Letters of Paul (BN9200C)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit focuses on the undisputed letters of Paul and what they reveal to us about the apostle, his co-workers, his mission, the communities he addresses and his theology within the context of Second Temple Judaism and the first century Greco-Roman world. Insights to Paul’s strategies to build sustainable faith communities, support local leadership, expand broader networks and secure identity in Christ are explored. Relevant engagement with the disputed letters and the Acts of the Apostles will be made as appropriate. This unit will encourage theological discussion of the legacy of Paul for the church today.

Unit code: BN9200C

Unit status: Approved (Assessment revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: New Testament

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Critically evaluate the strategic methods employed by Paul in his correspondence as a means of building sustainable faith communities
2.

Articulate the influence and rhetorical importance of the context of the letters to their meaning
3.

Critically analyse passages from Paul’s letters demonstrating competence in biblical interpretative and research methods
4.

Formulate fresh theological insights for building and strengthening identity, leadership, pastoral formation, and evangelization in the life of the church today
5.

Research and critically assess passages or themes from the Letters of Paul in a rigorous and self-directed manner

Unit sequence

BN8001C and BA8001C or equivalent

Pedagogy

Lectures, Focus Text Workshops, online Context Forum. This unit will be offered online and/or face-to-face with two hours each week delivered synchronously (F2F and OLS) + 1 hour asynchronous learning activity (OLA).

Indicative Bibliography

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Report - Focus Text Report

1500 word report on one of the first three Focus Texts.

1500 15.0
Portfolio - In class Portfolio Hurdle/Compulsory task

The Portfolio consists of two (2) writing tasks conducted in class:

  1. In class focus text in Week 10 (10%). 500 words. (This is assessed against Learning Outcomes 2, 3 and 4).
  2. In class exegesis of a passage for the essay in Week 5 (30%). (This is assessed against Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4).

This Portfolio is a hurdle/compulsory task. This means passing this Portfolio assessment is required to pass the unit.

 2000 40.0
Essay - Main Essay

3500 word essay on the exegesis passage chosen in the portfolio assessment task.

 3500 45.0

Variant 2

Report - Essay Plan Report

1000 word essay plan report with bibliography.

 1000 10.0
Portfolio - In class Portfolio Hurdle/Compulsory task

The Portfolio consists of one (1) writing tasks conducted in class plus one 15 min oral conversation about the main essay:

  1. In class exegesis of a passage for the essay - 1500 words (30%) Week 5-6. (This is assessed against Learning Outcomes 1, 3 and 4).
  2. Individual conversation (1000 word equivalent) (10%) in Week 2-4 working through the essay plan in light of marking criteria and the question posed (10%). (This is assessed against Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

This Portfolio is a hurdle/compulsory task. This means passing this Portfolio assessment is required to pass the unit.

 2500 40.0
Essay - Main Essay

3500 word essay on the exegesis passage chosen in the portfolio assessment task.

 3500 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 16 Jan, 2026

Unit record last updated: 2026-01-16 11:13:20 +1100