Course Code: BBN03

The Life and Faith of the People of God: New Testament

BD I, Semester II, 4 Credit Hours, College Paper

Course Objectives

• To introduce the books of the New Testament to students in order that they may understand the specificity of context, content, rhetoric and theology of each book and at the same time relate that book to other books of the New Testament.
• To help students read and hear each book in its original historical and cultural context and community and then introduce and speak to the present day readers and hearers relevantly and contextually.
• To identify the life, struggle and witness of the New Testament community.
• To orient students toward a broader perspective of the New Testament.

Course Requirements

Final Examinations: 60%
Internal Assessment: 40%

1. Attendance: 5%
2. Class participation: 5%
3. Read each book of the Christian Testament and prepare your outline with description of its content and identify its key issues: 20%
4. Assigned reading: 10%

I. The Four Gospels

General Introduction

Issues of authority, inerrancy, etc of the New Testament, the New Testament as the Christian Testament; the Writing of the Christian Testament, oral traditions, language used, unique features of Koine Greek, geography of the ancient Mediterranean, the cultural, philosophical socio-political etc. worlds behind the New Testament: Semitic, Hellenistic and Latin; Semitism, Hellenism and Latinism in the text; use of the Hebrew Bible in the New Testament, manuscripts and the received text, translations and versions, names of the books of the New Testament. The process of canonization.

1. The Gospel of Mark

• Literary Structure, Character and Theological Purpose/s; Mark and his possible context and readers; Date; Major Themes: the Identities of Jesus; the Parables and Miracles of the Reign of God; Disciples, Discipleship and the Little followers of Jesus; the Way motif; Faith; Prayer; Jesus and the Jewish Leaders; Issues of authority, power, purity, Sabbath; worship and spirituality; passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

2. The Gospel of Matthew

• Literary Structure, Character and Theological Purpose/s; Matthew and his community; Date; Major Themes: Infancy Narratives; Hebrew Bible Citations; the five long discourses of Jesus; Ekklesia; Parables, Miracles and the Reign of Heaven; Apocalyptic instructions, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

3. The Gospel of Luke

• Literary Structure, Character and Theological Purpose/s; Luke and his readers; Date; Major Themes: The Magnificent, Nazareth Manifesto, Inclusiveness of the Lukan Community—Lukan preferential option for the non-Jews, poor, women, Samaritans, gentiles; encounter with Jerusalem authorities; woe to the rich; the Last Supper, passion and resurrection narratives.

4. The Acts of the Apostles

• Literary Structure, Character (story, history, theology), and theological purpose/s; Luke as a historian and missionary theologian; Luke’s context and readers; Date; Major themes: the spread of the Gospel of Christ and the churches from Palestine to the Gentile world, Jewish-Gentile Mission; the Jews, the conservative cultural nationalist Jewish Christians; ‘Hebrews’ and ‘Hellenists’; the Stephenites and the origin of the Pauline mission to the Gentile world; missionary journey narratives; the Holy Spirit; life and worship in the early church.

5. The Gospel of John

• Literary Structure, Character and Theological Purpose/s; Date; Johannine Community; Epistles of John: Occasions and purposes, dates, major themes: humanity and divinity of Christ, loving God and fellow human beings, hospitality to strangers, obedience to godly leaders, unity.

II. Paul and His Letters

1. Chronology of Paul
2. Letters of Paul and the Pauline Circle
   1. I Thessalonians: Occasions, Purposes, Date, Major Themes: Christian life, Hope, Second Coming, Work Ethics.
   2. Galatians: Occasion and purpose, major themes: Gospel and the Law, theology of the Jewish-Christian cultural nationalists, Pauline challenge to Jewish cultural nationalism; Pauline hermeneutics on the story of Abraham, the Jewish-Gentile ekklesia of God in Christ as the new Israel of God.
   3. I and II Corinthians: How many letters did Paul write to Corinth?
      1. I Corinthians—Occasion, purposes, major themes: division, immorality, litigation, marriage, divorce and remarriage, freedom and environment, worship, the Lord’s Supper, the rich and poor in Corinth, use and abuse of the spiritual gifts, resurrection, diakonia mission (collection).
      2. II Corinthians: Occasion, purposes, major themes: the ministry of reconciliation, economic mutuality, apostolic authority.
   4. Romans: the message to the Ekklesia of God in Christ in the capital of the Empire—occasion, purpose/s, major themes: Paul’s Gospel, justification by faith, faith/faithfulness of Christ, ‘in Christ’ motif, baptism, life in the Spirit, new creation, participation in the socio-political order, mutual care and support.
   5. Philippians: Occasion and purpose, major themes: Christ Hymn, unity within the Christian community, Christian gratitude.
   6. Philemon: Occasion, purpose, major theme: insight into Paul’s apostolic ministry.
   7. II Thessalonians: Occasions, purposes, dates, major themes.
   8. Colossians: Occasion, purpose, date, major themes: Jesus as the cosmic redeemer, fullness in Christ, new life in Christ.
   9. Ephesians: Occasion and purpose, date, major themes: the mystery in Christ, new and transformed humanity in Christ, unity of the believers in Christ.
   10. I & II Timothy and Titus: Occasions, purposes, dates, major themes: ministerial order, pastoral administration, qualifications of a Christian minister, pastoral offices, roles and duties.

III. The General Epistles

1. Hebrews: Occasion and Purpose, major themes: Jesus above the angels, Moses and the high priests, the supremacy of Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice, covenant, models of faith.
2. James: Occasion and purpose, major themes: work and faith, patience in suffering, attitude to riches, the practice of piety.
3. I Peter: Occasion and purpose, major themes: persecution, response to suffering for Christ, holy living, following Christ.
4. II Peter: Occasion and purpose, major themes: warning against false teachers, delay of the parousia.
5. Jude: Occasion and purpose, major theme: warning against apostates.
6. The Revelation to John (The Apocalypse): Apocalyptic literature (genre), its features, pseudonymity, symbolic visions, apocalypse and empire, vision of the empire of God, problem of approximation (repetition despite displacement). Major themes: God’s message to the churches in the City (chs. 1-3), God judges the Great City (chs. 4-18), God redeems the Holy City (chs. 19-22).

New Testament in the Life and Faith of the People of God Today

1. In devotional, personal life
2. In proclamation
3. In Ethical discernment
4. In ministries of care and counseling
5. In informing theology
6. In ministries of care and counseling
7. The Ekklesia of God

Bibliography

Basic Reading

• Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
• Dictionary of Paul and His Letters
• Carson, D.A. & D. Moo, Introduction to the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005
• Brown, Raymond, E. Introduction to the New Testament, Bangalore: TPI, 2000
• Dunn, James, Beginning from Jerusalem: Christianity in the Making vol. 2, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009
• Ehrman, Bart, D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, New York: OUP, 2000
• Theissen, Gerd. The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity, Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1982.
• Theissen, Gerd. The Gospels in Context: Social and Political History of the Synoptic Tradition, Edinburgh: T& T Clark, 1992.
• Oakman, D.E. Jesus and the Economic Questions of His Day, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1986.

Other Readings

• Aune, D.E. Greco-Roman Literature and the New Testament. SBL Sources for Biblical Study 21. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1989.
• Bauckham, R.J. The Climax of Prophecy: Studies in the Book of Revelation. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1992.
• Bauckham, R.J. The Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audience. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
• Bornkamm, Barth and Held. Tradition and Interpretations in Matthew. London: SCM Press, 1963.
• Evans, Craig and Stanley Porter, eds. Dictionary of New Testament Background. Leicester: IVP, 2000.
• Fee, Gordon. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. NICNT, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.
• Fiorenza, Elizabeth. In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins. London: SCM, 1983.
• Fiorenza, Elizabeth. Invitation to the Book of Revelation. New York: Doubleday, 1981.
• Fiorenza, Elizabeth, ed. Searching Scriptures: A Feminist Introduction. London: SCM, 1993.
• Fiorenza, Elizabeth. Vision of a Just World. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991.
• Lalfakmawia, Joseph, Understanding the New Testament Its Historical Background and Content, Kolkatta: SCEPTRE, 2013.
• Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1988.
• Naickanparampil, Michael. The Gospel of Mark. Vols. 1-3. Bangalore: NBCLC, 1996.
• Furnish, Victor Paul. II Corinthians. In The Anchor Bible. Vol. 32A. New York: Doubleday, 1984.
• Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 1987. Michigan: Eerdmans, 1993.
• Dowd, S.E. Prayer, Power and the Problem of Suffering. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988.
• Hafemann, S.J. Letters to the Corinthians. In Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne, et al. Leicester: IVP, 1993.
• Haidar, Diapnkar. New Testament Revisited. Raghabpur-West Bengal: Raghabpur Seva Niketan, 2008.
• Harrington, Daniel J. Interpreting the New Testament: A Practical Guide. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990.
• Hengel, Martin. Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979.
• Hooker, M.D. The Gospel According to Saint Mark. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1991.
• Kee, Howard Clark. Community of the New Age: Studies in Mark’s Gospel. London: SCM Press, 1977.
• Kee, et al., eds. The Cambridge Companion to the Bible. Cambridge: CUP, 1997.
• Martin R. Mark: Evangelist and Theologian. Michigan: Zondervan, 1973.
• Meeks, W. A. The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.
• Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. 1 and 2 Corinthians. In The Cambridge Companion to St. Paul. Edited by James D.G. Dunn. Cambridge: CUP, 2003.
• Neyrey, J.H. The Social World of Luke-Acts. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991.
• Nickelsburg. Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins: Diversity, Continuity and Transformation. Philadelphia: Fortress, 2003.
• Oppenheimer, A’haron. The Am Ha-aretz: A Study in the Social History of the Jewish People in the Hellenistic-Roman Period. Leiden: Brill, 1977.
• Philip, Abraham. New Testament: An Introduction (Tiruvalla: TLC, 2015).
• Pudussery, Paul. Discipleship: A Call to Suffering and Glory. Rome: Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana, 1987.
• Robbins, V.K. Jesus the Teacher: A Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of Mark. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.
• Samuel, Simon. A Postcolonial Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 2007.
• Stambaugh, John and David Balch. The Social World of the First Christians, 1986. London: SCM Press, 1994.
• Thekekara, M. The Face of Early Christianity. Bangalore: TPI, 1988.
• Varughese, Koshy P. King-Servant Christology in Matthew’s Gospel, New Delhi: ISPCK, 2013.
• Witherington, Ben III. Conflict & Community in Corinth: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1995.

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