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. Revised and Expanded Edition. Peabody, Mass. Hendrickson, 2009.
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.

You should bring to class each day a copy of the NRSV (Harper Collins Study Bible recommended) along with a
Greek New Testament (either United Bible Societies 4^th edition or Nestle-Aland 27^th 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.
      Though any and all assignments may be turned in as a paper copy, I would prefer that they be submitted via email attachment as a Word document. This may require special care with Greek fonts included in the final exegetical paper. I would suggest that you use SPIonic as the Greek font, available for download here.

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) Journal – Students will keep a journal of reflections on and reactions to the readings for each
 week. These journal entries should focus especially on what the student found theologically
 challenging, objectionable, or helpful, and how these might inform their ministry. The entries should
 not be primarily summaries of content, but issues, questions, and insights which the reading prompted.
 I will expect some reflection on most (not necessarily all) the assigned readings; if any of the required
 textbooks are consistently absent from the journal, the student may be required to write a 5-page review
 and response for that book. I anticipate about 300-500 words per week; if you find yourself writing
 significantly less than this, you need to give the readings more thoughtful reflection. Journal entries
 are due by 8 a.m. on Monday of  each week.

4) 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) and are expected to raise significant differences for discussion.

The texts which we will be translating and studying together are:
                    Phil. 3:2-11                    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

5) Throughout the course, each student will work on an exegetical study of one of the following texts:
                    1 Corinthians 8:1-13       1 Corinthians 15:20-28

                    Romans 6:12-23             Romans 8:1-11

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.
 

6)  Each student will meet with Dr. Peterson during the final two weeks of the semester for a final discussion of their text and
exegesis (approximately 30 minutes). For this discussion, the student will prepare 6-7 pages (double spaced) covering the following:
        - A verse-by-verse or section-by-section discussion of the text, drawing on earlier exegetical assignments as the student thinks helpful and necessary, and supplemented with studies of form / style, historical-cultural context, parallel passages and sources that are important for the student's understanding of the text.
        - A very brief "Primary Impact" statement answering  the question "What does this text say God is doing for me, for the church, and for the world?"
        -  A brief paragraph indicating where the text still poses problems and questions that you have not been able to settle.
Not counted in the 6-7 pages, but required in addition, should be:
        - Endnotes
        - A bibliography, which must include at least 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.

Please note: this paper is due April 26.

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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