BI 274:  Pauline Studies Dr. Brian K. Peterson Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, South Carolina

• Recognize the major issues involved in studying the letters of the apostle Paul.
• Examine Paul's ministry in its historical and cultural context
• Gain an understanding of the setting and content of each of the Pauline letters.
• Explore the theological and pastoral contributions of the Pauline letters.
• Practice exegetical skills with attention to how these texts might be taught and preached.

Textbooks:

Required:

1. Gorman, Michael J., Elements of Biblical Exegesis. Peabody, Mass. Hendrickson, 2001.
2. Witherington, Ben III.  The Paul Quest. The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus.  Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1998.
3. Wright, N. T. What Saint Paul Really Said. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.

Recommended:
    1. Francis, Fred O. & J. Paul Sampley, Pauline Parallels, 2^nd edition. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.

You should bring to class each day a copy of the NRSV, along with a Greek New Testament (either United Bible Societies 4th edition or Nestle-Aland 27th edition). 

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Class Requirements:

All assignments are expected on the due date. The student should expect to have a late assignment accepted late ONLY if the reason for the tardiness is one which might be acceptable from a rostered leader for not fulfilling his/her responsibility to preach or teach on an assigned Sunday.

1) The students will attend all sessions and contribute through their thoughtful reading, reflection, questions & discussion. Students should inform me regarding necessary absences as soon as possible. More than four absences will jeopardize the student’s grade.

2) Weekly readings — Each week there will be assigned readings from the New Testament, our textbooks, webpages, and other pieces placed on reserve in the library. This reading is to be done prior to the day for which it is assigned. Most days, there will be at least some time for questions or issues raised by this reading; please be ready to raise those in class.

3) Translation work often raises difficult yet important issues in the interpretation of Pauline texts, and thus needs careful attention. The students are expected to come to the translation sessions with their own translation worked out and to be prepared for careful discussion based on the Greek text. You will be held responsible for being able to identify especially the forms of verbs and nouns, the analysis of participles, and the functions of genitive and dative cases. Evidence of whether or not you have seriously considered these issues in preparation for the translation session will be a significant factor in the grade for this part of the course. A translation guide will be distributed for each of the texts; you will be expected to use that guide and consider the questions raised on it. In addition, you will be expected to read and consider the translation and notes of the online Net Bible for each of these texts, not because this translation and set of notes is "right" or beyond critique, but because it will help you notice some important grammatical and translational issues before we meet together. A link to that resource will be found in the online schedule for this course.

MAR students who have not taken Greek will be responsible for careful comparison of several English translations (including NRSV, NIV, NET, and at least one other).

The texts which we will be translating and studying together are:
                    Phil. 3:2-14 1                 Cor. 11:17-34
                    1 Thess. 4:13-5:11         2 Cor. 11:30-12:10
                    Gal. 3:19-29                  Rom. 5:1-11

4) Throughout the course, each student will work on an exegetical study of one of the following texts:
                    Philippians 1:15-30         1 Corinthians 1:18-31

                    Galatians 5:13-26             Romans 12:1-8

4 short (1 page, single-spaced) assignments on the chosen text will be turned in, each dealing with one particular aspect of exegesis from the online exegetical instructions. If unsatisfactory, each of these may be returned to the student for reworking.
 

5) Each student will meet with Dr. Peterson for a final discussion of their text and exegesis (approximately 45 minutes). For this discussion, the student will prepare 2-3 pages (single spaced) covering the following:
- Any discussion regarding issues of form / style, historical-cultural context, parallel passages and sources that are important for the student's understanding of the text.
- A paragraph summarizing the student's understanding of the text, based on the student's work throughout the course, and a single-sentence "Primary Impact" statement for the text.
- A list of 3 of the recommended commentaries which the student consulted during study of the text.
- A one-page homily based on the text and informed by the student's exegesis.

While this set of assignments delivers the student from the task of writing a major exegetical paper at the end of the course and may reflect more closely the kind of exegetical work that the student will undertake as part of ministry, there is a danger that each of the exegetical steps will be treated only as isolated tasks. To avoid this unhelpful approach, the student is encouraged to study carefully the exegetical instructions and the online sample of exegesis to see how the tasks of exegesis are interwoven. The final discussion will include a look at how well the student's exegesis "hangs together." It should go without saying (but of course it doesn't) that the student will also be expected to reflect an awareness of the readings and work during the course as they inform her / his understanding of Paul, his letters, and his theology.

If the final discussion reflects an unsatisfactory exegesis or awareness of the issues covered in the course, the student will be required to complete an acceptable written exegetical paper and / or a final exam in order to pass the course.

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