Interpreting the Bible: Critical Approaches to the Text (BS8002C)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit provides an introduction to the theory and practice of textual interpretation. It also considers the particular challenges of interpreting the inspired text of the biblical canon with its multiple senses from a Catholic perspective. The student will learn about several interpretive methods and approaches and will apply some of them to the exegesis of passages from the Old and New Testaments, with the aid of dictionaries and commentaries.

Unit code: BS8002C

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational

Unit discipline: Biblical Studies

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Articulate an advanced understanding of the concepts of biblical inspiration, canonicity, and the senses of Scripture
2.

Describe the key features and goals of several interpretive methods and approaches in biblical studies
3.

Identify and analyse oral traditions or written sources of a biblical passage and use these in an interpretation of the passage, on the basis of sustained and critically rigorous research
4.

Demonstrate appropriate use of a synchronic method or approach in the interpretation of a biblical passage, on the basis of sustained and critically rigorous research
5.

Engage with a biblical text as Scripture having relevance for the Church today, judiciously incorporating the results of specific techniques of interpretation

Pedagogy

lectures and discussions

Indicative Bibliography

  • Aune, David E., ed. The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament. Blackwell Companions to Religion. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
  • Fee, Gordon D. New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.
  • Fitzmyer, Joseph A., and the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Biblical Commission’s Document “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church”: Text and Commentary. Subsidia Biblica 18. Rome: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1995.
  • Gorman, Michael J. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.
  • Harrington, Daniel J. How Do Catholics Read the Bible? Come and See Series. Lanham, MD: Sheed & Ward, 2005. (recommended for purchase)
  • Hayes, John H., and Carl R. Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner’s Handbook. 3rd ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. (recommended for purchase)
  • Law, David R. The Historical-Critical Method: A Guide for the Perplexed. Guides for the Perplexed. London: T. and T. Clark, 2012.
  • McKenzie, Steven L., and Michael D. Coogan, eds. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • Perdue, Leo G., ed. The Blackwell Companion to the Hebrew Bible. Blackwell Companions to Religion. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005.
  • Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. 1993. (Available online.) (recommended for purchase)
  • Steck, Odil Hannes. Old Testament Exegesis: A Guide to the Methodology. Translated by James D. Nogalski. SBLRBS, Vol. 39. 2nd ed. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998.
  • Thiselton, Anthony C. Hermeneutics: An Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

2500 word essay (passages from Old Testament)

 0 40.0
Essay

2500 word essay (passages from New Testament)

 0 40.0
Essay

1000 word essay

 0 20.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2017

Unit record last updated: 2021-11-07 14:57:47 +1100