BI 274: Pauline Studies

Class Schedule -- Spring, 2008

 


LECTURE: Mon, January 28
        Introduction to the course
        Paul in church & history

EXEGETICAL GROUPS: Thurs & Fri, Jan 31 - Feb 1
        Introduction to an exegetical process
                Read exegetical instructions & review online example

 

LECTURE:  Mon, Feb 4
        Toward a "Life of Paul"
        Required Reading:
            Acts 7:54-8:3; 9:1-31; 15:1-41; 21:17-26; 28:11-31
            Witherington, 9-88, 304-331
            Karl Donfried, "Chronology; The Pauline Correspondence," in The
                 Anchor BibleDictionary
Vol 1:1016-1022. (Library Reference)
           See the internet site "As Paul Tells It" by Dr. J. Peter Bercovitz for a
                 chronology of Paul’s  ministry based only on the undisputed epistles.
                 (I find myself in substantial agreement with this presentation.) 
                Within this site, read through:
                        "Acts as a Source (1)"
                        "Letters Based Chronology (1)  
                        "Letters Based Chronology (2)"
                         "Closing Months (5)"

EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, Feb 7-8
        Philippians 3:2-14 (Translation, grammar, variants)
        @ "Net Bible" translation and notes
        Gorman, 35-58

 

LECTURE: Mon, Feb 11
         Paul’s churches & Roman society
                Required Reading:
                        Wright, 7-62

EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, Feb 14-15
        Philippians 3:2-14 (continued)
                Required Reading
                        Richard Hays, "Justification," in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol
                                                 3:1129-1133. (Library Reference)
                         "Chiasm," in Literary Forms in the New Testament, pp. 49-54
                                              (Library Reserve)
                        Using a concordance, find all the times that Paul uses any form of the word Óg™omai ("regard")
                        Translation and grammatical notes on the final text due
 

LECTURE:  Mon, Feb 18
        Paul’s letters & rhetoric
         Required reading:
            Witherington, 89-129
            See the website on the structure of Paul's letters by Dr. Felix Just

  EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, Feb 21-22
        1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 (translation, grammar, variants)
         "Net Bible" translation and notes


LECTURE:  Mon, Feb 25
        1 Thessalonians and Pauline eschatology
        Required Reading:
            1 Thessalonians, including the introductory material on 1 Thessalonians in 
                    The Harper Collins Study Bible (Library Reserve)
            Witherington, 130-173
            Wright, 77-94
            Helmut Koester, "Imperial Ideology and Paul’s Eschatology," 
                    in Paul and Empire, ed. Richard A. Horsley, pp. 158-166. 
                    (Library Reserve)
            See Dr. Craig Koester's website on Thessalonica

EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, Feb 28-29
        1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 (continued)
        Required Reading:
            Gorman, 75-90
            Schertz & Yoder, Seeing the Text, 46-56 (Library Reserve)
            "Apocalyptic Language and Forms," in Literary Forms in the New Testament
                    pp. 54-62 (Library Reserve)
            See the suggested rhetorical outline for 1 Thessalonians
             Outline for final text due
 

LECTURE:  Mon, March 3
       Galatians: Paul and the Law
        Required Reading:
          Galatians
           Raymond Brown, "Galatians" in An Introduction to the New Testament
                pp. 467-482 (Library Reserve)
          Numbers 25; Judith 9:1-4; 1 Macc 2:15-28; Sirach 44:19-21
          Wright, 95-133
          Krister Stendahl, "The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West."
                In Paul Among Jews and Gentiles, 78-96. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976. (Library
                Reserve)
          
EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, March 6-7
        Galatians 3:19-29 (translation, grammar, variants)
         "Net Bible" translation and notes


LECTURE:  Mon, March 10
       Philippians and Paul's Christology
       Required Reading:
              Philippians
              Wright, 63-75
              John T. Fitzgerald, "Philippians, Epistle to the," in The Anchor Bible 
                        Dictionary
Vol. 5: 318-326 (Library Reference)
            See the suggested rhetorical outline for Philippians
            See Dr. Craig Koester's  website dealing with Philippi
 
EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, March 13-14
        Galatians 3:19-29 (continued)
        See the suggested rhetorical outline for Galatians
        Compare Galatians 3 with Deut. 33:2, Psalm 68:17, Is. 63:8-9, 1 Cor. 12:13, 
                Col. 3:11
        Read "Diatribe" in Literary Forms in the New Testament, pp. 38-42 (Library Reserve)
         Key Concept study for final text due


March 17-21  --  Spring Break

 

LECTURE:  Mon, March 24
        1 Corinthians & Paul's ethics
        Required Reading:
                1 Corinthians
                "Corinth" and "Corinthians, The First Letter of Paul to the" in Harper Collins
                         Bible Dictionary (Revised), 198-204 (Library Reference)
                Witherington, 263-278
                Wright, 135-165
                Richard Hays, "Ecclesiology and Ethics in 1 Corinthians" (online article)
                Look at the following websites dealing with Corinth:  
                         Dr. Craig Koester's website on Corinth
                        A virtual tour of Corinth from the United Methodist Church
                        "Erastus Inscription

EXEGETICAL GROUP:  Thurs & Fri, March 27-28
            1 Cor 11:17-34 (translation, grammar, variants)
             "Net Bible" translation and notes

 

LECTURE:  Mon, March 31
        1 Corinthians: Spirit & church; 2 Corinthians & Paul's understanding of ministry
        Required Reading:
              Witherington, 204-229
               Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, "Neither Male Nor Female: Galatians 3:28--
                        Alternative Vision and Pauline Modification," in In Memory of Her,
                         205-241 (Library Reserve)
                See the short internet articles on 
                        "Paul and Corinthian Women's Head Coverings" and 
                        "Paul and Corinthian Women's Hairstyles"
                2 Corinthians, including the introductory material on 2 Corinthians in 
                        The Harper Collins Study Bible (Library Reserve)
                   John Chow, "Patronage in Roman Corinth," in Paul and Empire, ed.
                            Richard A. Horsley, pp. 104-125 (Library Reserve).
                    See Dr. Craig Koester's  website dealing with Ephesus
                    See the virtual tour of Ephesus 
       
                        
EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, April 3-4
      1Cor 11:17-34 (continued)
            See the suggested rhetorical outline for 1 Corinthians
            See internet article on "The Structure of Roman Houses" (and note especially the
                information on the Triclinium).  See also the dining room from a house at Pompeii.
            Compare Paul's account with the Synoptic Gospels' accounts of the last supper.
            Gorman, 65-73
            Literary context for final text due


LECTURE:  Mon, April 7
        Philemon: Paul and the structures of society
         Required Reading:
              Philemon
              See the suggested rhetorical outline for Philemon
             Witherington, 174-203
              "Philemon, Letter to," in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 703-707 
                    (Library Reference) 
               J. Albert Harrill, Slaves in the New Testament, 165-196 (Library Reserve)
               Look at the website "Footsteps of Paul" regarding Ephesus, and note the
                            gate dedicated to Augustus, and who gave it.
       
  
EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, April 10-11
    2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10 (Translation, grammar, variants)
       "Net Bible" translation and notes

           

LECTURE:  Mon, April 14
       Romans: Justification and the church of Jews and Gentiles
       Required Reading:
              Romans
              Witherington, 230-262
              "Paul's Letter to the Christians in Rome," in Introducing the New Testament:
                        Its Literature and Theology, pp. 299-326
                 
EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, April 17-18
    2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10 (continued)
                See the suggested rhetorical outlines for 2 Corinthians
                See notes on the "hardship list" in the online exegetical example
                Gorman, 123-140

 

LECTURE:  Mon, April 21
            Romans: Israel and God's faithfulness
            Required Reading:
                  Witherington, 278-303
                   Wright, 167-183
                   Eugene Boring, "The Language of Universal Salvation in Paul."
                            Journal of Biblical Literature 105 (1986): 269-292 (Library Reserve).
              See Dr. Craig Koester's website dealing with Rome
        
EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, April 24-25
        Romans 5:1-11 (Translation, grammar, variants)
         "Net Bible" translation and notes

LECTURE:  Mon, April 28
            The Deutero-Pauline Letters
            Required Reading:
                Calvin Roetzel, The Letters of Paul. Conversations in Context, 133-160
                        (Library Reserve)

EXEGETICAL GROUPS:  Thurs & Fri, May 1-2
             Romans 5:1-11 (continued)
             See the suggested rhetorical outline for Romans
             See the parallels to this text in "Pauline Parallels." What do you notice?
           
 
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