BIB540 Biblical Exposition: Epistles
Prescriptive texts, and particularly those epistles that make up a large share of the New Testament are those from which we find the most specific instructions on how a Christian is to live and serve. Yet these texts tend to be those most widely interpreted and debated. The purpose of this course of study is to help students apply solid hermeneutic principles so as to grasp the intent of a Scriptural letter, to explore how that intent applied in the particular setting to which it was initially sent, and to apply its intent to a current setting. While it is a worthy exercise to arrive at answers to theological questions by extracting statements lifted from various biblical texts, the purpose of this course is to make sure that we understand what this text is overtly saying rather than to focus on implications that are not the primary purpose of the author.
Credits: 3
Student learning outcomes
- Exegetical interpretations of a prescriptive text in its historical and cultural context that enables dynamic and legitimate understanding of its implications for today.
- Understand the implications of an epistle as a direct communication from an author to a particular audience in a particular setting experiencing very real situations.
- Demonstrate familiarity with a historical, contextual, interpretation and application of a prescriptive text.
- Use solid grammatical linguistic skills in interpreting the text.
- Employ a strong sense of the flow of an entire epistle to identify its point and to guide the interpretation of its pieces.
- Apply the text of an epistle to real current circumstances and questions in a manner faithful to the intent of the author.
- Engage the text as the power of God, expecting to be changed by it.