Galatians and James: Mission and Identity in Early Christianity (Greek exegesis) (BN3210T)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit provides an in-depth exegetical study in Greek 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: BN3210T

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: New Testament

Proposing College: Trinity College Theological School

Show when this unit is running

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 the Greek text of Galatians and James in conversation with secondary scholarship and with an awareness of the hermeneutical principles involved
3.

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

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

Unit sequence

Prerequisites: 1 introductory unit (18 points, or equivalent) in new Testament studies; and Greek and ab (or equivalents)

Pedagogy

Lectures (pre-recorded online, or on campus), tutorials on Greek exegesis

Indicative Bibliography

SBL Text of Greek New Testament

  • Davids, P.H. The Epistle of James: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1982.
  • Dowd, S. “Faith that Works: James 2:14-26”, Review and Expositor 97 (2000), 195-205.
  • Joubert, S. “Homo Reciprocus No More: The ‘Missional’ Nature of Faith in James” in Jacobus Kok et al. (eds), Sensitivity Towards Outsiders: Exploring the Dynamic Relationship Between Mission and Ethics in the New Testament and Early Christianity WUNT 2/36. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014, 382-400.
  • Nissen, J. New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 2006.
  • Oakes, P. Galatians. Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament. Grand Rapids MI: Baker, 2012.
  • Painter, J. & D. DeSilva, James and Jude. Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament. Grand Rapids MI: Baker, 2012.
  • Plummer , R.L. & J.M. Terry, (eds), Paul’s Missionary Methods in His Time and Ours. Nottingham: IVP, 2012.
  • Schnabel, E.J. Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods. Nottingham: Apollos, 2008.
  • Tan, K.H. Galatians and Philippians. ISG 40, London: SPCK, 2009.
  • Thang, K. “The Significance of James’ ‘Works’ and Paul’s ‘Faith’ for Evangelical and Non-Evangelical Christians in Myanmar: An Exegetical Study of James 2:14-26 and Romans 3:21-28”, AJPS 18:2 (2015), 23-51.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Forum

1000 words across 6 discussion forums

 1000 20.0
Essay - Exegetical essay

2000 word exegetical essay on the Greek text

 2000 40.0
Essay - Thematic essay

2000 word thematic essay with reference to the Greek text

 2000 40.0
Approvals

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

Unit record last updated: 2021-09-27 14:59:09 +1000