New Testament Orientation I – NBST 515

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

A general introduction to the New Testament Gospels, General Epistles, and Revelation, emphasizing matters of text, canon, authorship, date, authorial purpose, and theme development. Also a special introduction, involving current issues of criticism and interpretation, such as the synoptic problem. The general principles of interpretation (hermeneutics) will be introduced as well as the special principles concerning parables, symbols and types, and prophecy.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course will provide the student with an overview of both the background and content of the New Testament. A broad look at the New Testament as well as the historical, cultural, political, and religious context allows the student to see how the specific message of a New Testament document interfaces with the whole.

Course Assignment

Bible readings, textbook readings, and presentations.

(CLO: A, B, C, D)

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student must participate in 3 Discussions during the course in which the student must post a thread in response to the Discussion's prompt and then respond to 2 students’ threads or replies. Each Discussion thread must contain at least 400 words; each reply must contain at least 200 words. All sources used, including textbooks and presentations, must be documented in current Turabian format. (CLO: A, B, C, D.)

Gospel Christology Paper Assignment

The student will choose one of the four canonical Gospels and write a paper, between 10 and 15 pages, double-spaced, excluding title page, contents page, and bibliography (footnotes apply to page count), in which the student identifies and traces through the Gospel the single Christological interpretation of Jesus employed by that Gospel writer to interpret Jesus for his audience; for example, “Jesus as Son of Man,” “Jesus as Son of God,” “Jesus as Servant of the LORD,” etc. In the paper, the student must identify the particular stories and passages in the Gospel where this portrayal is emphasized, as well as his or her reasons for thinking so. The student must work both with the text of the Gospel and academic secondary sources, such as biblical commentaries, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, academic monographs, and course Learn materials (textbooks and presentations). In addition to course textbooks and presentations, the student must include at least five (5) scholarly sources as "conversation partners" to his or her chosen Gospel, one of which must be an academic commentary on the specific Gospel. The paper must be in current Turabian format with all sources documented with appropriate footnotes and bibliography. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E.)

Video Report Assignments (2)

Using a cell phone, tablet, or camera-equipped computer, the student will shoot two (2) 3-minute videos of themselves reporting on Jesus of Nazareth to complete these assignments. See assignment instructions for specific requirements for each video. (CLO: A, B, D.)

"SALT" Exercise Assignments (2)

“SALT” stands for “Summarize and Apply Learn Topic.” In these assignments, the student will demonstrate comprehension, assimilation, and application of the information and/or skills acquired in the assigned Learn materials for a given module and/or modules. The student will do this by completing a “SALT” assignment related to a specific topic covered in the Learn materials for a given module or modules. For each “SALT” assignment, there will be a prompt describing the assignment and detailing what the student must do to complete the assignment. To complete the assignment, the student must have read the assigned textbook readings and watched the assigned presentations appropriate to the topic. Having done so, the student will then complete the assignment described in the prompt, making sure to interact with the appropriate Learn materials (both textbook readings and presentations) and documenting that interaction with correctly formatted footnotes and bibliography. The "SALT" assignments must be between 3 to 5 pages, double-spaced, excluding title page, contents page, and bibliography (footnotes count in the page total), and fully documented with both footnotes and bibliography in current Turabian format. (CLO: A, B, C, D.)