worksheet assignments through the duration of the course. These worksheets will be found under course documents on blackboard. Each Worksheet must be turned in via gradebook by midnight (Central US time) the week it is due. Each worksheet will have a verbal explanation, also posted on blackboard, to be listened to alongside the written instructions. Your lowest score at the end of the term will be dropped, and the remaining four will be averaged to 40% of your final grade. However, you are still responsible for the method and materials addressed in whichever assignment you choose to drop, as you are required to use each of the methods employed in the weekly assignments for the final exegetical paper. Each should take you an average of about 5-7 hours to complete (some more, some less). Assignments #2-#5 will all be based on the text you choose to do for your exegetical paper. Your exegesis paper will be on one of the following texts: Luke 21:1-4, Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 9:2-13, or John 13:31-38. Choose a text early in the course. I will grade these assignments and return them to you with my feedback. Then you will use them for your final exegetical paper.
Assignment #1: 75 Observations of John 3:16
Assignment #2: Background Study
Assignment #3: Redactional Color Coding
Assignment #4: Sentence Flow and Logical Analysis. Work on in intensives
Assignment #5: Word Study. Work on in intensives
Exegetical Paper (25%). You will write an exegetical paper on one of the following passages:
Luke 21:1-4
Matthew 9:9-13
Mark 9:2-13
John 13:31-38
Details are provided on blackboard, with audio instructions. Please note that you will be using your work from Worksheets #2-5, which I will have graded and returned to you, for this paper. Not all the instructions will make sense until you have done all the weekly assignments. So, if you are someone who likes to work ahead, please be patient. The paper must be between 2000 and 2500 words in length (about 8 pages). The paper will be due by the end of Week 10. Please be sure to submit this paper in a single MSWord document. This assignment will be discussed during the intensives. NOTE: there will be an integrative/application portion of this paper. For students beginning seminary in the 08-09 school year: In addition, to submitting this assignment to the course instructor, you are also required to submit it (upload it; the integrative part) to your Integrative Portfolio.
Extra Credit: Up to 5 points can be added to your lowest non-dropped worksheet score. You can earn one point for each article you read from the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. You may also earn a point for each hour that you listen to the audio bible of the gospels in addition to that which is required, OR, for every hour watching a video portrayal of the gospels. The latter can be almost anything you want, like Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” or the “Visual Bible.” However, the video must be some attempt to represent the gospels. If in doubt, please ask. The total points you can earn, in any combination of reading, listening, and/or watching, is 5 points. You may account for this additional work on your final reading report. Note: to qualify for this extra credit, you must complete all of the required reading first (even if the required reading is finished late).
More Extra Credit: You can earn 2 extra credit points of you memorize verbatim the passage from your exegesis paper. It must be memorized in the NAS translation. You must be able to recite it in its entirety from memory with no mistakes by the time you submit the paper. Please note that you have done so next to the word-count of your exegesis paper. This extra credit will be added to your grade on the exegetical paper. Note: to qualify for this extra credit, you must complete all of the required reading first (even if the required reading is finished late).
Late policy: It is expected that you work well enough ahead of time that your work will not be late. So, generally speaking, late work will only be acceptable for reasons similar to those you would use in explaining to your church why you were late to preach. I.e., only extreme cases of dire emergency are acceptable. If I do not receive your written assignment on time it will count as your dropped score. Please plan ahead.
A Note about Writing: It is expected that you use writing style appropriate for Master’s level education. That is, you may not use slang, contractions, split infinitives, etc. As your ministry undoubtedly involves a great deal of communication, it is important that you do so with proper English grammar.
A Note about Notes: Please do NOT leave notes for me on blackboard with your submitted assignment. I may or may not get them, so that’s not a good way to communicate with me. Typically I just have my TA pull them all off the web and give them to me. So, please direct any correspondence to me directly via email (). I typically respond to emails within 24 hours on weekdays, slightly longer over weekends.
Grading Scale:
95-100 = A 91-92 = B+ 83-84 = C+ 75-76 = D+ 69 and below = F
93-94 = A- 87-90 = B 79-82 = C 72-74 = D 85-86 = B- 77-78 = C- 70-71 = D-
Academic Course Policies
(Please see catalog for full range of requirements.):
Academic Integrity (88-9): “Written material submitted must be the original work of the student. Academic dishonesty constitutes a serous violation of scholarship standards at Bethel and can result in denial of credit and possible dismissal from the school. Any act that involves misrepresentation regarding the student’s academic work is forbidden. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on assignments or exams, plagiarism, fabrication of research, multiple submissions of work in different courses, misrepresentation of academic records, the facilitation of academic dishonesty, and depriving others of necessary academic resources.”
Course Papers (90):
“All assigned course and term papers in all degree programs (with the exception of those in Marriage and Family Studies) are to be submitted in thesis form in conformity with the most recent edition of Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers…Students submitting papers in the Marriage and Family Studies and Marital and Family Therapy programs should follow the requirements of the fifth edition of The Publication Manual of the America Psychological Association.”
“In addition, students are expected to use inclusive language.”
Grades (91): “Grades will be assigned using the full range of letter grades (A-F), representing the following levels of performance:
A Excellent work submitted; evidence of outstanding ability to synthesize and use course knowledge; consistent evidence of creativity and originality; insightful contributions in class; consistent demonstration of integrative and critical thinking skills; regular class attendance; and respectful interaction.
B Good work submitted; evidence of substantial ability to analyze and use course knowledge; evidence of creativity and originality; thoughtful contributions in class; demonstration of integrative and critical thinking skills; regular class attendance; and respectful interaction.
C Acceptable work submitted; evidence of adequate ability to analyze and use course knowledge; appropriate contributions in class; attempts at integration and critique; regular class attendance; and respectful interaction.
D Poor work submitted; little evidence of ability to analyze and use course knowledge; inconsistent evidence of mastery of course content; few contributions in class; no attempts at integration and critique; inconsistent class attendance; and respectful interaction.
F Inadequate work submitted; insufficient evidence of ability to analyze and use course knowledge; inappropriate and/or disrespectful contributions in class; poor class attendance; or failure to complete course requirements.”
Incomplete Course Work (92): “Students are expected to submit all work by the dates set by the course instructors and complete all course requirements on or before the last day of the quarter. The grade ‘Incomplete’ is temporary and will be granted only in unusual circumstances (such as serious illness or critical emergencies) and will not be considered for a student who is simply behind in the assignments.”