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Canyon College

online Survey of the Bible course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Survey of the Bible II

Course Title: Survey of the Bible II - TH315
Department: Bachelor of Theology
Instructor: Dona Williams, MTh, BS, E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites: TH305 - Survey of the Bible I


Doctrinal Statement
Canyon College is a non- sectarian, non-denominational school committed to the study of God in all the richness and diversity of God's revelations to humanity and an exploration of what those revelations mean to the everyday lives of finite human beings. Canyon College does not advocate any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than the reality of God and does not require that its students and faculty subscribe to any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than a willingness to be challenged and a commitment to an investigation into truth and the pursuit of academic honesty and excellence.

Inclusive Language
Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would suggest that we write, "God wills that everyone obeys God's will."

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:

This course is a survey of the Bible as literature and as history. What is most important is that students come to know what is inside this Book which has so affected people and impacted the world as we know it. Of course, it is impossible to get inside the Bible without being touched by the spirit of a living God which permeates its pages. After all, when we speak of biblical history, we are truly talking about HIS story. That is, the stories of the Spirit of God working through sinners like you and me. Moreover, we cannot take this journey without some consideration of theology, doctrine and message. However, we will not dwell there. We will say a few words about what this literature and history mean and then continue along our journey. At the end of our adventure, and surely an approach to the Bible as is proposed here is an adventure, students should have an understanding of this international best-selling book, the Bible, and will be able to not "use" the Bible but to read it and to hear what it has to say yesterday, today, tomorrow, and always!

REQUIREMENTS
  1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Book Store
  1. Anderson, Bernhard and Katheryn Pfisterer Darr.Understanding the Old Testament, 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. ISBN: 0139483993. ("Anderson")
  2. Duling, Dennis C. and Norman Perrin.The New Testament: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History,3d ed. Harcourt Brace & Co., 1993. ISBN: 015500378X. ("Duling & Perrin")
  3. Brown, Raymond E., et al.The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. ISBN: 0138598363. ("Brown")
  4. Newsom, Carol A. And Sharon H. Ringe, eds. The Women’s Bible Commentary, expanded edition. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1999. ISBN: 066425781X. ("Newsom & Ringe")
  5. Meeks, Wayne A., gen. ed.The Harper Collins Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version.London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. ISBN: 0060655275. ("Meeks")
  6. Aland, Kurt, ed. Synopsis of the Four Gospels, English Edition, United Bible Societies, 1982. ISBN: 0826705006. ("Aland")
It is acknowledged that the reading list is long. However, these books will be required throughout students' studies and should occupy a prominent place in the library of their work lives. This course is the foundation for the study of theology and consequently it occupies a prominent place in the Bachelor of Theology Degree Program.
  1. Conferences. Students may schedule at least two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These may be scheduled by the student after the first week and before the last week. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the bulletin board.
  1. Exams. There will not be any exams in this course.
  1. Papers. There will be a short paper of no more than two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words, due at the end of each week’s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings; and, a final paper due of between five and seven double-spaced pages on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the professor. A tentative title, thesis statement, and working bibliography are due by the end of the third week. The final paper is due by the end of the sixth week. These papers are to be E-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with E-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address.
  1. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:
Papers 30%
Final Paper 40%
Midterm Paper 30%
  1. Grading Scale.
90-100% A - Excellent
80-89% B - Above Average
70-79% C - Average
60-69% D - Below Average
59% or below F - Failing Grade
WEEK 1

Read Anderson chapter, “The Unfulfilled Drama.” Read Brown pages 1055-1082 and Newsom & Ringe pages 235-243. Scan the Books of the Apocrypha so that you will become familiar with the general nature of each.

Discussion Questions:
  1. How does Judith slay Holofernes?
  2. What happens to cause Daniel to be put in the lions’ den?
  3. How does Tobias kill or get rid of the demon who has persecuted Sarah?
  4. What happens to the Israelites who refuse to fight on the Sabbath in the Book of Maccabees?
  5. In Bel and the Dragon, how does Daniel prove that the king’s prophets are false? How does Daniel slay the dragon? What do these story say about the God of the Jews?
  6. Tell the story of Susanna in three sentences or less.
WEEK 2

Read Brown 587-595, 1023-1033, and 1166-1174. Read Duling & Perrin pages 1-92 and Aland pages 1-20 and 299-338.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What is a gospel? How do the gospels differ from the prophetic works we studied in the Old Testament? The Apocrypha?
  2. Does it help you to understand the gospels by using the Aland book? If so, in what way(s)?
  3. Who wrote the gospels? When? Who is the intended audience of each gospel? Is there a central message in each gospel? What is it?
  4. Identify the groups of Israelites during the New Testament period.
  5. What is the difference between a church and a synagogue?
  6. Identify the groups of Israelites during the New Testament period.
  7. What is the difference between a church and a synagogue?
WEEK 3

Read Newsom & Ringe pages 394-402. Read Duling & Perrin pages 99-175. Read Brown pages 1338-1353. Read the Book of Acts.

Discussion Questions:
  1. Where is it that the new followers of Jesus Christ are first called Christians?
  2. What kind of writing is Acts? What are the major types of writing in the New Testament?
  3. What are the issues at the Jerusalem council? How are they resolved?
  4. How is a replacement for Judas selected?
  5. What happens to Judas in Acts? Does this differ from the gospel account? How do you account for or explain this difference? Does the difference matter? If so, in what way and to whom?
PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR THESIS STATEMENT, TOPIC, AND WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY TO THE INSTRUCTOR BY THE END OF THIS WEEK. THIS WILL COUNT AS YOUR MIDTERM GRADE ALONG WITH THE AVERAGE GRADE OF YOUR WEEKLY PAPERS.


WEEK 4

Read Brown pages 1354-1381 and 1382-1416. Read Duling & Perrin pages 176-293. Read Newsom & Ringe pages 469-474.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What type of writing is Revelation?
  2. According to Revelation, will the earth be destroyed on "Judgment Day?"
  3. Read Chapter 3 of Titus. What is to be the response of Christians to persons who cause divisions within the church?
  4. Read 2 Peter 2:4-10. Identify the persons being named there.
WEEK 5

Read Chapter Six of Duling & Perrin; and Newsom & Ringe pages 403-459 and glance through the pages of the Pauline corpus (Yes, this means the disputed Pauline writings as well!).

Discussion Questions:
  1. Who does Paul say Jesus Christ is?
  2. Why do you think Paul does not discuss the historical Jesus?
  3. What is Paul’s answer to the question of whether the promise God made to the Jews will be fulfilled?
  4. What does Paul mean by salvation?
  5. Paul has been criticized by many scholars for infusing Christianity with Greek philosophy. Do you agree with that criticism? Why or why not?
WEEK 6

Review and catch your breath. Then work on your final paper and E-mail it to your instructor by the end of this week.