BI 262:  The Gospel of John Dr. Brian K. Peterson Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, South Carolina

Course Description

This course is a literary, historical, and theological study of the fourth gospel, based on both the Greek text and English translation.

â To deepen understanding of the fourth gospel’s:
                    narrative style and technique
                    unique theological contributions
                    potential and challenges for preaching & teaching

Ï To further develop the student’s exegetical skills

Ð To develop the student’s ability to read Greek text, to use it responsibly in exegesis, and to appreciate John’s creative use of language to communicate the gospel

Ñ To acquaint the student with important & helpful commentaries on the 4^th gospel

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Textbooks
 

1. Greek New Testament (either UBS 4th ed., or Nestle-Aland 27th)
2. Gail O’Day, "The Gospel of John," in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IX. Abingdon, 1995.
3. Marianne Meye Thompson, The God of the Gospel of John. Eerdmans, 2001.

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Class Requirements
 1)     Read John’s gospel & required textbooks as assigned, and come to class prepared to suggest and discuss exegetical, theological, and homiletical issues raised by those texts.

2) Translate selected texts, and be prepared to discuss translation and grammatical analysis together in class.

3) Each student will choose one commentary from a short list to read alongside the O'Day commentary. Since some of those commentaries are obviously longer than others, one is never expected to read more than 20 pages from this commentary for any single day's assigned text. That may mean you will read the beginning and the end of the author's discussion of a particular section, along with comments on those verses about which you have particular questions. Students are expected to bring the insights, issues, and challenges of these commentaries into our discussion. For the final meeting of the course, each student will prepare a 1-2 page summary of the commentary they read, including its main approaches / concerns in commenting on the text and its usefulness as a resource in preaching and teaching. These papers will be duplicated and distributed to the rest of the class.

4) Lead class in exegetical discussion of one pericope (see texts with option for "Leader" from March 16 - April 27).
Plan for this presentation to take no more than 30 minutes; you will have time only for the "highlights" (what would
you want to know about this text if you had to preach/ teach it?). Prepare a written summary for the class of no more
 than 2 single-spaced pages. You will consult at least 3 of the approved commentaries on reserve  as part of the preparation for
 this presentation, and indicate on the summary which commentaries you have consulted. You should make copies of
this paper to be distributed to the rest of the class.

5) On the passage covered in "4', and using the class discussion as a guide for revision as appropriate, write an
 exegetical paper of 15-20 double-spaced pages, following the exegetical guidelines distributed by the instructor.
This paper must conclude with a brief (about 1 single spaced page) homily based on the text. This paper is due
December 4.

Click here for exegetical instructions and an example of such work. This sample paper is from Paul's letters,
and the instructions have been modified slightly for the Pauline Studies course, but this should give you a
good idea of the goal.
 

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Grading
 
 

Class preparation and participation	10 pts
Translation work	10 pts
Commentary analysis	10 pts
Class presentation	25 pts
Final exegetical paper	45 pts

                                                        Total:     100 pts
                       Needed to pass the course: 70 pts

STM students:
Those STM students who wish to take this course as a 400-level course will complete the requirements listed above, plus prepare a research paper. The student will summarize and present the results of this paper to the class during its final meeting. The paper is expected to be at least 12 double-spaced pages long, and to include at least 200 pages of research reading and an appropriate bibliography including both book titles and journal articles. The topic may be chosen from the following:

- Anti-semitism in John
- The use of John’s gospel in 2^nd & 3^rd century Christian writers
- The use of John’s gospel in the early Church councils
- The mission of the church in John
- The place of scripture (i.e., OT) in John
- John & Christian ethics
- Preaching John — challenges and potential
- another topic suggested by the student & approved by Dr. Peterson

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