NEW TESTAMENT EXPOSITION: ACTS-EPISTLES

Date/Time: (weekly), 7:00-9:00 p.m., September 11 – December 18, 2008
Instructor: J. Gerdes

Course Registration

Course Description:

Neither an exposition of Acts nor of any of the Epistles in its entirety, this course prepares the way for doing such a study, whether for personal enrichment or formal teaching or more thoughtful engagement within the community of other Scripture readers. Attention will be given to matters of introduction in the study of Acts and the Epistles, with special attention to the relationship between the two and with a detailed examination of selected key passages in one or more of these books. Prerequisite: Introduction to the Study of the Bible (or permission of the instructor).

Course Textbooks/Materials:

• Achtemeier, P. J., J. B. Green, and M. M. Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Eerdmans, 2001.
• Gorman, M. J. Reading Paul. Cascade Companions. Cascade, 2008.
• Robinson, A. B., and R. W. Wall. Called to Be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day. Eerdmans, 2006.

ELEMENTARY BIBLICAL HEBREW I

Monday (weekly), 7:00-9:00 p.m., September 8 – December 15, 2008
Instructor: C. Steiner

Course Registration

Course Description:

Elementary Biblical Hebrew begins with the alphabet and moves outward to cover all the basic grammatical concepts of the language. There are no prerequisites save the willingness to work steadily and consistently. While it will be useful as a review for those who have studied Hebrew in the past, it is particularly oriented to those who have not. One interesting aspect of the course is that we will approach biblical language learning as an act of worship, expressed through attentive study, with a view toward transformation. This is a two-semester commitment which, if you work hard, will enable you, by Spring, to read various Hebrew texts without aid.

Course Textbooks/Materials:

• Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), ed. K. Elliger and W. Rudolph. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, (Hendrickson; compact edition, 2006). There are a number of options for BHS. Feel free to email questions.
• Holladay, W. L. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Brill/ Eerdmans, 1972.
• Sailhamer, J. H., and V. J. Steiner. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (prepublished; available at The MIQRA Institute).
• Scott, W. R. A Simplified Guide to BHS. 4th ed. D & F Scott Pub, Inc. 2007.

ELEMENTARY BIBLICAL GREEK I

Monday (weekly), 7:00-9:00 p.m., September 8 – December 15, 2008
Instructor: J. Gerdes

Course Registration

Course Description:

This course is for Greek beginners, toddlers, forgetters, and up-graders with a disciplined motivation to learn how to read and study the Greek New Testament. The course will approach the study of an original biblical language from the perspective of worship expressed through reverent and responsible attention to the ends of transformation and proclamation. Elementary Biblical Greek begins from a standing start–with the Greek alphabet–and moves progressively toward reading and exegeting New Testament Greek texts.

Course Textbooks/Materials:

Semester I:

• Mounce, W. D. Basics of Biblical Greek. 2nd ed. Zondervan, 2003.
• Mounce, W. D. Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook. 2nd ed. Zondervan, 2003.

Semester II:

• Aland, K., et al., eds. The Greek New Testament. 4th ed. UBS, 1993.
• Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Translated and edited by W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, and F. W. Danker. 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2000.

 

READINGS IN THEOLOGY SEMINAR

Date/Time: Tuesday (weekly), 7:00-9:00 p.m., September 9 – December 16, 2008
Instructor: C. Steiner

Course Registration

Course Description:

This is a seminar course which will revolve mainly around reading various texts and reflecting on them together in class discussion. In lieu of a large paper component, students will present a type-written summary (minimum one paragraph, maximum one page, single-spaced) of each week’s reading at the beginning of each class which will provide in part the material for discussion. This combination of interactive writing and classroom discussion creates an environment in which we may learn what it means to apprentice ourselves to those who have something important to impart to us. The overarching aim of the course is to facilitate the opportunity to discover how our presuppositions affect our interpretation of biblical texts, and– moving back a step–how the changing ecclesial landscape across the life of the Church has affected and continues to affect our presuppositions. Prerequisites: Open, with permission of the instructor.

Course Textbooks/Materials:

• Augustine. On Christian Teaching. Translated by R. P. H. Green. Oxford University Press, 2008.
• Radner, E. Hope Among the Fragments: The Broken Church and Its Engagement of Scripture. Brazos, 2004.
• Selected texts (Available in The MIQRA Institute library or to be distributed in class)