Galatians and James: Mission and Identity in Early Christianity (BN9200T)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit provides an in-depth exegetical study of the New Testament epistles known as Galatians and James, with a particular focus on the themes of mission and identity. The study of these letters will begin with an examination of the social setting from which they emerged, examining them as literary arguments for a particular theological understanding of emerging Christian identity and early Christian mission. This unit will also consider how these letters continue to offer a model for the contemporary church when it comes to understanding mission and identity through comparison with modern scholarship on mission.

Unit code: BN9200T

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: New Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Trinity College Theological School

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explicate an awareness of the dating, authorship, social setting, key themes, and literary genres of Galatians and James.
2.

Critically interpret passages from Galatians and James in conversation with secondary scholarship and with an awareness of the hermeneutical principals involved
3.

Critically articulate the issues relating to identity and mission in the first century setting of Galatians and James
4.

Demonstrate an understanding of the basic contemporary approaches to mission and missiology in secondary scholarship.
5.

Identity and evaluate the model(s) of mission in Galatians and James as possibilities for the contemporary church and alongside modern scholarship.

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: Introductory unit (24 points, or equivalent) in New Testament studies

Pedagogy

Lectures (pre-recorded online, or on campus) and seminars, or similar

Indicative Bibliography

  • Betz, Hans Dieter. Galatians (Hermeneia). Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979.
  • Boer, Martinus de. Galatians: A Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011.
  • Davids, Peter H. The Epistle of James: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
  • Dibelius, Martin. James: A Commentary on the Epistle of James. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976.
  • Guder, Darrell. Called to Witness: Doing Missional Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015
  • Martyn, J. Louis. Galatians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
  • Moo, Yarbrough and Stein. Galatians. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
  • Nissen, Johannes. New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 2006.
  • Schnabel, Eckhard J. Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods. Nottingham: Apollos, 2008.
  • Tickle, Phyllis. The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Forum - Forum

1500 words across 6 discussion forums

 1500 20.0
Essay - Exegetical

3,000 word exegetical essay

3000 40.0
Essay - Thematic

3000 word thematic essay

 3000 40.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 27 Sep, 2021

Unit record last updated: 2021-09-27 15:01:36 +1000