Understanding Scripture
THE 1115-301
Department of Theology, St. Joseph's University
Fall, 1997
A. The Course
This course will examine the biblical traditions and texts of the Hebrew
Scriptures as products of particular historical and cultural communities
and as literary and theological documents.
This course is an introductory-level course and has no prerequisites. The
readings are in English. As an academic university course, this class does
not assume the student has a faith commitment.
B. The Subject
The oldest part of the Christian Bible consists of the Jewish
scriptures, known in Christian circles as the "Old Testament." The Jewish
and Christian traditions (and with some qualifications, the Islamic
tradition) consider them to contain divine revelation. In order to
understand the Christian New Testament, the course of Jewish and
Christian history, and indeed the course of Western civilization, it is
essential to be acquainted with these Jewish scriptures.
These writings were created by a variety of sources within ancient
Israel over a period of many centuries. They represent many different
viewpoints, sometimes building on one another and sometimes clashing
with one another. They contain many different genres or types of
literature, including saga, court histories, songs, aphorisms, and oracles.
We will seek to understand each of the texts in its own integrity.
Our task will be to understand these writings as documents of their
own times -- and as documents that can speak to our own times. Course
objectives include:
- To acquire a general, introductory knowledge of the history,
literature, and theology of Israel.
- To develop skills in reading the Old Testament text and wrestling
with it.
- To develop a sensitive attentiveness to social and cultural distances.
- To listen to the authors of the Old Testament texts and to allow their
views to engage our own.
- To earn three credits, applicable to the General Education
Requirement.
C. Contacting the Instructor
The instructor will be available in his campus office before class, after
class, and by appointment. He works at the University of Pennsylvania
during regular business hours and can be telephoned there. If he is busy
during those hours, and he frequently is, he will make arrangements to
speak at another time. He may often be reached at home during the
evenings. Phone numbers are given above.
Probably the most reliable way to reach the instructor is by e-mail. He
checks e-mail regularly during the day and will respond to e-mail as soon
as possible.
D. Textbooks
Each student will need access to the following two texts:
- Lawrence Boadt, Reading the Old Testament: An
Introduction (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1984).
- a Bible in modern English that contains the Deuterocanonical books
(also known as "Apocrypha" or "Apocryphal Books").
You may use any of the following Bible translations: New American
Bible (NAB), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New Revised Standard
Version (NRSV), the Jerusalem Bible or New Jerusalem Bible, the Revised
English Bible (REB), or the New Jewish Publication Society translation
(NJPS) supplemented with the Deuterocanonical books from another
approved version.
An annotated study Bible is strongly recommended. Several good
study Bibles are available. The Catholic Study Bible (New American
Bible) is available in the bookstore. An excellent study Bible is
The Harper Collins Study Bible (New Revised Standard Version) with
the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, annotated by the Society of
Biblical Literature. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the
Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books (NRSV) is also very good.
Avoid The Living Bible (also known under other names
such as The Way) and other paraphrases for serious study.
These paraphrases put an unnecessary layer of evangelical theology
between you and the original text.
E. Evaluation and Required Work
The requirements for the course include regular participation in class
based on the assigned readings, a take-home examination, a midterm
examination, a final examination, and a journal report. Students may
expect to read 100 to 150 pages per week in preparation for class
discussions.
Work will be graded as follows:
10% of grade: preparation and informed participation in class
25% of grade: take-home exam
25% of grade: midterm exam
25% of grade: final exam
15% of grade: journal report
This class puts a high premium on independent work. Consultation and
working together are encouraged. Plagiarism and cheating will not be
tolerated. You are subject to Saint Joseph's University's Academic Honesty
Policy. If you violate the policy, you will be given a failing grade for the
entire course and your offense will be reported to the Academic Honesty
Board for further discipline.
According to the University College Catalog, two legitimate absences is the
maximum number allowed in classes meeting once a week. Students
missing two classes must be reported to the Associate Dean's office.
F. Preparation for Class
You are required to read the assigned readings in advance of class.
Advance preparation is particularly important because we meet only once
a week. If you have not read the assigned readings, the three hours of
class will make very little sense and you will not be able to participate
meaningfully in class discussions.
1. The primary texts of this class are the biblical readings. Reading
these texts of the Bible is the most important part of preparation. The
more you read the primary texts, the more the secondary reading will be
able to help you make sense of them.
As you read the Bible, keep a journal of passages that astound,
trouble, challenge, confuse, offend, or otherwise strike your attention. You
can use this journal to remind yourself of passages to discuss in class.
Also, at the end of the semester each student will submit a report of three
passages from their journal.
2. Boadt's Reading the Old Testament is our secondary
text. This book provides the framework of the course schedule. Each
chapter in Boadt provides information about the assigned Bible readings
and ends with a list of questions. You should use the questions at the end
of each chapter to measure your level of comprehension. You should be
able to answer these questions. If you cannot answer the questions, you
are not prepared for class (or for the exams) and it would be wise to read
the chapter again. You may find it helpful to look at the questions first
and then to read the chapter with the questions in mind.
G. Course Outline and Readings
Sept. 13 Introduction: The Bible and Modern Approaches
Readings:
No readings are required before this class session, but chapters 1-4 of
Boadt fit here and should be read before the session of September 20.
Sept. 20 More Introduction; The Pentateuch; The Primeval
History
Readings:
Genesis 1-11
Boadt, chapters 1-6
Sept. 27 The Patriarchs and the Exodus
Readings:
Genesis 12-15; 22; 27-31; 39-45
Exodus 1-6; 14-18
Boadt, chapters 7-8
Oct. 4 Wilderness and Promised Land
Readings:
Exodus 19-24; Leviticus 16-19; Numbers 21-24
Joshua 6-8; 22-24; Judges 1-5
Boadt, chapters 9-10
Take-home exam distributed during class
Oct. 11 Samuel and Kings
Readings:
Jeremiah 10:1-17; Isaiah 44:9-20; Ezekiel 8; Wisdom of Solomon 13-15
1 Samuel 7-12; 2 Samuel 7-12; 1 Kings 3-9
Boadt, chapters 11-12
Take-home exam due at beginning of class
Oct. 18 Life and Worship
Readings:
Genesis 24; Proverbs 31; Isaiah 38; Sirach 38; Qoheleth 12
1 Kings 5-8; Psalms 1, 8, 18, 22, 23, 51, 91, 95, 104, 137, 145
Boadt, chapters 13-14
Oct. 25 Divided Kingdom; Literary Prophets
Readings:
1 Kings 17-21; 2 Kings 9-11; 2 Kings 17-20
Amos 3-7; Hosea 1-4; Isaiah 1-12
Boadt, chapters 15-16
Nov. 1 Mid-Term Exam
Nov. 8 Judah
Readings:
Deuteronomy 4-11; 29-31; 2 Kings 22-23; Habakkuk 1-3
Jeremiah 1-3; 7-8; 18-20; 26-29; 30-31
Boadt, chapters 17-18
Nov. 15 Exile
Readings:
Ezekiel 1-5; 16-18; 36-37
Lamentations 1-2; Isaiah 40-41; 51-55
Boadt, chapters 19-20
Nov. 22 Restoration; Wisdom
Readings:
Isaiah 60-63; Zechariah 1-4; 9-10
1 Chronicles 13-16; Ezra 7-10; Jonah 1-4
Proverbs 1-3, 10-11; Job 1-7; Qoheleth 1-3; Song of Songs 1-3
Boadt, chapters 21-23
Dec. 6 Hellenistic Period; Theology of the Old Testament; Review
Readings:
Daniel 1-3; 7-8; Ruth 1-4; 1 Maccabees 1-4
Boadt, chapters 24, 26
Dec. 13 Final Exam
Final draft of journal report due
H. The Journal Report
1. Content
You should keep a journal as you read the assigned Old Testament texts.
The journal should focus on texts which strike you as particularly strange
or challenging.
Your report should cover three such texts. You discussion of each text
should cover the following items:
- Identify the text by book, chapter, and verse(s).
- Describe the response you had to the text.
- What in the text evoked that response in you?
- Why do you think it affected you in that way?
- Does use of a secondary source (such as a commentary) help clarify the
passage in your mind?
- How did (or how does) this text affect your view of God, the Old
Testament, and yourself.
Your journal report will be graded on the extent to which you wrestle with
the text. I will be looking for evidence that you read the text,
heard something new, and responded in some way.
2. Giving Credit
Biblical passages are normally cited by book, chapter, and verse; for
example, Gen. 1:10-11. Do not cite biblical passages by page
number. If you consistently refer to one translation in your report,
indicate the translation you are using. If you use multiple translations,
indicate for each citation which translation you are using for it. Include
the translation(s) in your bibliography.
If you consult any source other than the Bible, you must include
appropriate references to these sources and a bibliography to avoid the
charge of plagiarism. Your paper should acknowledge all material quoted
from or paraphrased from published writing. Failure to acknowledge the
use of another's ideas constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be
tolerated. If you use material that was quoted by one of your sources
without actually checking the original source used, you must give credit to
the intermediate source. If you were able to go back to the original source
for yourself, you do not need to give credit to the intermediate source (but
it is scholarly courtesy to acknowledge someone who guides you to a
source).
3. Format
The report should be typed or word-processed using the guidelines in Kate
Turabian's Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations (or another manual of style approved by the
instructor). The body of the paper may contain between 1000 and 2000
words (approximately three to five pages). These limits do not include
notes, bibliography, or appendices. Papers may be longer, but only if their
length is justified by the subject-matter.
4. Due Date
The final draft of the research paper may be submitted as soon as it is
ready. It is due in the instructor's hands by the time and date of the final
exam. Under ordinary circumstances, the instructor will not grant
extensions.
5. Evaluation
Three-fourths of the grade will evaluate the paper's mastery of the subject
matter and use of appropriate methods. The other fourth of the grade will
evaluate the paper's writing: its argument and structure, its clarity and
coherence, and its mechanics (spelling, grammar, English usage, inclusive
language).
6. The Preliminary Draft
The instructor is committed to writing and rewriting as an essential part of
the educational process. Because it is impossible to become familiar with
the conventions of a field without practice and because any piece of
writing can be improved, the instructor recommends that each student
submit a preliminary draft of the report. The preliminary draft is not
required, however, and is not graded.
The last date on which preliminary drafts may be submitted is November
31. Drafts may be submitted at the Theology office. The preliminary
drafts may be submitted typed or printed on paper -- or, if you prefer to
save paper, it may be submitted in electronic form (in plain ASCII text,
Microsoft Word, or WordPerfect) on a 3.5" diskette formatted for
Macintosh or for Windows. Alternatively, you may send the draft as text
to the instructor by e-mail.
The instructor will respond to the preliminary draft as a reader familiar
with the field; he will not proofread. He will return the draft with his
comments at the next class session (or by mail if you enclose a self-
addressed stamped envelope). You will have until the date of the final
exam to revise your draft.
Treat the preliminary draft as seriously as if it were the final draft. If the
draft is not typed legibly or if it contains an inexcusable number of
spelling errors, it will not be read.