Content

  1. Content This unit considers a selection of texts from the New Testament in relation to the development of early Christian moral conviction and practice. We will explore the main contours, principles and themes of the diverse ethical material in the New Testament, set these in the context of the wider Jewish and Graeco-Roman environments and consider the exegetical and hermeneutical issues involved in using New Testament texts appropriately in contemporary ethical reflection.

Unit code: BN9600P

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: New Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College

Show when this unit is running

Learning outcomes

1.

Demonstrate an in-depth, coherent knowledge and understanding of ethical teaching in the New Testament, with special attention to its theological basis and contextual location.

2.

Use advanced exegetical skills in the analysis of New Testament texts in relation to early Christian moral conviction and practice.

3.

Critically assess scholarly attempts to use the New Testament as the basis for contemporary ethical reflection and decision making

4.

Formulate and present their own interpretation of the place of New Testament texts in ethical reflection and practice.

5.

Undertake independent research in primary and secondary resources concerning the use of the New Testament in relation to a specific ethical issue.

Unit sequence

One Foundational Unit in New Testament

Pedagogy

Lectures, Seminars, Tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Blount, Brian K., Then the Whisper Put on Flesh: New Testament Ethics in an African American Context. Nashville TN: * Abingdon, 2001.
  • Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Ethics, ed. Clifford Green, trans. Reinhard Krauss, Charles C. West, and Douglas W Stott. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works 6; Minneapolis MN: Fortress, 2005.
  • Brawley, Robert L. (ed.), Character Ethics and the New Testament. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 2007.
  • Burridge, Richard A., Imitating Jesus: An Inclusive Approach to New Testament Ethics. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2007.
  • Green, Joel B. (ed.), Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics. Grand Rapids MI: Baker Academic, 2011.
  • Harrington SJ, Daniel and Keenan SJ, James, Jesus and Virtue Ethics: Building Bridges Between New Testament Studies and Moral Theology. Lanham/Chicago IL: Sheed & Ward, 2002.
  • Hays, Richard B., The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. (recommended for purchase)
  • Horrell, David G., Solidarity and Difference: A Contemporary Reading of Paul's Ethics. London: T & T Clark International, 2005.
  • Meeks, Wayne A., The Origins of Christian Morality: The First Two Centuries. New Haven CN: Yale University Press, 1993.
  • Mouton, Elna, Reading a New Testament Document Ethically. Atlanta GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002.
  • Schrage, Wolfgang, The Ethics of the New Testament, trans. David E. Green. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1988.
  • Zimmerman, Ruben and van der Watt, Jan G. (eds.), Moral Language in the New Testament: The Interrelatedness of Language and Ethics in Early Christian Writings. Wissenchaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2/296; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

6000 word assignment exploring the New Testament in relation to a specific ethical issue.

A draft of the main argument for the essay will be presented to the lecturer and classroom/online peers for structured feedback.

0 100.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2015

Unit record last updated: 2022-10-04 13:24:33 +1100