This course will be offered during the Winter term, 2008-2009, as a prose elective.

This course is taught by Dr. Ashworth and Mr. Miller

Overview:

There is good reason to believe that when William Shakespeare wrote, “ Every one according to the gift which bounteous nature hath in him closed” ( Macbeth , 3.1.105-07), he assumed that most of his audience would understand the reference to one of Jesus' parables (Matthew 25:15). Similarly, that when John Steinbeck wrote East of Eden , he thought that most readers would connect the title with the biblical story of humanity's exile from an earthly paradise.

The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament are foundational texts in Western civilization and literature. Our goal in this course will be to acquaint students with the major characters, narratives, and poetry of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Although we will consider theological and historical issues in our reading, our primary focus will be literary. Our most sustained inquiries will be into questions of narrative, but we will also consider issues of poetics, genre and themes, plot, archetypes and myth.

Book Requirement: 

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version.  ISBN: 0195288807    This book is available from the Tuck Shop and from most book stores.  In addition, you may use your own Bible (which must contain the Jewish Bible/Old Testament and Christian New Testament)

Related texts on reserve (one-week checkout) in the library:

The Art of Biblical Narrative;  The Art of Biblical Poetry;  Literary Guide to the Bible;  Literary Structure of the Old Testament

Syllabus

A .    The Jewish Bible (The Old Testament)

1. Why study the Bible? Quick Overview of Temple and Church history & connections to Western canon.
2. The Five Books of Moses; The Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh ), and the language (see OTsummary, and JEPD theory).
3. Havruta (=fellowship), Genesis 1:1 – 2:25 (Creation)
4. Gen. 3:1 – 3:24 ( Eden and the Expulsion)
5. Gen. 4:1 – 4:16 (Cain and Abel) (Introduction to Midrash)
6. Gen. 6:9 – 9:17 (Noah and the Flood)
7. Gen. 12:1 – 13:18 (God's Election of Abram)  (Timeline)
8. Gen. 19:1 – 19:37 (The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah )
9. Gen. 22:1 – 22:19 (The Binding of Isaac)
10. Gen. 25:19 – 25:34, Gen. 27 (Jacob & Esau ) & Gen. 37:1 – 37:36; 39-45 (Story of Joseph)
11. Gen. 47-49 (Migration to Egypt )
12. Exodus 1:1 – 7:13 (Moses' Birth)
13. Exod. 7:13 – 15:19 (Exodus from Egypt )
14. Exod. 19:1 – 20:21 (The Covenant at Sinai)   (Hebrew Alphabet) (Hebrew translation exercise) (Hebrew Flashcards)
15. Exod. 25:1 – 27:21 (The Tabernacle), and Exod. 32-34 (The Golden Calf)
16. Deuteronomy 6 (The Sh'ma, Liturgy), and Deut. 32-34 (The Death of Moses)
17. Judges 13-16 (Samson)
18. I Samuel 17 (David and Goliath) & II Samuel 11:1 – 12:25 (David and Bathsheba)
19. Psalms (3 days)
20. Song of Songs(2 days)
21. Proverbs (if time permits)

B .    The New Testament

1. Authorship/Dates/Canon/Translations (see NT summary)
2. The Use of Old Testament Quotations (hand out)
3. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) ( 3 days) (Synoptic readings)
4. Parables (Luke 15 and 16)  (Introduction to Greek Alphabet)
5. John's Gospel (Chapters 1-3)  (John, chapter 1, in Greek)(OT in John)
6. The Birth of Jesus (Matt. 1, 2; Luke 1, 2.)
7. The Death of Jesus (Matt. 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 18, 19)
8. The Resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, 21)
9. The Acts of the Apostles (1:1 to 9:31)
10. Paul's Letter to the Church in Rome (Romans 1:1 - 12:2)
11. Paul's Letters to the Church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 11-15)
12. Other Pauline Epistles (Ephesians 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) (if time permits)
13. The Epistle to the Hebrews (4:14 - 12:3)
14. The Petrine Epistles (I and II Peter) (if time permits)
15. The Book of Revelation (3 days: chapters 1-7; 8-14; 15-22)

Assignments:

Students can expect to write 3 papers and a final paper. Each student's journal should contain at least two types of entry: reactions/notes made in class; reations/notes made from the homework reading.  Journal checks will take the form of a student's informed participation in class.

Grading:

AWE: journal/in-class participation - 15%; Essay 1 - 15%; Essay 2 - 25%; Essay 3 - 25%.

Final: Essay 4 - 20% of AWE

Your essays and final paper should be double-spaced. Quotations of more than approximately 25 words should be single-spaced, indented 1 inch, and without quotation marks. An example of a biblical quotation of less that 25 words is:

“God so loved the world” (John 3:16 ). 

Both content and mechanics will be evaluated (see course expectations for details on grading).

Essay 1: Extended Journal Entry, 2-3 pages, typed.  Due Thursday, 11 December 2008.  You may use the following topics as possible themes for your short paper:

1. Based on a single day’s reading you have been assigned, write an exegesis of the text or a portion of the text from a literary point of view. Consider theme, tone, language, and narrative point of view for example. You may draw on dialogue with your hevruta, class discussion and notes, and your own reflections.

2. From a literary perspective, compare the two accounts of the Creation in Genesis 1 and 2. Why the double narrative? What is the effect of such a dual narrative? From an editorial point of view, why maintain it? Does the language of the text create a single tone or multiple tones? (Remember to use a specific literary definition of tone, such as the one found in the glossary of the Bedford Reader.)

3. Some argue that the predominant theme of Genesis concerns family relationships. Looking at God in the first chapters of Genesis as a parent figure, how does the text describe the parent-child relationship? Do human relationships mirror those between humans and the divine, or do they stand in contrast?

4. Returning to our creative writing exercise with the Cain and Abel story, create your own midrash to explain and extend the text. Rewrite the story adding to the text in a way that makes literary sense. In other words, add to the narrative using the details, style, and intentions of the original but in an extended way. You may choose to incorporate existing material from the Bible into your work, and you may want to consider these questions: What did Cain say to Abel? What was the murder weapon? Could Cain have understood his actions? Is Cain to bear sole responsibility for his actions? Are others (God, Adam, Eve) implicated in some way? (You may also choose to do this exercise with another seemingly “fragmented” or “incomplete” story from Genesis.)

5. Reread the Temptation. As a literary archetype, how are we to understand this event? Is this the archetypal “loss of innocence” story, and if so, in what ways? Is this the archetypal story of betrayal and disloyalty? What literary attributes does it dictate for all similar stories that follow it? You may want to compare it to a well known loss of innocence story or betrayal story that you read in Foundations I or II, such as the story of Macbeth’s temptation by the witches or Gertrude’s disloyalty and adultery in Hamlet.

6. A topic of your own choice. The title and a brief outline must be approved by Mr. Miller or Dr. Ashworth before you start to write.

Essay 2 3-4 pages, typed.   Due Wednesday, 7 January 2009.  Choose one of the following:

1. When first called by God to seek the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt , Moses claims that he lacks the eloquence to do the job. Examine the text to compare/contrast this point in light of the later textual accounts of Moses as spokesman. Does he undergo a transformation as a character and leader? If so, characterize it using specific examples from the text.

2. God appears in dramatic ways in the Burning Bush and on Mt. Sinai . Examine the text for examples of God's nature/manifestations in the passages we read in Exodus. What conclusions about God's character can you draw from these readings? Does God's character seem to be fixed or does it seem to transform and define itself over time?

3. Disobedience seems to be a dominant theme from Genesis 3 to Deuteronomy 24. With reference to those incidents that you have read (and others that you may want to read) discuss common themes in the subject/manner of disobedience, and God's subsequent reactions.

4. Analyze two Psalms that you read, exploring figures of speech, themes, the tone of the speaker, use of literary devices such as imagery, figurative language, personification, paradox, irony, etc. Were the Psalms written for that time only, or could their “message” be timeless? If so, could they have modern applications, and can you think of any contemporary literature similar to your Psalms?

5. A topic of your own choice. The title and a brief outline must be approved by Mr. Miller or Dr. Ashworth before you start to write.

Essay 3 3-4 pages, typed.  Due Friday, 30January, 2009.  Choose one of the following:

1. Compare/contrast the Beatitudes (Matt.5:1-12) with the psalms that you read. your quotations should be mostly from the NT.

2. Read the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29 -37). Is it important that the priest and Levite were Jewish, and the Samaritan was not?  Your analysis of the passage should be based primarily on the text and other NT readings, but you may also use minor references to personl experience.

3. Discuss fairness/unfairness in the parables of the Prodigal son and the rich manand Lazarus (Luke 15:11 -32, 16:19-31).

4. Does John's prologue (1:1-18) fit in or seem out of place with the rest of his opening chapters (1-3)?

5. Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny knowing him (Mark 14:29 -31). Are the excuses and lies that Peter used (Matt. 26:69-75 or Mark 14:66-72 or Luke 22:56 -62) consistent with your understanding of human nature? (c.f. Gen. 3)

6. Examine the narrative of Thomas' experience with the resurrected Jesus (John 20:24 -31). Does this passage compare/contrast with your understanding of faith (personal and/or from the wider text)?

7. A topic of your own choice. The title and a brief outline must be approved by Mr. Miller or Dr. Ashworth before you start to write.

Essay 4: 4-5 pages, typed.   Final Examination (Final Paper Guidelines)

Choose one of the following final exam essay questions. Your essay will be due (printed and spell-checked) on Friday, 13 February 2009).

1.  Write an analytical essay on the following.

We have studied many Biblical stories in which the roles of men and women in families and society are investigated. Women and men vie for control, power, and authority as they assert and sometimes transcend their normal gender roles.

Using evidence from the texts, create a thesis based on these observations about gender and write a complete essay in which you discuss the possibilities and limits experienced by four different characters from four different narratives in the Bible. You should pick two female characters and two male characters. In your discussion, decide whether their experiences are positive, negative, or ambivalent.

2.  Write an analytical essay on the following.

We have studied many biblical stories in which characters have a dual nature: they appear one way on the exterior, but are different in the interior. Arguably, these people with dual natures are less stable, unhappy, or otherwise more at odds with the world and those around them than people who are “whole.”

Using evidence from the text, write a complete essay in which you discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by four different characters from four different biblical narratives as they confront the different parts of themselves. In your essay, discuss how--if at all--the characters are able to integrate the various parts of themselves into a coherent whole.

3. A topic of your own choice. The title and a brief outline must be approved by Mr. Miller or Dr. Ashworth before you start to write.

Announcements: Leading Authorities push for a similar course in public schools. Visit The Bible Literacy Project at www.bibleliteracy.org

Links:

Course Expectations

End-of-course Evaluation

1-Year Bible Reading Chart

For Bible study tools go to:

www.crosswalk.com;  www.blueletterbible.com;  www.mybibletools.com

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