Biblical Studies at NYTS

BBH100 Introduction to the First Testament

The main goal of this course is to introduce the class to the historical critical understanding of the Old Testament in view of developing exegetical skills to extract meaning out of the biblical text in a sober and responsible manner. A special attention will be paid to the literary structure of the biblical narrative and the social history of the biblical tradition. Implications for theological reflection and ministry will also be explored.

To accomplish this goal:

1. We will study major blocks of the First Testament/Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Each week's reading assignment begins with Bible passages. This list contains the minimum required reading from the First Testament.


2. We will identify major themes and issues in biblical studies.


3. We will pay attention to sociohistorical context in which Old Testament writings were produced and preserved.


4. We will develop responsible ways to use the Old Testament in the life of the church.

1. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha/Deutero-canonical Writings (New Revised Standard Version). You may use other standard translations in addition to, not in lieu of, this edition of the NRSV, for we need a common text to facilitate our sharing of insights in the class. The notes in the New Oxford Annotated Bible will also provide us with helpful information about the passage we study.


2. One of the following two introductions: Either Bernhard W. Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament. Abridged 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998. This is the most readable definitive introduction to the Old Testament, combining historical, archeological, and literary approaches. Or, Norman Gottwald, The Hebrew Bible: A Socio-Literary Introduction. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985. This pioneering work in socio-literary interpretation of the Hebrew Bible is an intermediate level textbook. If you had an occasion to use Anderson (e.g., in an undergraduate course or an adult Bible study group), or if you own an earlier edition of Anderson, consider using this one.


3. Don C. Benjamin and Victor Harold Matthews, Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East. Paulist Press, 1997. This book contains nonbiblical ancient Near Eastern texts related to the First Testament. This resource will provide context for biblical laws and stories.


4. Herbert G. May, ed. Oxford Bible Atlas. 3rd ed. New York/Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1984. Whenever you come across a geographical name in your reading, be sure to look it up in the atlas. It provides a succinct survey of historical background of biblical times, as well.

Each class session has two parts. Usually, the session starts with the instructor's lecture. After a brief break, a small group setting provides us with an opportunity to work on the assigned biblical passage in a focused manner under the leadership of group leaders. Please note that the instructor holds a weekly meeting with the group leaders prior to each class session. All questions pertaining to the class should be forwarded to the group leaders' team meeting.

1. Faithful stewardship in attendance and participation. The quality of your participation in the class will affect your final grade. To help us focused on the subject matter at hand, please turn off your beeper and cellular phone while the class is in session.


2. Each student is responsible for submitting three exegetical papers (3 double-spaced pages) on three of the passages listed in the course schedule.


1. Choose your three passages on the first day of class.


2. In the paper you must interpret the assigned biblical text, not the entire Bible, and demonstrate that you have grappled personally with the text. In this process, you will need to keep on asking the key question: What does the text say? More guidelines are found later in the syllabus.


3. Paper is due on the day the passage is to be discussed. Late papers will receive no credit to ensure fairness to all students. There will be no exception to this.


4. If your paper does not meet the standard of graduate schools, you may be asked to rewrite it at the discretion of the group leader.


3. Each student will draw an annotated map of the United Monarchy during the height of David's reign. Consult the Oxford Bible Atlas and indicate the topographical layout of the land. On a separate sheet of paper, prepare a set of annotations (one page, single-spaced) explaining sociopolitical reasons for David's conquest of the territories that made up the Davidic empire. Use the textbooks and other resources at the library to prepare your annotation, but you don't need to include footnotes or bibliography. The map must be hand-drawn, and the annotation typed. Electric/electronic duplication is not acceptable. Due on Oct. 4.


4. A final examination that covers the entire sweep of the course will be given on the last day of class.

N.B. All written assignments must be submitted in hard copy, and should not be transmitted via fax or email. Please keep a copy of all the written assignments you submit.

Exegetical Papers (1st one 10%, 2nd & 3rd ones 20%; total 50%)
Annotated Map (20%)
Final Exam (30%)
Participation (+ or -)

UOT: Understanding the Old Testament by Anderson
HB: The Hebrew Bible by Gottwald
OBA: Oxford Bible Atlas by Mays
OTP: Old Testament Parallels by Matthews and Benjamin

1. Sept. 6
1. Orientation
2. Read Genesis 1-11.
3. Reading the First Testament/Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
4. Supplemental reading: UOT Introduction [or HB, pp. 5-34; OTP, pp. 3-45].
5. Group
1. Agree on ground rules for group time.
2. Schedule exegetical papers.
3. Discussion on Genesis 1-2.


2. Sept. 13
1. Patriarchal Traditions
2. Read Genesis 12-36; UOT, chapters 1, 5 [or HB, pp. 135-178]; OBA, pp. 54-57; OTP, pp. 46-51, 58-81, 129-133.
3. Group: Genesis 22:1-19 (This passage is not available for your exegetical paper.)


3. Sept. 20
1. Exodus and Sinai
2. Read Exodus 1-15, 19-24, 32-34; UOT, chapters 2, 3 [or HB, pp. 179-227]; OBA, pp. 58-59; OTP, pp. 85-123.
3. Group: Exodus 20:1-17 and Deut 5:6-21


4. Sept. 27
1. Settlement in the Land
2. Read Numbers 10:11-14:45; Joshua 1-6, 24; Judges 1-8; UOT, chapters 4, 6 [or HB, pp. 229-288]; OBA, pp. 60-61; OTP, pp. 134-146.
3. Group: Joshua 6:1-27


5. Oct. 4
1. Monarchy
2. Read 1 Samuel 8-11; 2 Samuel 2-12; 1 Kings 1-11; UOT, chapter 7 [or HB, pp. 309-336]; OBA, pp. 64-67; OTP, pp. 52-57, 155-165.
3. Group: 1 Kings 11:1-13
4. The annotated map of David's domain is due.


6. Oct. 11
1. Divided Monarchy; Amos and Hosea
2. Read 1 Kings 12-22; 2 Kings 16-17; Amos 3-7; Hosea 1-3; UOT, chapters 8, 9 [or HB, pp. 337-363]; OBA, pp. 68-71; OTP, pp. 166-190, 244-256.
3. Group: 1 Kings 22:1-40


7. Oct. 18
1. Isaiah and Jeremiah
2. Read Isaiah 1-11; Jeremiah 1-25; Nahum; Habakkuk 1-2; Zephaniah; UOT, chapters 10, 12 [or HB, pp. 365-387, 390-404]; OTP, pp. 312-322.
3. Group: Jeremiah 20:7-13


8. Oct. 25
1. Josiah; Fall of Jerusalem
2. Read 2 Kings 21-25; 2 Chronicles 33-36; Deuteronomy 12-26; UOT, chapter 11 [or HB, pp. 293-308, 387-390]; OBA, pp. 72-73.
3. Group: Deuteronomy 12:1-31


9. Nov. 1
1. Exile
2. Read Ezekiel 1-24, 33-48; Genesis 1, 9, 17, 23; Exodus 6, 25-31, 35-40; Leviticus; Numbers 1-10; UOT, chapter 13 [or HB, pp. 409-456]; OBA, pp. 74-79; OTP, pp. 305-311.
3. Group: Exodus 40:1-38


10. Nov. 8
1. Restoration
2. Read Isaiah 40-66; Ezra and Nehemiah; Haggai and Zechariah 1-8; UOT, chapters 14, 15 [or HB, pp. 457-522]; OBA, pp. 74-79; OTP, pp. 193-200.
3. Group: Ezra 10:1-44


11. Nov. 15
1. Psalms
2. Read Psalms 1, 8, 13, 19, 22, 29, 46, 89, 104, 116, 130, 137, 150; UOT, chapter 16 [or HB, pp. 522-551]; OTP, pp. 231-243, 257-261.
3. Group: Psalm 89



Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day

12. Nov. 29
1. Wisdom
2. Read Job 1-14, 38-42, Proverbs 1-9, Ecclesiastes; UOT, chapter 17 [or HB, pp. 563-582]; OTP, pp. 203-228, 265-294.
3. Group: Job 1-2, 42:7-17


13. Dec. 6
1. Daniel; Apocalyptic
2. Read Daniel; UOT, chapter 18 [or HB, 582-594]; OBA, pp. 82-83.
3. Group: Daniel 7


14. Dec. 13
1. Final exam

These are the things you may want to think about in your study of the assigned passages; however, note that this is not a suggested outline of your paper, whose shape you alone can and should determine.

Is the passage a literary unit?
What features in the passage suggest that it is a discrete unit?
What comes immediately before and after the passage?
Does it have a clear-cut beginning and a rounded-off conclusion?
Are there any seams or inconsistencies in the text?
How would you explain them?
Do you see an overall structure in the passage?
Who is the speaker?
How are the parts of the passage related with each other?
Is there any movement toward a climactic point?
Is there any resolution of tension?
What literary devices do you observe in the passage?
What kind of effect do they create?
What kind of social setting does the passage reflect?
What is a life situation the unit presupposes?
Do you see any problem of human existence probed in the text?
Is there any particular context in which the passage would function nicely?
Is there any trace of the prehistory?
Is there any tension in the text due to that process of incorporation?
What new insight does the current placement generate?
How is the passage related with the rest of the Old Testament?
Is there any biblical passage that resonates or clashes with the passage?
Is there any issue in our world that resonates or classhes with the text?

N.B. Use commentaries sparingly, and only after you work through the text on your own, and give credit where it is due.

BBH100 Final Exam Guide

This guide should facilitate your adequate preparation for the final exam. It is understood that all students will honor the standards of the graduate school and ministerial conduct and will neither offer nor accept inappropriate assistance. Please note that no electronic devices including the PDA, laptops, wireless phones, etc., will be permitted into the exam rooms, unless they function for life-support.

1. Bible ID (20%)

There will be Bible verses from the First Testament. You will be asked to identify the name of the book for each verse.

2. Terms ID (30%)

There will be terms to identify in this part of the exam. You will be asked to explain each term in one to three sentences.

3. Two Essays (50%)

The first essay question is required of all students (30%).

There will be a choice for the second essay question (20%). The following are examples of essay questions.

1. What is the documentary hypothesis? How does it explain the development of the Pentateuch? What are the major charateristics of the sources?


2. What are the major theories on the settlement of Israel in Canaan? Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each view.


3. Compare the prophets Isaiah of Jerusalem and Jeremiah in the following areas: (1) the strands of tradition that influenced their theological outlook; (2) their perspective on the temple, Jerusalem, Davidic kings, and covenant; (3) the ways in which their historical circumstances affected the shape of their prophetic words.


4. Identify major elements of Josianic Reformation. How is the reform related to the book of Deuteronomy? What was the outcome of the reform? What became of the reform after Josiah?


5. What is wisdom literature? What books are included in this genre? What are the major characteristics of the wisdom literature that these books share? How do they differ?

Antiochus IV
Apocalyptic
Apodictic
Ashurbanapal
B.C.E.
Baal
Baruch
Carchemish
Cyrus
Dame Wisdom
Decalogue
Divine Warrior
El Shaddai
Enuma elish
Fertile Crescent
Hammurabi
Hesed
Horeb
Huldah
Indiviudal Lament
Jehoiachin
Jordan
Josiah
Mesopotamia
Nebuchadrezzar
Purim
Sennacherib
Septuagint
Suzerainty treaty
Tanak
Tetragrammaton
Yam Suph
Zion

Please consult the Students' Handbook for grading scales.

• BBH101 Bible II: Exegesis Practicum
• BBN100 Bible III: Introduction to the Second Testament
• BHU100 Bible IV: Social History and Biblical Interpretation (Open for Year C students; Please note the prerequisites before you register for this course.)

Electives led by Dr. Han in the Academic Year of 2001-2002

• Torah/Pentateuch (Fall 2001)
• OT as Protest Literature (Spring 2002)
• Historical Jesus (Spring 2002)
• Empower the People, Rebuild the Community (June 2002)

Projected electives in specialized topics coming in a near future
If you would like to find out when the course of your interest is to be offered, please leave a voicemail or send me an email.

• Psalms
• 1 and 2 Samuel
• Textual Criticism
• Old in the New