3 Credits
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.
Bibliography Sample
- The New Testament in Its World, N. T. Wright, Michael F. Bird, ISBN: 978-0310499305
- Reading Romans in Context, Ben C. Blackwell, ISBN: 978-0310517955
- Studies in the Pauline Epistles, Zondervan, ISBN: 978-0310494805
- Thinking Through Paul: A Survey of His Life, Letters, and Theology, Bruce W. Longenecker, Todd D. Still, ISBN: 978-0310330868
- Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, David Olshine, ISBN: 978-0310285496